Nagaland Social Welfare Department Secretary Limawabang Jamir on May 19 urged that national juvenile justice and adoption laws be implemented in ways that protect children while respecting Naga customary institutions, speaking at the State Consultative Meet on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Adoption Regulations, 2022 at the SIRD Auditorium in Kohima. Jamir, who is also the state mission director of Mission Vatsalya, said the state’s families, clans, village councils, churches and tribal institutions have long provided community-based care but now require legal backing to safeguard children’s identity, inheritance, education and welfare entitlements.
“These social structures have protected vulnerable children for generations and remain one of the greatest strengths of Naga society,” Jamir said, while stressing that the Juvenile Justice Act and Adoption Regulations provide necessary legal safeguards. He added that the task is not to dilute the law or disregard customs, but to implement provisions in a manner that is practical, culturally sensitive and responsive to Nagaland’s realities.
Jamir warned that the formal legal framework often assumes seamless digital connectivity, standardized police procedures and institutional care as the primary safety net-assumptions that do not match Nagaland’s terrain and governance. He highlighted Article 371A’s constitutional protection for Naga customary laws and said customary adoptions, though well-intentioned, can leave children legally vulnerable in a modern context. He also pointed to deep digital divides in newly formed and remote districts that make centralized online portals difficult to navigate.
Calling for a unified strategy, Jamir urged closer coordination between the Social Welfare Department, the judiciary, the police, the medical fraternity, district administrations and traditional tribal institutions. Quoting the State Adoption Resource Agency, he noted, “Adoption is an act of love, but the process must come from law,” and urged building a child protection model that is “legally airtight, yet distinctively Naga.”
Nagaland Social Welfare Department director Tosheli Zhimomi said the tripartite legal framework-comprising the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the Juvenile Justice Model Rules and the Adoption Regulations, 2022-forms the backbone of child protection and adoption systems. She noted that the JJ Act was notified in Nagaland on March 22, 2018, and that the Nagaland Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2024 were drafted and notified on December 2, 2025. Zhimomi, who is also member secretary of Mission Vatsalya, called for strengthened institutional support, improved interdepartmental convergence and effective implementation of legal provisions.
Senior Consultant Junaid Ul Islam of the Ministry of Women & Child Development invited stakeholder inputs to strengthen the national child care and protection system. Presentations during the meet were given by representatives including Renchumi Imti (Programme Manager, SARA), Akumla Longchari (member, Nagaland SCPCR), Kughakali Achumi (DCPO Niuland), Moamenla Yaden (Chairperson, CWC Dimapur), Vithazonu Elizabeth (member, JJB Kohima) and NT Kikon (Managing Director, Wondang-Ki Charitable Foundation), among others. Organised by Mission Vatsalya, Department of Social Welfare, the consultative meet drew officials and representatives from child protection bodies, police, legal services, health and district administrations.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/not-to-dilute-law-nor-disregard-customs
Category: Nagaland
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Publish Date: 2026-05-19 22:52:00
