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Issue of Street Children: Role of Government and Ngos & Coverage by Media

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Issue of Street Children: Role of Government and Ngos & Coverage by Media Issue of Street Children: Role of Government and NGOs & Coverage by Media Rajshree Chatterjee* Street Children is a global urban phenomenon and the number of these children has ever been increasing. These vulnerable street children are worldwide social reality. Most of these children are those who run away from their homes and struggle for survival on their own. The study describes the existing condition of street children in Delhi and makes an assessment of the factors associated with them. The focus is on improving the living condition of street children and protecting them from exploitation. It also underlines the involvement of voluntary agencies, NGOs and government organizations in tackling the problem of street children and doing the needful for their rescue and rehabilitation. It deals with the laws and Acts of the central and state government related to the rights and welfare of street children. The study recommends necessary steps for effective implementation on the schemes and timely release of adequate grants. It re- emphasises the need of fulfilling basic needs, and providing education and vocational training to street 1. Introduction children. The role of media in covering and highlighting the issue of street children has also been discussed in the study. Street Children: The Indian Scenario It involves analyses of the role of media in the reorientation Street children are a worldwide phenomenon and the number of of people by exposing them to the real issue and making these children has been increasing. These are the runaway them appreciate the problem of street children. children who struggle for their survival. In India, the situation is grimmer than other countries. So, there is a need of conducting Keywords: Street Children, NGOs, Government study on their status, and also the role of media in this regard. Organizations, Education, Vocational Training, Role of Media Defining Street Children "Street children" is a term often used to describe both market children (who work in the streets and markets of cities selling or begging, and live with their families) and homeless children (who work, live and sleep in the streets, often lacking any contact with their families). At highest risk is the latter group. Murder, consistent abuse and inhumane treatment are the "norm" for these children, whose ages range from six to 18. They often resort to petty theft and prostitution for survival. They are extremely vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. UNICEF has defined three types of street children: Street-Living, Street-Working, and Street-Family. Street Living Children: children who ran away from their families and live alone on the streets. Street Working Children: children who spend most of *IMS, CCS University, Meerut, Ghaziabad, India 204 IMS Manthan - Volume VII, No. 1, June 2012 their time on the streets, fending for themselves, but returning Using the statistics of Consortium of Street Children, a sample home on a regular basis. Children from Street Families: children survey of street children was done to understand their living who live on the streets with their families. conditions. Thirty-nine per cent of the street children slept in slums, 46 per cent in open or public places and only four per cent Studying Problem of Street Children slept in shelters provided by non-governmental organizations, The research methodology of this paper is based on content or the government. Nearly 22 per cent of those surveyed said analysis and secondary data reference has been made like news they used drugs, largely tobacco and pan masala. reports of the online paper The Hindu and some other news reports. The parameters of the selection of news reports are the Only a small percentage of children had access to some form of role and responsibility of NGOs and government. identity proof. Considering that most street children are from the poorest communities who have largely migrated to urbane Street Children in India centers as a survival strategy, they should be given some identity India is home to the world’s largest population of street children, proof that the government accepts as an entitlement document so estimated at 18 million. Street children are the one who run away that they get admission in schools. from home or the one who stay with their family in the streets because of poor conditions. However, it further creates problems • UNICEF’s estimate of 11 million street children in India is like child labour, prostitution and are subject to malnutrition, considered to be a conservative figure. According to an hunger, health problems, abuse, theft, sexual and physical estimate there are 314,700 street children in metros such as exploitation and harassment by authorities. Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Kanpur, Bangalore and Hyderabad and around 100,000 in Delhi alone. The maximum percentage of street children are involve in works • A survey among 100 street children at the New Delhi like rag picking, vending, taking care of animals, assisting in Railway Station in India revealed that 86% of boys in the age shops, hotels, restaurants and domestic labor as a common group 14 - 18 years were sexually active; however a very low means of earning a livelihood in order to feed themselves. The number of them knew about safe sex protection and condom street children at such a tender age, are forced to work and they usage. Not one of them reported having ever used a never get the chance to get formal education of any kind. In India, condom. still the male offspring is always the desired choice for parents and in some cases the girl child is forced to leave the house and A study in 2007 in India found the following: they live on their own. These actions lead to prostitution and • 65.9% of the street children lived with their families on the these girls are often used for trafficking as well. streets. Out of these children, 51.84% slept on the footpaths, 17.48% slept in night shelters and 30.67% slept in other Another area of concern is the poor health of the street children, places including under flyovers and bridges, railway as half of them in India are malnourished, and this percentage is platforms, bus stops, parks, market places. even higher in case of street children. Because of the unhygienic • The overall incidence of physical abuse among street conditions, poor health and improper medical facility they are children, either by family members or by others or both, was prone to all kinds of life threatening diseases, which results in 66.8% across the states. Out of this, 54.62% were boys and higher mortality rate. 45.38% were girls. • On a study in India, out of the total number of child Street children in India may be homeless because their family is respondents reported being forced to touch private parts of homeless through poverty or migration, or because they have the body, 17.73% were street children. 22.77% reported been abandoned, orphaned or have run away. The children having been sexually assaulted. sleeping around the railway stations, streets and near garbage areas are at high risk of suffering addiction, abuse and illness. The difference in their future makes the issue relevant now, it is time for society to understand what the Delhi Government’s The government has taken initiatives in this regard to ensure the efforts are for these children, time for our Government to analyze welfare of such children, and so have many NGOs. However, how well they are doing what they are supposed to be doing and unless the masses start to see the problem as a serious one, all whether what they are doing is enough. these would be rendered ineffective. Street Children: Causes and Implications Estimates claim that Delhi’s streets house between 100,000 and 500,000 of these children. Their fragile future hangs even more Major causes for Emergence of Street Children precariously on the edge. During the Commonwealth Games • Broken families/poor and large families/ step parent the Government identified 18 ‘zero-tolerance zones’ for beggars, • Migrant/ dislocated families living in slum/streets a majority of who are children. • Migrant families suffered due to famines/ natural disaster • Family conflict Working street children are most vulnerable to exploitation and • Physically abused abuse. Employers force these children to work for long hours, • Out classed by society without food, without providing any safety equipment, and for • Refugees very low wages as the children are not aware of their rights. • Orphan Studies have shown that boys and girls on the street are • Deterioration of morals particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse by strangers, adult street • Out of schools dwellers and at times by the police too. • Sexually abused Issue of Street Children: Role of Government and NGOs & Coverage by Media 205 • Forced to work (in farms, factories, stalls, household and in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity, hotels etc.) educational facilities, just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief.” Implications on The Child • Loss of childhood The above judicial interpretations of the Right to Life and • Sexual/ physical abuse Personal Liberty by the Supreme Court imply that children on • Destructive mind the street have a fundamental right to ask the State for shelter, • May be used for unlawful activities like terrorism food and clothing and also have a right to live without being • Malnutrition and unhygienic appearance harassed and exploited. • Drug/Inhalant addict • Deterioration of values and morals Article 15 of the Constitution is with regard to ‘Prohibition of • Pick pocketing, thefts discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of • Loss of personal development/No or less education birth’ implying and agreeing with the text in article 14 about background equality of people before the law.
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