Why India's child protection systems are failing vulnerable children long before they turn to crime

The shocking case of a 13-year-old girl from Kerala's Karuvatta, who orchestrated the murder of her 67-year-old grandfather and watched it unfold via video call, sent shockwaves through the state's self-proclaimed progressive society. While many gasped in horror at her apparently deep-seated criminal nature, we must confront a painful truth: nobody is born a criminal. Our society and state institutions, in their collective failure, create young offenders. Departments like the Women and Child Development Department, which operate under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, have repeatedly failed in their primary duty of early, preventative intervention.

The child's life
Reports emerging after the incident paint a tragic picture of the girl's childhood. It was a life defined by parental estrangement, extreme emotional neglect, and deep psychological trauma. Disturbingly, she had come into contact with various state-run child welfare institutions on several occasions before the crime. Yet, these agencies failed to offer the necessary intervention, letting her slip through the cracks. It is not enough for child protection agencies to react after a tragedy occurs; their ultimate goal should be identifying and rectifying the circumstances that lead to such horrors.

Identifying the invisible child
The Women and Child Development Department in Kerala is headed by an IAS officer and supported by district-level officers across the state. Its mandate is to address the issues faced by women and children. However, the most difficult challenge is identifying children living in toxic and abusive households. Unlike orphans, who are readily visible, these children are often hidden in plain sight, suffering in silence. Kerala has an incredible grassroots network, from Anganwadi teachers to ASHA workers. Unfortunately, these frontline workers are rarely trained to spot psychological distress or family dysfunction in children, rendering this powerful network ineffective in preventive care.

The need for proactive school counselling
While the government has deployed trained psychologists to schools to monitor children from troubled backgrounds and provide mental health support, this system remains largely inactive across the state. Children should not have to commit a crime to get the state's attention. Instead, they need proactive monitoring, counselling, and rehabilitation in safe environments that foster self-esteem and security. This is not an impossible or expensive task. We can bring about massive positive changes simply by utilising our existing infrastructure more efficiently.

A lesson in grassroots mentoring
To understand how simple, personal intervention can transform lives, look at an initiative by a college principal near Kottayam. The institution was struggling with a cohort of poorly performing, defiant students whom many dismissed as beyond saving. The principal divided the students into groups of 15 and assigned a teacher as a mentor to each group. Each mentor was required to visit their students' homes at least once a month, talk to their parents, and submit a detailed report to the principal. This simple exercise helped teachers understand students' difficult living conditions and build trust. Knowing that someone cared and was watching transformed the students, leading to a dramatic improvement in their behaviour and academic performance.

If we can implement such focused, grassroots efforts in our communities, we can save hundreds of children from going astray. Our emphasis should shift from demands for harsher punishments for juvenile offenders to early identification of children trapped in environments of hatred, conflict, and neglect. Only when we protect their childhood can we prevent them from becoming tomorrow's criminals.