In a significant step towards institutionalising child protection and child rights within academic frameworks, the Centre for Legal and Behaviour Change for Children (C-LAB) and Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to introduce a comprehensive range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses and joint research studies in child rights and child protection. C-LAB is a leading institute incubated by India Child Protection (ICP). ICP is a partner of Just Rights for Children (JRC) which is the country’s largest network with over 250 NGO partners working for child protection.

As part of the MoU, while C-LAB will develop the content, syllabi, schedules, duration, and eligibility criteria for the various courses, and provide technical support, expertise and assistance to GJUST on issues related to child rights and child protection, Haryana’s top-ranked state university will take all the necessary policy decisions to launch the courses under its the Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE), and provide the necessary infrastructure and academic ambience for conducting such courses on the university campus. Both GJUST and C-LAB have decided to keep the fee for these courses minimum so that more and more students can enrol and strengthen the child protection ecosystem in the coming years.

Building on this vision, Prof. Narsi Ram Bishnoi, Vice Chancellor, Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology, said, “It is our endeavour to produce dynamic and knowledgeable human resources and become a knowledge powerhouse capable of contributing to national development and the welfare of society. This MoU with C-LAB further cements our vision to create a cadre of informed and sensitised individuals who can contribute meaningfully to policy, advocacy, law enforcement, media, and community-based interventions and strengthen the child protection ecosystem.”

Remarking on the importance of this collaboration between field expertise and academic capacity building, Dr Sangita Gaur, Associate Director (Training), India Child Protection, said, “This collaboration marks a crucial milestone in bridging the gap between grassroots realities and academic discourse. It will ensure that future professionals across disciplines are equipped with a rights-based understanding of child protection. Our focus is to address critical issues such as child marriage, trafficking, child labour, online safety, and legal frameworks, including national and international child rights laws.”

The MoU was signed by Prof. Narsi Ram Bishnoi, Vice-Chancellor, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology and Rajat Kumar, Trustee, India Child Protection. Those present during the event included Dr Vijay Kumar, Registrar, GJUST and Prof O. P. Sangwan, Dean, International Affairs, among others.

With over 30 years of experience and over 52,000 students enrolled in campus spread over 372 acres in Hisar, the University is A+ Grade accredited University from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As per the 2025 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), the university, which is among the top 50 state universities across the country, has been ranked as number one government university in Haryana. The University is presently offering more than 100 UG, PG, Ph.D Programmes through campus, Distance and Online Distance Learning modes.

Meanwhile, C-LAB has already launched a first-of-its-kind Certificate Course for Support Persons in Dealing with Cases of Child Sexual Abuse. The demand for support persons has grown significantly since the Supreme Court’s 2023 directive mandating their appointment in all child sexual abuse cases.