Street Children

A detail study at life on the streets children in India

Chapter 1- Preface Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 25, par. 1: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” In Indian constitution: Article 21- Protection of Life and Personal Liberty: No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Right to Life means the right to lead meaningful, complete and dignified life. Article 47- Right to nutrition and standard of living and improved public health The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948: Article 25- Right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and of his family

Runaway (dependent) in general Runaway, he is a minor or a person under a random age depending upon the local jurisdiction who has left the home of his or her parent or legal guardian without permission or has been thrown out by his or her parent and is considered by the local authorities to lack the capacity to live under his or her own deal.

In North America, runaway children or youth are widely regarded as a chronic and serious social problem. It is estimated that each year there are between 1.3 and 1.5 million runaway and homeless youth in the United States1. This problem also exists in the United Kingdom, with runaway youths often congregating in London. Studies suggest that the primary cause of youth homelessness is family dysfunction in the form of parental neglect, physical or sexual abuse, family substance abuse, and family violence2. Family conflict can also be caused by sudden and or drastic changes in the family composition (i.e. a divorce, re-marriage, death of a parent), parental substance abuse, youth's substance abuse, and youth's sexual activity. According to The Homeless Hub3,"they have difficulty obtaining affordable housing (landlords being reluctant to rent to a 16 year old), and because most are drop-outs, they have difficulty competing successfully in the job market". A related term is used for runaways is "throwaway youth". Normally a throwaway youth or child is someone who has been "locked out" or forced to leave home by his/her parents or caregivers. However, the distinction between runaways and throwaways is not clear as in many cases it depends on who provides the information. When the parents are asked they say the youth ran away, while the youth would say he or she was forced to leave, either directly or by circumstances. In most cases, youth run away because the situation at home is seen as unbearable and not because they are looking for excitement or fun. Running away from home is considered a crime in some jurisdictions, but it is usually a status offense punished with probation, or not punished at all.4 Giving aid or assistance to a runaway instead of turning them into the police is a more serious crime called "harboring a runaway", and is typically a misdemeanor.5

Present situation of the runaway station children 1

Coco & Courtney, 1998; Cauce et al., 1994 Smollar, 1999; Robertson & Toro, 1998 3 See at http://www.cga.ct.gov/2003/olrdata/kid/rpt/2003-R-0130.htm “Background on Status Offenders” 2

4

See at http://law.onecle.com/illinois/720ilcs5/10-6.html Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 - 720 ILCS 5,

Section 10-6 5

See at http://www.ndaa.org/pdf/parental_kidnapping.pdf Criminal Parental Kidnapping

Despite the perils of station life, the children who have found a shaky home in Mumbai Central may be the fortunate ones. Those who end up in one of Bombay's thousands of "pavement communities" (living on sidewalks, in parks, or in empty lots) are at higher risk for disease, starvation, and sexual abuse. In the stations, the boys are under the domain of the railway police. In the past, the Railway Protection Force had a mandate to clear stations of unaccompanied children. The result was all of them were perceived as criminals. That attitude began to change in the late 1990s. A national 24-hour hot line for runaway children opened in 1996 and receives 1,000 calls a day in Bombay alone from people who find runaways and lost children and call to have them picked up and taken care of. In 2000, the government passed the Juvenile Justice Act, which outlines the rights of children and mandates the government to work with NGOs to address the problems of homeless children. Incidents of violence against the kids are now rare, and commuters who see a child being beaten are more willing to interfere than before. Despite the changes, serious threats to children remain, such as police taking bribes from brothel agents. The presence of NGOs does more than help the children. Although adolescent boys, some of whom work the trains in groups as pickpockets and necklace-snatchers, are still a major problem, railway police say petty theft by younger children has declined in recent years. The feeling among observers is that children who are looked after by someone are less desperate and more law-abiding. The police often deny the existence of juveniles making their permanent homes in railway stations. But railway police routinely use station children to fetch tea, clean stations, and do less pleasant tasks (Eg: On a recent afternoon at Bombay's Thane railway station, two officers ordered a group of station kids to remove from the tracks the body of a woman struck by a train a few minutes earlier).

