The Royal Government of Bhutan established the National Commission for Women and
Children (NCWC) in 2004 as the national machinery responsible for promoting and protecting
the rights of women and children. In response to the growing number of issues and increasing
responsibilities, the NCWC was upgraded to a fully autonomous agency in 2008.
As part of the Civil Service Reform 2022, the Secretariat of the National Commission for
Women and Children is subsumed under the Ministry of Education and Skills Development as
the Women and Children Division under the Department of Education Programmes. The
Secretariat is governed by a Commission composed of a Chairperson and high-level officials
from relevant government, non-government, and Civil Society Organization.