CRY (Child Rights and You)

CRY (Child Rights and You)
Name	CRY (Child Rights and You)
Formation	1979
Founder	Sanjay Agarwal
Type	Non-governmental organization
Location	Mumbai, India
Area served	India
Focus	Child rights, child welfare, child protection

CRY (Child Rights and You) CRY (Child Rights and You) is an Indian non-governmental organization focused on securing rights for children across India. It engages in community mobilization, policy advocacy, and program implementation to address child labor, health, education, and protection. The organization partners with local grassroots groups, national bodies, and international agencies to advance child welfare.

History

CRY emerged in the late 20th century amid heightened attention to child welfare and rights following global events such as the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and national developments including the passage of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and later the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The organization's founding in 1979 occurred in a period marked by responses to campaigns led by figures associated with UNICEF, Save the Children, Oxfam, Plan International, and World Vision. Early growth paralleled activism by Indian institutions like National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Central Adoption Resource Authority, and civic movements connected to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Over subsequent decades CRY interacted with policy processes influenced by court decisions from the Supreme Court of India and state-level actions in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu.

Mission and Objectives

CRY’s mission aligns with international norms exemplified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Objectives include ensuring access to services comparable to those promoted by World Health Organization, improving indicators monitored by United Nations Children's Fund, reducing forms of exploitation addressed by International Labour Organization conventions, and promoting legal protections resonant with statutes such as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. The organization frames goals in relation to national programs like National Health Mission, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and schemes administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Programs and Initiatives

CRY implements a range of programs spanning education interventions similar to models piloted by Pratham and Teach For India, health and nutrition projects paralleling initiatives by Doctors Without Borders and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and child protection systems influenced by frameworks from Terre des Hommes and Plan International. Initiatives include community-based rehabilitation akin to efforts by HelpAge India, anti-trafficking work comparable to campaigns by Free the Slaves and International Justice Mission, and livelihood-related projects that reflect approaches used by Grameen Bank and Self Employed Women's Association. CRY’s advocacy campaigns have engaged with policy fora such as sessions of the Parliament of India, consultations with the NITI Aayog, and collaborations with universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and University of Delhi.

Organizational Structure and Governance

CRY’s governance structure features leadership bodies that mirror organizational practices found in NGOs such as Oxfam and Save the Children International, including a board of trustees, executive leadership, and regional offices. The group’s administrative arrangements interact with regulatory frameworks administered by entities like the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act authorities, the Income Tax Department (India), and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Staffing and volunteer models draw on networks similar to those of Rotary International, Lions Clubs International, United Way, and campus engagement seen at institutions such as IIT Bombay and IIM Ahmedabad.

Funding and Partnerships

CRY receives funding from individual donors, philanthropic organizations, and institutional partners comparable to supporters of Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and corporate social responsibility programs of companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India. The organization enters partnerships with international agencies such as UNICEF, UNESCO, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank, and with domestic foundations including Tata Trusts, Azim Premji Foundation, and Reliance Foundation. Fundraising campaigns have paralleled models used by GiveIndia, GlobalGiving, and celebrity-driven advocacy involving personalities connected to Bollywood and athletes associated with Board of Control for Cricket in India events.

Impact, Criticisms, and Evaluations

CRY reports contributions to improvements in indicators tracked by bodies like UNICEF and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, with local successes in reducing child labor in districts comparable to case studies from Bihar and Jharkhand and in increasing enrollment like projects documented in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Independent evaluations have compared CRY’s outcomes with interventions by Pratham and Teach For India, while audits have engaged firms in the spirit of compliance with standards akin to those set by Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Criticisms leveled at large NGOs—including debates similar to critiques of Oxfam and Save the Children—address questions of scale, accountability, localization, and reliance on donor funding; these discussions occur in academic venues such as Indian Council of Social Science Research and policy forums at Observer Research Foundation and Centre for Social Justice. Monitoring and evaluation practices reference methodologies used by organizations such as 3ie and International Initiative for Impact Evaluation.

Category:Non-governmental organizations based in India