Real Stories ; of Amir at Mumbai Railway Station:

Alone and afraid, Aamir was initially grateful when a ‘kind’ older couple befriended him on his arrival in Mumbai. This chaotic urban sprawl is now India’s largest city and home to more than 20 million people. More than nine million of them live in slums, raising families in shacks built from rubbish on top of open sewers. For a homeless 12-year-old child freshly arrived from the countryside, it is a terrifying place to be. Overcrowding is now so bad in this huge metropolis that shanty towns have even sprung up in the international airport. People in rags scavenge as giant jets thunder past just feet away. But for many on the Indian sub-continent, Mumbai will always bethe city of dreams — a place of Bollywood film stars and gold-paved streets. It was certainly the image that brought Aamir here. Fleeing a violent, drunken father in rural India — his motherhad died years before — the12-year-old had sneaked on to a train bound for the city. And when he got there, he hoped to make his fortune. It was not to be. Alighting at Victoria Station, the city’s main terminal and an architectural monument to the days of the British Raj, Aamir was penniless and bewildered. He started begging for food. Within minutes, a couple emerged from the crowd and approached him. They gave him cakes and said they’d take him away to start a better life. ‘I thought they were may be social workers or religious people,’ he told me. But Aamir’s food was drugged and when he became drowsy, the couple put him in a rickshaw and took him to the city’s municipal hospital, which is where the real nightmare began. For at the hospital, a doctor was paid to amputate one of his healthy legs. Now speaking in the third person, as if to pretend it didn’t happen to him, Aamir tells me ‘the child’ was in ‘great pain’ after the operation. ‘The leg is removed here,’ he says, pointing to his own stump and grimacing. His limb had been severed mid-calf, leaving him without a foot. Now in hiding after being rescued from the hospital by a charity, Aamir is one of hundreds of Indian children deliberately crippled by gangs so they can earn extra money begging. He still struggles to talk about his experience. Asked to describe what he thinks about those who ruined his life,he just stares at the ground in silence. Crippled for life, he is now the lowest of the low.

;of Dalbeer: Dalbeer, 15, is another victim of this shocking industry. Reduced to begging at the railway station after his parents died, Dalbeer was approached by two friendly older strangers one day. ‘I thought they were may be social workers,’ he told me. ‘I thought they could help me.’ But he was taken from everything he knew to Nagpur, a city athousand miles from Mumbai, after the woman told him it would ‘be better there’. And there, along with several others, he was deliberately crippled before being brought back to Mumbai and put to work begging. His leg had been severed in the same place as Aamir’s. Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan said the film unfairly portrayed a 'dirty underbelly' of India So just who would chop off the leg of a healthy child? The boys are victims of India’s socalled ‘beggar mafia’ — criminals so violent and a moral that they are prepared to hack the limbs off children, as well as steal new-born babies from hospitals. They use the children as begging ‘props’ to maximise their earnings from sympathetic passers-by. The plight of India’s child beggars has been thrust into the international spotlight by Slumdog Millionaire, the British-made film that won 8 Oscar Awards. Branded ‘poverty porn’ by some Indian critics, the film has caused controversy in a country that wants to promote itself as amodern economic super-power. Due to open in India this week with the Hindi title Slumdog Crorepati, the film-makers have been criticised by police and politicians for painting an ‘outdated’ portrait of a corrupt,violent country. Their anger centres on a scene in which an Indian boy is intentionally blinded by gangsters so that he can earn more as a beggar. ‘They are making out that India is a Third World, dirty underbelly, developing nation,’ snorts Amitabh Bachchan, one of the country’s leading film stars and a powerful, patriotic voice.6

Chapter 2- Definition 6

See at http://www.slumdogs.org/slumdog-blog.html accessed on 8-10-09, at 3:00pm.

Who are Considered Homeless and Street Children? Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) asserts that “States Parties recognize the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.” Homelessness denies each one of those rights. According to an Inter-NGO Program on street children and youth, a street child is “any girl or boy who has not reached adulthood, for whom the street (in the widest sense of the word, including unoccupied dwellings, wasteland, etc.) has become his or her habitual abode and/or source of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, directed, and supervised by responsible adults.” US AID has divided Street Children into Four Categories: •

A ‘Child of the Streets': Children who have no home but the streets, and no family support. They move from place to place, living in shelters and abandoned buildings.

•

A ‘Child on the street': Children who visit their families regularly and might even return every night to sleep at home, but spends most days and some nights on the street because of poverty, overcrowding, sexual or physical abuse at home.

•

Part of a Street Family: These children live on sidewalks or city squares with the rest of their families. They may be displaced due to poverty, wars, or natural disasters. The families often live a nomadic life, carrying their possessions with them. Children in this case often work on the streets with other members of their families.

•

In Institutionalized Care: Children in this situation come from a situation of homelessness and are at risk of returning to a life on the street.

