Latest news with #MedalofHonour
Hans India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
First Indian lawyer to get Medal of Honor
Vijayawada: Eminent child rights lawyer and Just Rights for Children founder Bhuwan Ribhu has become the first Indian lawyer to be conferred with the 'Medal of Honour' by the World Jurist Association (WJA) at the World Law Congress in Dominican Republic. Bhuwan Ribhu has strong connections with NTR district as Vijayawada-based Vasavya Mahila Mandali is a partner of the Just Rights for Children network. Elated with this honour conferred to the founder of JRC, Dr B Keerthi, president of Vasavya Mahila Mandali said, 'This is not just an individual honour for Bhuwan Ribhu. It is a moment of immense pride for all of us working on the ground to protect every child. We are committed to making NTR district child marriage-free by 2030.' Bhuwan Ribhu received the 'Medal of Honour' from Eddy Olivares Ortega, Minister of Labor of Dominican Republic, and Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association. Bhuwan Ribhu has led over 60 PILs resulting in landmark rulings in the Supreme Court and various High Courts. His 2011 case led to the Supreme Court defining trafficking in line and his 2013 campaign on missing children triggered a historic judgment changing the way India's legal system perceived missing children cases. His PICKET strategy to end child marriage, outlined in When Children Have Children, was endorsed by the Supreme Court in its 2024 guidelines. The strategy is also followed by the Vasavya Mahila Mandali, which is determined that the district would be free from child marriage by 2030.
NDTV
08-05-2025
- NDTV
Bhuwan Ribhu: First Indian Lawyer Honored With World Jurist Association's Medal Of Honour
For more than two decades, Bhuwan Ribhu's unwavering commitment to dismantling systemic violence against children has earned him global recognition. His tireless efforts in India, combating child marriage, trafficking, sexual abuse, and forced labour, were honoured with the World Jurist Association's Medal of Honour.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
From courtroom litigator to global child rights crusader
New Delhi: In 2005, Bhuwan Ribhu , who was just 25 then, was another young lawyer walking into Delhi High Court. Unlike many of his peers, he wasn't chasing corporate clients or courtroom glory. He went there to challenge society's acceptance of child labour as a norm. He spoke before no media cameras, no packed benches — just with a firm belief that children deserved better having noticed a lack of enforcement ethics during a rescue operation that very morning."My journey started in 2005 after I saw a rescue operation where the law enforcement agencies were not enforcing the law properly. That evening, I filed my first big PIL and since then there has been no turning back."Two decades later, Ribhu has become the first Indian lawyer to receive the Medal of Honour from the World Jurist Association at the World Law Congress. The award, presented in the Dominican Republic, recognised his work on children's rights and the reforms made in the sector over the years. With more than 60 public interest cases filed in the Supreme Court and various high courts, Ribhu helped bring India's child protection approach from the margins to the centre of the legal justice said, "I would say that justice is a journey. It is not a goal. We are only as good as our last decision as a society. Therefore, we have to build and strengthen this wall of protection brick by brick."At the heart of this shift is Just Rights for Children (JRC), the legal intervention network the lawyer co-founded, now a coalition of over 250 organisations across the country. Between April 2023 and March this year, JRC's coordinated efforts led to the rescue of 85,465 trafficked children, foiled 3,30,496 child marriages and provided legal aid to over 34,000 survivors of sexual work is guided by a clear strategy, encapsulated in his PICKET strategy: Policy, Institutions, Capacity-building, Knowledge, Economics and Technology. It includes a plan to end child marriage in India by 2030. First introduced in his book When Children Have Children, PICKET was adopted by both the central govt and 416 districts as part of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign launched in Nov 2011, through a case filed and argued by Ribhu, the Supreme Court defined the trafficking of persons, aligning it with the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. This landmark case led to the inclusion of a specific offence against trafficking in the Indian Penal Code. The Justice Verma Committee, established to recommend legal reforms following the Nirbhaya gangrape case in 2012, included Ribhu's proposals to add new offences such as the accountability of public servants, stalking, voyeurism, trafficking and exploitation of a trafficked individual, among others, in its recommendations to in 2013, Ribhu's work, grounded in evidence and experience, brought the issue of missing children to the forefront, leading to a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court mandating compulsory registration of all missing children cases. It also applied the Doctrine of Presumption of Crime in trafficking or kidnapping cases and directed the creation of standard operating procedures for investigating missing children cases. Similarly, his work in 2015 led to the Juvenile Justice Act being also assisted the Indian govt in defending the fundamental right to education in the Supreme Court. His cases led to the development of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, 2016, and the inclusion of child right to education in the National Education Policy, a year back, Ribhu was the petitioner when the Supreme Court introduced the term 'Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM)' on Sept 23 to replace 'child pornography'. In another judgment on child marriage in Nov 2024, the Supreme Court gave a structured and comprehensive guide on combating child marriage in the country."My child is just 10 years old. When anyone asks him about his father's profession, he says my father protects children," the 45-year-old lawyer smiled. "So, yes, if a child knows the difference between good and evil, my role now is to make the country and the world learn the same." Ribhu said the award was a recognition of India's leadership and contribution in child protection. But, he added, it "has added more responsibility for us to end child marriage and impunity against child sexual abuse".
