Justice Savitri Ratho Unveils First Internationally Indexed Issue of NLUO's 'Journal on the Rights of the Child'

Delivering the Presidential Address, Justice Ratho underscored the indispensable role of academic discourse in strengthening child rights frameworks. Invoking John F. Kennedy's words—“Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”—she highlighted constitutional provisions and legislative measures focusing on child rights, yet cautioned against a purely legal or judicial approach. According to Justice Ratho, child rights protection is a shared societal responsibility. She also announced the relaunch of the Orissa High Court JJC's digital newsletter Sishu Suraksha, encouraging wider readership. Her remarks concluded with Nelson Mandela's call to action: “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children.”

The ceremony was further graced by Prof Ved Kumari, Vice Chancellor NLUO and Patron-in-Chief of CCR; Prof Enakshi Ganguly, Honorary Professor at NLUO and Executive Director of the Housing and Land Rights Network; Prof Biraj Swain, Chief Minister's Chair Professor and Director of CCR; and Mr M Vijay Bhaskar, Assistant Professor of Law, Co-Director CCR, and Centre for Tribal Studies & Pro Bono Club. Faculty, staff, and students of NLUO attended in strength. Ms Pooja Marwaha, CEO, Child Rights and You (CRY), and Mr Subhendu Bhattacharjee, Director-Policy, Research, Advocacy and Documentation at CRY, joined digitally, accompanied by their colleagues. Also present were Prof Sheela Rai, NLUO Dean of Research and Internationalization, and over 150 students enrolled in the Child Rights course or serving in CCR's student committee.

This landmark e-ISSN edition comprises 11 original contributions—including papers, case commentaries, infographics, and Conference Proceedings—authored by academics, researchers, advocates, and students. Thematically, the journal traverses public finance, education, nutrition, consent, social work in rehabilitation/reintegration of children in conflict with law, decriminalization of young love, digital safety, and developments in child-centered justice. All content is open access via the university website. The Journal welcomes rolling submissions through ccr@nluo.ac.in. Publication of this edition was generously supported by CRY, reflecting ongoing synergy between the NGO and CCR-NLUO.

Prof Biraj Swain, in her introductory remarks, emphasized the Journal's rigorous editorial protocols: double-blind peer review, fact-checking, plagiarism detection, and AI-verification were meticulously enforced. Associate Editors Dr Swagatika Samal, Dr Pradipta Kumar Sarangi, Mr Ankit Kumar Keshri, Dr Rashmi Rakha Baug, Dr Shubhanginee Singh, and Student Editor Ms Madhulika Tripathy formed the editorial team that oversaw these quality controls.

The Journal's Editorial Advisory Board boasts eminent names: Justice Madan B Lokur (Chairperson, UN Internal Justice Council; former Judge, Supreme Court of India), Justice Gita Mittal (former Chief Justice, J&K High Court), Prof. Bernd-Deiter Meier (Director, Criminal Justice Institute, University of Hannover), Prof. Christopher Birbeck (Criminology, Salford University, UK), and Prof. Bhabani P Panda (Director, School of Law, KIIT & former VC, Maharashtra National Law University). Prof Ved Kumari leads as Editor-in-Chief, assisted by Prof Biraj Swain (Editor), Prof Ravinder Barn (Royal Holloway, University of London), Dr Frederick de Moll (Bielefeld University, Germany), Dr Damanjit Sandhu (Punjabi University Patiala), Dr Asha Bajpai (Former Dean, TISS), and Dr Kalpana Purushothaman (Indian Institute of Psychology and Research, Bangalore).

Together, the Editorial Board and Advisory Board ensure the Journal's adherence to the highest academic standards and a robust interdisciplinary approach to child rights scholarship.

Speaking at the launch, Prof Kumari reiterated the Journal's mission—to broaden the reach of child rights discourse, transcending juvenile justice and POCSO, and bridging research, policy, and practice gaps to address the full spectrum of children's needs and rights. Prof Enakshi Ganguly pointed out the strategic advantage of locating CCR within a university, positioning it to foster research, influence governmental and policy processes, and serve as a knowledge partner for state and the Orissa High Court's JJC.

Ms Marwaha (CRY) emphasized the urgency of centering child rights in public and policy dialogue, noting that the Journal highlights both research and lived experience—a dual focus essential for effective policy and advocacy.

CCR core team members—Ms Akanksha Yadav (Co-Director), Mr Amulya Kumar Swain (Admin Assistant), and Mr T S Swaraj (Research Scholar)—were acknowledged for their sustained contributions. Student committee members Abhinandan, Amit Samal, Sushant, Akshat Prakash, Raginee Panda, Ashwani Rai, Subhadra Satpathy, Tanisha Som, and Prayas Das (led by Kashish Rathore and Jyotirmay Choudhary) were recognized for curating CCR's bi-monthly newsletter and maintaining its social media presence, including releasing the 6th edition of the newsletter for October-November 2025 during the event.