The Psychology of the Runaway

Runaways are from unique population among adolescents. Studies have shown that runaways are less adjusted than their nonrunaway peers, have lower achievement levels, are more frequently depressed, have poor family relations, and engage in more delinquent activities. Other researchers have suggested that runaways are sociopaths—that is, they refuse to commit to or believe in the traditional values and norms of the society within which they live. In addition, runaways have been portrayed as impulsive loners who are prone to excessive aggression when frustrated. They can also be passive-aggressive and possess several different personality disorders. Because the act of running away frequently involves feelings of intense alienation between children and their families, these children are, many times, quite exploitative and manipulative of other people. They do not trust others, thus they do not feel any obligation to treat others with respect. For this reason, many social programs designed to administer to this population focus on the provision of psychiatric care and counseling.7

Street Child Statistics The hidden and isolated nature of street children makes accurate statistics difficult to gather; however, UNICEF estimates there are approximately 100 million street children worldwide with that number constantly growing. There are up to 40 million street children in Latin America, and at least 18 million in India.8 Many studies have determined that street children are most often boys aged 10 to 14, with increasingly younger children being affected (Amnesty International, 1999).9 Many girls live on the streets as well,10 although smaller numbers are reported due to their being more “useful” in the home, taking care of younger siblings and cooking. Girls also have a greater vulnerability to trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation or other forms of child labor.

7

See at http://family.jrank.org/pages/1430/Runaway-Youths-Psychology-Runaway.html accessed on 1210-09 at 3:03 pm 8 See at http://www.oneworld.org/guides/streetchildren/ 9 Beasley, Rob. “On the Streets,” Amnesty Magazine. April 1999. 10 Ibid.

Homelessness in India With a population of well over 1 billion people, India is the second most populous nation in the world. According to UN-HABITAT, India is home to 63% of all slum dwellers in South Asia. This amounts to 170 million people, 17% of the world’s slum dwellers. India's per capita income, although rising, rank's it 124th in the world. This low per capita income is one factor that marks the sharp divide between India's wealthiest and poorest citizens. Approximately 35 percent of India's 260 million people (a group almost equal to the entire population of the United States) still earns $1 or less a day. And according to the United Nations, 70 million people earn less than $2 a day. As India continues to grow in economic stature, there's much debate over the country's ability to tackle poverty and urban homelessness. A 2001 census reported that 78 million people across India were living without a home, many in overcrowded urban environments.

Definition: Street children is a term used to refer to children who live on the streets of a city. They are deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old, and their population between different cities is varied. Street children live in abandoned buildings, cardboard boxes, parks or on the street itself. A great deal has been written defining street children, but the primary difficulty is that there are no precise categories, but rather a continuum, ranging from children who spend some time in the streets and sleep in a house with ill-prepared adults, to those who live entirely in the streets and have no adult supervision or care. A widely accepted set of definitions, commonly attributed to UNICEF, divides street children into two main categories: •

Children on the street are those engaged in some kind of economic activity ranging from begging to vending. Most go home at the end of the day and contribute their earnings to their family. They may be attending school and retain

a sense of belonging to a family. Because of the economic fragility of the family, these children may eventually opt for a permanent life on the streets. •

Children of the street actually live on the street (or outside of a normal family environment). Family ties may exist but are tenuous and are maintained only casually or occasionally.

Street children exist in many major cities, especially in developing countries, and may be subject to abuse, neglect, exploitation, or even in extreme cases murder by "cleanup squads" hired by local businesses or police.11

What is the definition of a street child in India? The reality of the street child is the naked and vicious face of poverty, sickness and exploitation. The tragedy is, that those who bear it are themselves innocent, lonely and frightened young children. Street Children are those unfortunate children who basically: •

Have only intermittent contact with parents or family (usually mother or sisters) but live most of the time with other street children in the city streets, or are on the move. {There are numerous reasons for a child to leave home}

•

Have been literally abandoned by their parents/relatives, found themselves on the street from the beginning because of family problems, or have chosen to leave home due to some kind of constant abuse.

•

Those who have run away from home can further be separated into two categories: Those who have an unpleasant or traumatic home environment.

