Project Overview

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‍The Access to Justice (A2J) program is a transformative initiative by the Just Rights for Children aimed at the prevention and elimination of child marriage, child trafficking for forced labor and child sexual abuse in India, with a strong emphasis on strengthening the criminal justice system. The program focuses on transforming the legal and community landscape through a comprehensive approach that encompasses Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership—known as the 4Ps. This flagship program seeks to leverage build a national campaign through community mobilization, improve access to justice for victims and ensure comprehensive rehabilitation services. The program is designed to establish and promote behavior change within the social and institutional framework of the criminal justice system to protect children from child marriage, child trafficking and sexual abuse through criminalization and prosecution. In particular, the program is expected to ensure legal deterrence by enhancing access to justice, providing mental health support and rehabilitation for victims and their families, and sensitizing enforcement authorities to manage these cases with greater competence and empathy. Through these efforts, the program aims to build a robust, replicable, and scalable model for child protection and justice.

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Objectives of the program

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1. Implement targeted interventions in high-risk states, districts identified by the National Crime Records Bureau to address specific vulnerabilities related to child marriage, child trafficking and child sexual abuse.
2. Expanding the scope of law invoking facilitation of child marriage by either parties, vendors, suppliers and participants as culpability in crime and liable for prosecution.
3. Enhance the efficiency of fast-track courts to achieve higher conviction rates for child trafficking and sexual abuse cases.
4. Accelerate justice delivery for victims of child marriage, child abuse and trafficking by streamlining legal processes and providing comprehensive support throughout the judicial system
5. Develop and disseminate evidence-based practices and knowledge to stakeholders to establish a national model for combating child marriage, child trafficking and sexual abuse
6. Launch a national campaign on total elimination of child marriages in India, first focusing on 400 most districts with very high prevalence. Within these in the first year identifying highest prevalence 97 districts for complete elimination in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India

As the independent evaluator for the A2J program, Athena Infonomics plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the program’s interventions are impactful, effective, and sustainable. Through a meticulous and multi-faceted approach to evaluation, Athena’s involvement spans various key activities that directly contribute to the continuous refinement and success of the initiative:

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1. Case Study Development: Athena leads the creation of in-depth case studies that document the A2J program’s strategies, activities, and outcomes. These case studies not only provide rich, qualitative insights into the program’s local impact but also position A2J’s programming as a model for addressing child marriage, child sexual abuse, and child trafficking across India. By capturing the experiences and success stories from the field, Athena’s case studies help showcase best practices and lessons learned.
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2. Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (MEL): Athena is responsible for conducting a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) process for the A2J program. This includes a detailed review of the program’s successes, challenges, and key lessons learned ensuring a holistic evaluation of the program’s effectiveness across all intervention areas (prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership).
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3. Grantee Alignment Assessment: A key component of Athena’s evaluation is assessing the alignment between grantees and the program’s overarching goals and strategies. This evaluation ensures that local organizations are effectively integrated into the program, fostering stronger collaborations, and ensuring that interventions are locally relevant and impactful. By evaluating how well local organizations align with A2J’s objectives, Athena will optimize their contributions and enhance the program’s overall success. Additionally, Athena facilitated a collaborative workshop with the A2J team and grantees to further optimize the program’s impact.
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4. Performance Optimization and Recommendations: Athena identifies key performance gaps and opportunities for improvement among grantees and other stakeholders. Based on the findings from the evaluation, Athena will provide actionable recommendations for course corrections, ensuring that the program stays on track to achieve its long-term goals. These recommendations will focus on optimizing the implementation processes, enhancing legal interventions, and strengthening community mobilization efforts.
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5. Unpacking Localization Efforts: Athena will evaluate the localization strategies deployed under the A2J program, focusing on the degree to which these efforts have been integrated into local contexts. By analyzing the impact of localization on community mobilization and program sustainability, Athena will provide A2J with strategic insights on how to refine the localization approach and demonstrate its effectiveness to stakeholders. This analysis will also help in understanding the role of grassroots organizations in fostering lasting change and creating community ownership of the program’s objectives.
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6. Development of a Digital MIS and Knowledge Management System: Athena will create a comprehensive Digital MIS (Management Information System) and Knowledge Management Repository to systematically capture and store A2J's contributions across various thematic areas, such as child marriage and trafficking prevention. This system will streamline data collection from grantees, enabling real-time updates with minimal effort. It will also facilitate automated, dynamic reporting, categorizing impact evidence by type and source, and providing actionable insights through robust, data-driven decision-support tools for continuous monitoring and reporting.

Key Insights

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• Institutional ecosystem response
• Maturity assessment on child protection
• National campaign strategy assessment
• Results audit and validation
• Effective Localization Integration

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To know more about the project, please reach out to Anupama Ramaswamy and Sukanya Guha Roy.