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LIFE ON THE STREET STREET CHILDREN SURVEY IN 5 CITIES: LUCKNOW, MUGHALSARAI, HYDERABAD, PATNA AND KOLKATA-HOWRAH Cover LIFE ON THE STREET STREET CHILDREN SURVEY IN 5 CITIES: LUCKNOW, MUGHALSARAI, HYDERABAD, PATNA AND KOLKATA-HOWRAH Acknowledgements This report is the publication of Save the Children, produced with financial assistance from Department for International Development UK (DFID) New Delhi Office. The report is based on field research conducted by Karvy Insights Ltd. and Association for Rural and Urban Needy (ARUN). The report benefited immensely from the inputs received from expert members of the Advisory Group on various dimensions of urban governance and child rights. We express our gratitude to the following individuals without whose support this project could not have been accomplished. Advisory Group Members Stuti Kacker, Chairperson, NCPCR Dr. Shantha Sinha, Ex. Chairperson, NCPCR Harsh Mander, Center for Equity Studies Shireen Vakil Miller, Director- Advocacy and Policy, Tata Trusts Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Telangana Government Naveen Sellaraju, Country Director, Railway Children, India Jagan Shah, Director, NIUA Mamta Kohli, DFID Radhika Singh, DFID Project Manager Abhijeet Nirmal Research Lead For Save the Children For Karvy Insights For Association for Rural and Urban Prasann Thatte Udita Das Needy Adhiraj Parthasarathy V. Ch. S. Bahadur Editorial Team Prasann Thatte Abhijeet Nirmal Review and Inputs Bidisha Pillai Deepali Nath Sreedhar Mether Toolika Ojha Jane Calder Report Design & Production Facet Design Media and Communications Devendra Tak Aditi Chaudhry Stephanie Samuel Aditi Sonrexa Disclaimer: This material has been funded by UK aid from the UK government; however the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies 2 • LIFE ON THE STREET Table of Contents Acknowledgements 2 Acronyms 6 Glossary of Terms 7 Executive Summary 11 Chapter 1: Introduction 15 Chapter 2: Study Methodology 21 Chapter 3: Counting Street Children 35 Chapter 4: Life on the Street 47 Chapter 5: Law, Policies and Programs 86 Chapter 6: Recommendations 92 Annexure 97 Research Tools 97 • IDI guide 97 • FGD guide 107 • Census questionnaire 107 • Survey questionnaire 126 LIFE ON THE STREET • 3 PREFACE Dear Reader, engaged in petty crimes are common. Living in the open spaces, they are at a higher risk of being abused, exploited India is urabnising fast, the decadal growth rate of urbanization and neglected. has increased to 31.16% according to the 2011 census and by 2030, it is expected that India’s urban population will grow Many street children are out-of-school and spend most of to 40.76%. India’s Sub-Group report on Child Protection their time working in inhuman environments. An alarmingly (for the 11th plan) clearly states that street children are low proportion of street children have been reached out a “common sight” in urban India, and that “in spite of the to by state and non-state actors and there is a significant relative high visibility of street children, there is very little lack of mechanisms that provide mainstream education and information available on their exact numbers.” comprehensive residential care to these children. To fill this gap in lack of information about Street Children, The street children are often described as ‘hidden’ or Save the Children had conducted a street children survey in ‘invisible’ in lack of identity, recognition or social status Delhi in 2012. Now, we have done a comprehensive census that can make them count. Nation has the responsibility and in-depth analysis of street children in 5 cities i.e. Kolkata- to ensure that census of street children is conducted soon, Howrah, Patna, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mughalsarai to so that we develop targeted programmes for the care and understand the need of care and protection for street education of street children. This will enable India to meets children. its constitutional commitment given in Article 23 and Article 21 (A) and also to ensure its commitment to the UNCRC. Street children are among the most vulnerable groups in India, having limited access to adult supervision, protection, At Save the Children, we believe that every child should have education, health-care. They are visible all over the cities, near access to her or his right of survival, protection, education traffic signals, railway platforms, religious places, shopping and health, and that no child remains invisible in policy and areas, near bus and auto stands, under flyovers, bridges or on practices. road pavements in lack of adequate shelter; and yet, the most A rapidly urbanizing India requires continuous understanding visible street children are actually invisible in our census and of the issues related to street children to ensure that no child policy. lives in abject poverty or at margins of society. We would like Everyday, they struggle for survival, for food, water, clothing, this report to be a live document that continues to learn