Street Children in India

After going through this blog the reader would able to know and understand the key issues related to the street children

Content

  1. Introduction
  2. Definition
  3. Key Issues
  4. Summary

Introduction

A little youngster is seen picking up trash from the city's side streets, including empty milk bottle caps, pieces of shattered glass, paper, and empty plastic packages. Sometimes a child finds a pair of trashed shoes, a moth-eaten bag, or a carelessly thrown bottle opener and wins big. At the end of a twelve to fourteen hour job, all of these are placed into a sizable collection sack that is slung across the shoulders and will be sorted, divided, and sold. This child, who could be eight to eighteen years old, makes between Rs. 20 and Rs. 30 every day by rummaging among the waste of the city. But where was his or her early life?

Every street child works for his or her own survival and occasionally for the survival of his or her family; however, not all of them labor as rag pickers. Some beg occasionally and work as coolies, hawkers, car washers, street vendors, or shoeshine boys (Rane, 1994).

The term "street child" is not well defined. However, the term "street children" refers to kids who are homeless and live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Many practitioners and policymakers use UNICEF's concept of boys and girls, aged under eighteen, for whom "the street" (including vacant homes and wasteland) has become home and/or their source of livelihood and who are inadequately protected or supervised. The definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policymakers use it. Gamines is a term used for Colombian street children of either gender that is sometimes used to refer to female street children. Some street kids, particularly in more developed countries, fall under the heading of "thrown away kids," which refers to kids who have been compelled to leave home. Single-parent households are more likely to produce abandoned children. Street kids are frequently the targets of "clean-up squads" hired by local businesses or the police, who may also abuse, neglect, or exploit them. In the worst cases, they may even be killed. These kids are sometimes considered more like homeless kids in Western society than as criminals or beggars.

Definition

The term "street children" is used as a generalization, yet it encompasses children in a wide range of situations and with a wide range of traits. It is difficult for policymakers and service providers to identify and support such a subpopulation. Individual girls and boys of all ages can be seen residing in public areas and working there, as well as in the vast majority of urban centers around the world. 2 Around 120 million children are thought to be homeless around the world (30 million in Africa, 30 million in Asia, and 60 million in South America). These kids, who are frequently victims of various forms of violence, yet have rights...

Street children may be categorized into three major groups;
  • Children living with their family on the streets. Despite working on the streets, they are supported by their families.
  • Children who call the streets their home and live there. They receive their housing, food, and a sense of community and camaraderie on the street. Most of them are unconnected, live independently, and have infrequent interactions with their families.
  • Children living on the streets who are in no way connected to their families. They consist of refugees, runaways, and orphans.

Why does a child live on the streets?

Street children are a complex phenomenon. Their condition is significantly influenced by a combination of familial, economic, social, and political circumstances. Therefore, it is highly challenging to identify one or many reasons. Children who have been interrogated, however, frequently cite family, poverty, abuse, war, etc. as reasons for leaving for the streets.

What are the problems encountered by street children?

Children living on the streets face a variety of issues. In fact, they face a lot of hazards as children growing up in a generally unsafe environment. As a result, several of their rights are frequently violated.

Right to Food

Children living on the streets frequently lack access to a balanced food. They occasionally go without food entirely since, due to their life on the streets, they are unable to generate any and cannot afford to buy any. Additionally, because these kids consume everything they can find, they do not benefit from a balanced diet. When given the option, they may occasionally favor unhealthy items like ice cream, cakes, etc., increasing their risk of malnutrition. These kids often have issues with their growth.

Right to Health

Children living on the streets have severely damaged health. In fact, they lack access to sanitary facilities and are frequently filthy and flea-ridden. Additionally, because of their poor cleanliness, street kids are more likely to contract various illnesses. Their health is frequently problematic. These young people must look after themselves since they have no family to care for them. In addition, cannabis, alcohol, or natural gas are frequently used by street kids as ways to escape their reality. Sadly, these extremely difficult living conditions have a detrimental effect not only on their physical and emotional development but also on their cultural and economic growth.

Right to Education

Street It is clear that children are not educated. They don't have the same opportunities as other kids as a result. In fact, they are prevented from getting employment and from finally leaving the streets because they don't see a future for themselves and because they lack professional training.