The Print
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Lawyer awarded in Dominican Republic for advancing child rights
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): Child rights activist and advocate Bhuwan Ribhu was on Tuesday conferred with the 'Medal of Honour' by the World Jurist Association (WJA) at the world law congress in the Dominican Republic. He received the award jointly from the minister of labour of the Dominican Republic, Eddy Olivares Ortega and the president of the World Jurist Association, Javier Cremades.
NDTV
06-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Bhuwan Ribhu Becomes First Indian Lawyer To Receive World Law Congress Honour For Child Rights
New Delhi: For over two decades, Bhuwan Ribhu has harnessed the rule of law to dismantle systemic violence against children - leading India's fight against child marriage, trafficking, sexual abuse, and forced labour. On May 5, his relentless efforts were recognised globally as he became the first Indian lawyer to receive the prestigious Medal of Honour from the World Jurist Association at the World Law Congress 2025 in the Dominican Republic. This global recognition is more than a personal honour—it reflects a lifelong journey of dedicated service to children and the strategic use of courts and the rule of law to secure justice for those who have been silenced, exploited, and forgotten. For Ribhu, justice is not just an ideal - it is a daily pursuit. The award recognised a man who changed how India responds to crimes against children. His work turned child protection from a welfare issue into a matter of criminal justice—calling for urgent, accountable, and intentional action. The honour also recognised India's growing commitment to child protection—where recent court rulings and stronger government action have shown serious intent to safeguard the country's most vulnerable children. In his speech, Ribhu stated that the medal belonged to the many who walk the same road. "The Medal of Honour marks a deeply humbling milestone in a journey of two decades of love and service to children and society. It is for every parent who found the courage, resilience, and will to seek justice—and for every child whose indomitable spirit defines the future of our shared humanity. We may walk together or apart, but we walk the same path—with one unwavering goal: justice for children, everywhere. This honour is yours." The recognition, he said, also affirmed the mission of Just Rights for Children (JRC), the organisation he founded. It is one of the world's largest legal intervention networks, uniting over 250 organisations across India, Nepal, Kenya, and the United States to protect children through the justice system. Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association, said, "Bhuwan firmly believes that justice is the strongest pillar of democracy and has dedicated his life to the service of justice for children and women who are victims of sexual crimes in his country and globally. His efforts have saved hundreds of thousands of children and women and set legal frameworks that will protect generations to come. This award is a recognition of his tireless work building a safe, more just world for children through the power of the law." Ribhu has led over 60 public interest litigations that have helped reshape child protection laws in India. His legal work has led to major reforms—including the Supreme Court adopting the UN Protocol's definition of trafficking, making trafficking a criminal offence under Indian law, mandatory FIRs for missing children, and a ban on child labour in hazardous jobs. The Justice Verma Committee, established to recommend legal reforms following the Nirbhaya gangrape case in 2012, included Ribhu's proposals to add new offences such as the accountability of public servants, stalking, voyeurism, and trafficking. Ribhu has also influenced how Indian courts handle cases of child sexual abuse, child marriage, and Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). His legal interventions have shaped both policy and practice, bringing real change for vulnerable children. Through Just Rights for Children (JRC), he has built one of India's largest legal child protection networks, working across 28 states. The network fights systemic child abuse, ensures justice for survivors, and holds offenders accountable. Ribhu is also the driving force behind Child Marriage Free India, a movement that started from the ground up. What began as a grassroots effort led by thousands of women is now India's largest civil society campaign against child marriage. In just two years, it has transformed public conversation and legal action on a crime once normalised by tradition. In 2024, Ribhu helped launch India's Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat and Nepal's Child Marriage Free campaigns. His call to end child marriage now powers a global movement - Child Marriage Free World - active in 39 countries and uniting communities to protect children from this social crime. Founded in 1963, the World Jurist Association has honoured legal luminaries such as Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and René Cassin - men and women whose legal vision helped reshape the world. With this medal, Bhuwan Ribhu joins the ranks of those whose work changed systems and touched lives. Held from May4 - 6, the World Law Congress 2025 brought together over 300 speakers from more than 70 countries. The Medal of Honour is reserved for jurists whose work has global implications for human rights and justice - among them Presidents, Prime Ministers, judges, prosecutors, ministers, academics, and lawyers.