shelter, medicine and protection. On many nights, they are from the ongoing discourse about the street children as well forced to sleep empty-stomach, even as hunger drives them as contributes to it. Do read it and let us know about your to consistently move from one place to another in search suggestions to ensure that street children have access to of food. adequate care and protection for fulfilling their dreams. The struggle for survival compels them to start earning at Thank You, an early age. Many street children engage in occupations such rag-picking, street vending, working as domestic helps, begging etc. They are often exploited by employers and the police which is what makes them an extremely vulnerable Thomas Chandy group. The risk of falling in the hands of criminals and getting Chief Executive LIFE ON THE STREET • 5 Acronyms ARUN Association for Urban and Rural Needy CAPI Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing CWC Child Welfare Committee FGD Focus Group Discussion GHMC Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation ICPS Integrated Child Protection Scheme JJ Juvenile Justice (Act) NGO Non-Government Organization NPP Nagar Palika Parishad OBC Other Backward Classes OC Other Castes (General) PDS Public Distribution System PMC Patna Municipal Corporation POCSO Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 RPF Railway Protection Force RSTC Residential Special Training Centre SC/ ST Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe SECC Socio-Economic and Caste Census SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan UID Unique Identification UNCRC United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund URH Urban Residential Hostel 6 • LIFE ON THE STREET Glossary of Terms After Care Programme: These are applicable to children who have completed 18 years and are getting discharged from Children Homes. During the time of discharge, if the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) feels that the child requires some more time for social integration into the community, such children are provided After Care Services. Boys are admitted to After Care Home for Men and Girls to State Home for Women. Begging: Soliciting or receiving alms in a public place refers to a broad category of children. For this study, we or entering into any private premises for the purpose of considered any child who: soliciting or receiving alms, whether under any pretense; 1. is found without any home or settled place or abode and or exposing or exhibiting with the object of obtaining or without any ostensible means of subsistence, extorting alms, any sore, wound, injury, deformity or disease, whether of himself or of any other person or of an animal. 2. resides with a person (whether a guardian of the child or Begging was found to be a primary source of income in the not) and such person— case of many children in this study. a. who has threatened to kill or injure the child and Borough: An administrative unit of the Kolkata Municipal there is a reasonable likelihood of the threat being Corporation. This definition is used only in Kolkata and carried out, or consists of a group of adjoining wards. There are 15 boroughs b. who has killed, abused or neglected some other child in Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. or children and there is a reasonable likelihood of the Census: A Census is the process of systematically acquiring child in question being killed, abused or neglected by and recording information about the members of a given that person, population. It is conducted by individual enumeration of all 3. who is mentally or physically challenged or suffers from members of a population within a defined territory. terminal diseases or incurable diseases having no one to Child: Anyone who claims to be or can be, by virtue of support or look after, physical characteristics, believed to be under the age of 18 4. who has a parent or guardian incapacitated to exercise years. control over the child, Child in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP): 5. who does not have a parent and no one is willing to take This is the legal term used in Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 and care of or whose parents have abandoned him or who is LIFE ON THE STREET • 7 missing and is run away child and whose parents cannot jure residence,” but if she is actually staying in Lucknow that be found after reasonable — is the “de facto residence.” 6. who is being or is likely to be grossly abused, tortured or De Jure Guardian: The legal guardian of the minor as exploited for the purpose of sexual abuse or illegal acts, established by law. This can either be the mother, father, older 7. who is found vulnerable and is likely to be inducted into adult sibling or other court-appointed individual. drug abuse or trafficking, De Jure Residence: The legal residence of a child 8. who is being or is likely to be abused for unconscionable as documented on any ID cards/government issued gains, documentation.

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