Nondiscrimination Rights People criticize us, hold us accountable for everything, and refer to us as drogues or wad-bi. Because they are seen as outcasts, street kids frequently experience prejudice. Adults typically stigmatize them as "street children" due to preconceptions. As a result, they are frequently connected to street risks. These kids frequently have trouble reintegrating into society.

What can be done to help street children? 

The issue with street kids depends on their circumstances, not on their social standing. Each child actually has a unique past with the street that makes it impossible to generalize. Because of this, successful street child care must be based on the various street conditions, or in other words, the many "child profiles." It's critical to examine how a child interacts with the street.

Statistics and distribution:

Street children can be found in the majority of cities around the world, with the problem being more common in urban centers that are highly populated and located in developing or economically unstable regions, like those in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

In a report by the Consortium for Street Children, a group of linked non-governmental organizations (NGOs) located in the United Kingdom, UNICEF projected that there were 100 million children living on the streets worldwide. The same statement was made by UNICEF fourteen years later, in 2002, when it stated that "the latest estimates put the numbers of these children as high as 100 million." The organization recently stated, "Although it is impossible to estimate precisely how many street children there are worldwide, the number probably certainly exceeds tens of millions. The likelihood of an increase in the numbers is high." Although they are unfounded, the 100 million statistics are nonetheless frequently used to describe street children. Similarly, it is questionable if there are more street children worldwide or whether cultures' awareness of these youngsters has increased.

History:

Even in 1848, there were records of the existence of street kids. And Now My Soul Is Hardened: Abandoned Children in Soviet Russia, 1918–1930, a history of abandoned children by Alan Ball, states in the introduction: Since the beginning of time, children who have been abandoned or orphaned have caused pain. A few decades later, they inspired a church council of 442 in southern Gaul to declare: "Concerning abandoned children: There is universal complaint that they are now exposed more to dogs than to charity." They reportedly made up the majority of the boy prostitutes in Augustan Rome. Sources from the seventeenth century in Tsarist Russia documented homeless boys prowling the streets, and the phenomenon resisted all subsequent efforts to eradicate it.

More than 30,000 "naked, dirty, roaming uncontrolled and deserted youngsters" were described by Lord Ashley as being in and around London, UK, in 1848. Because of the destruction caused by World War I and the Russian Civil War, there were at least 7 million homeless children in Russia by 1922. Children who were left alone formed gangs, invented their own jargon, and took part in prostitution and small-time thievery.

In the cities of New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai in India, there are reportedly one million or more street kids. Over 11 million children in India as a whole depend on the streets for survival in both urban and rural locations. Male street children are more prevalent, and their average age is fourteen. Despite the fact that families provide more protection for adolescent females than for boys, when girls do break the connections, they frequently fare worse than boys because they are drawn into prostitution. The Republic of India is the second-most populated and seventh-largest nation in the world. With slightly over 32% of the population living below the poverty line, an economic divide has emerged as a result of the acceleration in economic growth. India has one of the greatest child labor forces in the world due to unemployment, rising rural-urban mobility, the allure of city life, and a lack of political will.

The most comprehensive statement of human rights is the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Through 54 provisions that address four primary topics—survival, growth, protection, and participation—it grants children their fundamental rights. The World Summit for Children was convened on September 30, 1990, shortly after UNCRC, to bring children's challenges to the attention of global leaders and to encourage dedication to their cause. In response to demand from the world community, India ratified the UNCRC in 1992 and passed the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection) Act in 2000, which was revised in 2006. Children in dispute with the law and children in need of care and protection are the two groups of children that the JJ Act 2000 primarily deals with. Youngsters in need of care and protection includes street children.

Key Issues:

  1. The basic rights of street children, including as access to food, healthcare, education, nondiscrimination, adequate shelter, and sometimes even family support, are frequently disregarded. 
  2. Street kids are more likely to experience various forms of maltreatment. 
  3. Street kids are more likely to engage in criminal activity and antisocial behavior. 
  4. The appropriate and healthy development of youngsters as typical young people is still a major concern.

Summary

Children who are homeless and live on the streets of a city, town, or hamlet are referred to as street children. These kids lack access to essential rights like food, health care, education, nondiscrimination, adequate housing, and sometimes even family. Every street child works for his or her own survival and occasionally for the survival of his or her family; however, not all of them labor as rag pickers. They are more vulnerable to many forms of maltreatment. The transformation of these street kids into typical kids is still a significant concern.

Comments

Thank You

Find your topic