They experience family problems they are unable to solve: i.e., alcoholism, child abuse, ill treatment by stepparents, unemployment and poverty. Their tolerance level has been far exceeded, leading to the drastic decision to leave their family. Those who have run away from home, who wanted to study/work but were not allowed and came to experience the exciting experiences of city life, glamourised by magazines and movies. 11

See at http://www.slumdogs.org/newsflash/designer-dips-into-nostalgia.html, on 18-10-09, at 1:27pm

Religion of street children in India varies greatly according to area, but, in general, approximately 70% are Hindu, 18% are Muslim, Christian and other. Percentage of Hindu children is as high as 82% in Hyderabad, Indore & Bangalore. (Almost 50% of Hindu children belong to scheduled caste or tribes.) 82.7% of street children are boys. Girls are more difficult to trace but they are, by far, the most vulnerable.

Chapter 3 Factors Contributing to Homelessness

A wide array of factors contribute to homelessness, but they can be thought of as falling into one of two categories: structural problems and individual factors that increase vulnerability. Children may end up on the streets for several basic reasons: They may have no choice they are abandoned, orphaned, or disowned by their parents. Secondly, they may choose to live in the streets because of mistreatment or neglect or because their homes do not or cannot provide them with basic necessities. Many children also work in the streets because their earnings are needed by their families. But homes and families are part of the larger society and the underlying reasons for the poverty or breakdown of homes and families may be social, economic, political or environmental or any combination of these. In a 1993 report, WHO offered the following list of causes for the phenomenon: •

family breakdown

•

armed conflict

•

poverty

•

natural and man-made disasters

•

physical and sexual abuse

•

exploitation by adults

•

dislocation through migration

•

urbanization and overcrowding

•

acculturation

•

Divorce

•

Disinheritance or being disowned

•

Lack of affordable housing

•

Changes in the industrial economy leading to unemployment

•

Inadequate income supports the de-institutionalization of patients with mental health problems and the erosion of family and social support.

•

Factors that increase an individual's vulnerability

•

Physical or mental illness

•

Disability

•

Domestic violence

•

Unhealthy relationships between young people and their parents or guardians.

•

Poverty: - Homelessness and poverty are attached together. Poor people are not in a position to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education.

The orphaning of children as a result of HIV/AIDS is another cause that might be added to this list.

In seeking to address the issue of street children, it is essential to know why children are there. According to the responses of the children themselves, poverty is a major contributing factor. As shown in Table, financial reasons account for over 50% of the responses. The lack of family or a home, as indicated earlier, was infrequently cited as the major reason for being on the street. A significant proportion of the children indicated that the main reason they were on the streets was to be with friends (although this may reflect more why they were on the street as opposed to a centre, rather than why they are on the streets in the first place.) Table 1: Reasons for Being on the Streets Reason

Frequency

Percent

To work/make money/help Parents/beg Poverty/suffering

605

49.1%

63

5.1%

Assorted family problems, including abuse Lack of family/home

67

5.4%

77

6.3%

Following friends/peer pressure/avoiding school No response

188

15.3%

232

18.8%

Total

1232

100.0%

Street children with relatives were asked specifically why they were not staying with them. Among the 464 children (37.6%) who were not living with their parents, and who had living relatives but were not staying with them, the reasons given for not staying with those relatives also point primarily to economic difficulties, with a significant portion citing family problems or mistreatment (see Table 2). Table 2: Reasons Children Do Not Stay with Relatives (for Children Not Already Staying with Parents) Reason

Frequency

Percent

Poverty/lack of financial means/lack of capacity Does not want to/parents won’t allow it Assorted family problems, including mistreatment, drinking, disputes

153

33.0%

98

21.1%

109

23.5%

Distance/lack of transport

37

8.0%

Does not know relative’s location Relates to no home Child is self-sufficient

36

7.8%

4 27

0.9% 5.8%

Total

464

100.1%

Table 3: When Children are on the Streets, by Sex WHEN ON THE

MALE

FEMALE

TOTAL

STREETS Day and Night

270 (30.4%)

26 (14.2%)

296 (27.7%)

Day Only

611 (68.9%)

150 (82.0%)

761 (71.1%)

Night Only

6 (0.7%)

7 (3.8%)

13 (1.2%)

TOTAL

887 (100.0%)

183 (100.0%)

1070 (100.0%)

12 Figure 1: When Children are on the Streets, by Age

120 100 80

Both day and night

60

Daysonly

40

Nightsonly

20 0 4

6

(Age in years) 8 10 12 14 16 18

Asked how long they had been on the streets, roughly half (49.1%) indicated that it had been two years or less, and two-thirds (65.2%) said four years or less. Under ten percent had been on the streets for more than four years. A rather large number of children only indicated that they had been on the streets for a long time or did not know for how long they had been there.

