Children are individuals born with indivisible and inalienable human rights. They belong to families and communities that need to have access to appropriate resources, services, and capacities required to ensure realization of these rights. The rights of parents and care-givers are therefore closely intertwined with the rights of children.

Childhood is a period of tremendous biological, psychological, and social development. Enabling all children to realize their full creative potential is critical for sustaining India's economic growth and accelerating human development. However, India's social policies are yet to deliver on the promise of quality education, health, nutrition, and protection for all. Future social policies therefore need to be built on evidence-based platforms that pay particular attention to children's experiences of poverty and vulnerability, which are multidimensional and distinct from those of adults.

Bringing together a multidisciplinary set of essays, this volume advocates child-centred social policies that focus on the specific requirements of both children as well as those of the families, communities, and societies in which they live.

About the Author

A.K. Shiva Kumar a development economist, teaches economics and public policy and is Adviser to UNICEF India. He is also Visiting Professor, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, and Member of its Board of Governors. Preet Rustagi Senior Fellow, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi Ramya Subrahmanian is Executive Director, 'Know Violence in Childhood: A Global Learning Initiative', New Delhi.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables and Figures Foreword by Louis-Georges Arsenault List of Abbreviations Child Rights, Equity, and Social Policy: An Introduction Ramya Subrahmanian, A.K. Shiva Kumar, and Preet Rustagi Part I: Measuring Poverty and Deprivations from Children's Perspective 1. Recognizing Child Well-being: The Need for a Double Paradigm Shift Ashwani Saith and Rekha Wazir 2. Child Well-being and Deprivations in India Preet Rustagi, Sunil Kumar Mishra, and Balwant Singh Mehta 3. Economic Status and Child Deprivation: Findings from Village Surveys Madhura Swaminathan and Venkatesh Athreya 4. Demographic Transition, School Attendance, and Changing Activity Structure in Urban India Amitabh Kundu and P.C. Mohanan Part II: Macro Context and Policy Spaces 5. Achievements and Challenges in Legal Protection for Child Rights Asha Bajpai 6. Rising Food Prices and the Global Financial Crisis: Tracking Impacts on Women and Children S. Mahendra Dev 7. The Tryst Compromised: India's Fiscal Policy and Its Impact on Children Praveen Jha and Subrat Das Part III: Gender, Family, and Marriage 8. Adverse Child Sex Ratios and Gender Discrimination: Challenges for Law and Policy Mary E. John 9. Delaying Age of Marriage: Social Norms and Policies Priya Nanda and Sonvi A. Khanna 10. Parent-Child Communication and Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters Shireen J. Jejeebhoy and K.G. Santhya 11. Universal Day-care Services: Meeting the Intersecting Needs and Rights of Women and Children Neeta Misra and Ramya Subrahmanian 12. Conditional Cash Transfers for the Welfare of the Girl Child: The Indian Experience T.V. Sekher Part IV: Social Exclusion and Human Development 13. Engaging with Caste: Academic Discourses, Identity Politics, and State Policy Surinder S. Jodhka 14. Assessing the Inclusiveness of Government Flagship Programmes: The Case of National Rural Health Mission Kaveri Gill 15. Caste and Social Exclusion: Concept, Indicators, and Measurement Sukhadeo Thorat and Nidhi Sadana Sabharwal 16. The Political Economy of Development and Adivasi Children and Society Virginius Xaxa 17. Literacies and Power: Looking for Adivasi Voice in Education Shivali Tukdeo 18. Addressing Deprivations of Scheduled Tribe Children: A Perspective from Odisha Soumya Kapoor Mehta Index About the Editors and Contributors