Table 4: Length of Time Spent on the Street DURATION

FREQUENCY

PERCENT

CUMULATIVE %

Less than 6 months

163

13.2

13.2

6 months – 1 year

236

19.2

32.4

1 – 2 years

206

16.7

49.1

3 years

125

10.1

59.2

4 years

74

6.0

65.2

5 – 9 years

118

9.6

74.8

43

3.5

78.3

267

21.7

100.0

1232

100.0

100.0

‘A long time’ Do Not Know/No response Total

Who is a homeless child? A person under age 18 who is living in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, on the street, in sub-standard housing, or doubled-up with friends and relatives due to a lack of housing. Runaway, throw-away teens and abandoned children are also considered homeless.

Impact of Homelessness on Children According to a report published by the United Nations, there are 150 million children aged three to 18 years on our streets today—and their numbers are growing fast. 40% of

the world's street children are homeless, the other 60% work on the street to support their families. The UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and several NGO's have got disputing figures in their account of street children. According to CRY (Child Relief and You) about 60 million Indian children under the age of 6 live below the poverty line. The problem has become particularly acute for homeless children, one-fifth of who receive no education. According to Indian Embassy figures, there are 314,700 children living on the streets of Bombay [Mumbai], Calcutta [Kolkata], Madras [Chennai], Kanpur, Bangalore and Hyderabad, and another 100,000 live in New Delhi; however, these numbers may not reflect the true picture, as accurate census information is difficult to collect. In truth, millions of India's children are denied even the most basic rights of survival and protection. Children living on the streets are especially vulnerable to victimization, exploitation, and the abuse of their civil and economic rights.

Impact of homelessness/ runaways on children Homelessness influences every facet of a child’s life — from conception to young adulthood. The experience of homelessness inhibits the physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral development of children. Difficulties faced by homeless children include depression, low self-esteem, lack of sleep and nutrition and feelings of shame and embarrassment. These children are exposed to the harsher realities of life. Some of the challenges they face are listed below. Abuse: - Many of the street children who have run away from home because they were beaten or sexually abused. Tragically, their homelessness can lead to further abuse through exploitative child labor and prostitution. Street children are routinely detained illegally, beaten, tortured and sometimes killed by police in some countries. Child Labour: - A common job usually street children do is rag-picking, in which boys and girls as young as 6 years old sift through garbage in order to collect recyclable

material. Rag-pickers can be seen alongside pigs and dogs searching through trash heaps on their hands and knees. Other common jobs are the collecting of firewood, tending to animals, street vending, dyeing, begging, prostitution and domestic labour. Children that work are not only subject to the strains and hazards of their labour but are also denied the education or training that could enable them to escape the poverty trap. Child labourers suffer from exhaustion, injury, exposure to dangerous chemicals in addition muscle and bone afflictions. Health: - Poor health is a chronic problem for street children. Half of all children in India are malnourished, but for street children the proportion is much higher. These children are not only underweight, but their growth has often been stunted; for example, it is very common to mistake a 12 year old for an 8 year old. Street children live and work amidst trash, animals and open sewers. Not only are they exposed and susceptible to disease, they are also unlikely to be vaccinated or receive medical treatment. Only two in three Indian children have been vaccinated against TB, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio and Measles; only one in ten against Hepatitis B. Most street children have not been vaccinated at all. They usually can not afford and do not trust, doctors or medicines. Addiction: - Many street children use a number of inhalants (glue, gasoline, lighter fluid) and illegal drugs (marijuana, cocaine and heroin). Street children looses their rights to emotional, physical and social development, to survival, health and education, to play, cultural activities and recreation, to protection from cruelty and exploitation, to participation, freedom of expression, access to information, and to a role in public life and personal decisions. Returning these rights, through providing shelter, health, education and training for these children, should be focused rightly. Though there is an increasing number of programs being run by NGOs throughout India, these are not enough to address the problem as a whole. The media both in national and international level are giving much attention to the street children in recent years. The 2009 Oscar Award nominated movie “Slumdog Millionaire” by Danny Boyle have drawn much attention to the life of homeless /street children in India. The efforts to increase awareness have led to several initiatives involving numerous groups working with street children, the launching of specific schemes and

programs at the local, state and national level and the initiation of numerous studies on street children. A central scheme for the welfare of street children has recently been initiated by the Indian Government’s Ministry of Welfare, which gives funding to NGOs on programs related to street children.

STREET CHILD ACTIVITIES IN INDIA Street children learn to cope with life on the streets very quickly. They learn to live off the street. The following is a list of activities and occupations undertaken by street children in India to earn a living: •

Collecting and selling waste paper, plastic, scrap metal etc.

•

Cleaning cars and two-wheelers,

•

Selling water, sweets, biscuits, clothes etc.

•

Selling newspapers and flowers on streets

•

Making and selling flower garlands

•

Begging, pimping, pick pocketing, stealing

•

Working in roadside stalls or repair shops

•

Coolie work or working in small hotels (kitchens etc)

A study at Rajasthan Hope abandoned this single-room house in Chittorgarh years ago. Now Ratanlal Mali, his wife and three children do not expect to see Seema again, three years after the eldest child went missing. She was 13 then. Ironically, the two accused in the kidnapping are a police constable and his wife. Vinod Kumar, who was arrested but freed on bail later, continues to be in the police. And in this fact lies the despair of the poor Mali family. On September 9, 2005, Amina Maniyar’s daughter Aabida, then 15, did not return home from work. The mother went to the police to report the girl missing. “Bhaag gai hogi,” the police told her. Then she went again and again, over a year. “Bhool ja usey,” she was told. Amina says the police may be right that Aabida ran away but as a mother, she can’t live peacefully on that assumption. “I must know if she is safe.”

WHEN it comes to bearing the pain of a missing child and feeling totally helpless about it, a Ratanlal or an Amina has large company. Since 2001, 1,029 children are reported missing from across Rajasthan. And these are official figures, confirmed by the police at the district level. But senior police officials claim that the actual figure might be smaller. The reason: once a child comes back, nobody bothers to report it to the police, they say. Leaving the “accurate” number aside, what the data here show is that on an average, 170 kids go missing in Rajasthan every year, or one child every two days. And nearly an eighth of this number is cases of kidnapping. Backed by these numbers, the police believe that most of the missing kids actually run away following a conflict at home or in search of a better life. When the police say 15year-old Aabida may have eloped, they have a little over 18 per cent chance of being correct. Two in 10 girls who go missing do in search of better life as a model or an actor, said a social worker here. Another two out of 10, mainly between ages 14 and 17, run away to get married. Cases are registered only when there is a suspected kidnapping, but often there is no clear answer to who ran away and who was kidnapped. “In more than 90 per cent cases, the children have run away from home after a fight. And most of them come back once their money runs out or their anger subsides,” says A K Jain, addition DGP of crime. “But the parents don’t bother to inform the police.” M L Chowdhry, who runs the Gram Vikas Sewa Sanstha, a Johpur-based organisation working with street children, agrees. “Most children run away in search of a better life. They may be poor, have an abusive father or a sex-worker mother. And most of them do not come back if they earn enough to for two meals a day.” But tell this to Seema’s family. Constable Vinod Kumar was posted at Udaipur while his wife lived at Chittorgardh. She often called Seema over for house work. On July 28, 2004, Seema was at her employer’s house. “After sometime, the lady came to our house, claiming that Seema had stolen her gold earrings and had gone missing,” says Ratanlal. “She told us that her husband, who was in town then, was searching for her,” says the daily-wager. Initially, the police in Chittorgarh refused to file a complaint. But the Malis went to the SP, where an FIR was lodged. Kumar was arrested and later freed on bail. He continues to be in service, currently stationed at Baswada. Or try convincing Amina Maniyar, who is still waiting for Aabida. She may be among the 82 per cent girls who go missing but have not “eloped”. But there seems to be no way to ascertain that. Rajasthan does have a missing persons cell, though. It is a lean affair, with one subinspector and a couple of administrative staff to man it. It is hard to expect this cell to go looking for missing persons when you get to know that the data the cell maintained was

updated only after the Rajasthan High Court demanded to know how many children were missing in the state in the last three years. The court has directed the CBI to look for 502 missing children, Half of the actual figure in the state. All this full-time cell does is send pictures and details of missing persons for ads on television and in newspapers. These ads get displayed for a week, after which they are forgotten. The authorities here make it clear at the very outset that it is called a “cell” but “isn’t one actually”. “Finding a child is not easy. Even if one deploys 10 policemen, they may not be able to trace the child because he might be in any corner of India,” says Jain. “The cell can’t find the children. Anyway, it is the duty of the district police and that too is quite difficult because in several cases people don’t even have a photograph of the missing person,” Jain says. Over at the one-man cell, in-charge Anwar Khan says: “Our job here is to collect the data, which we do every month.” So these are the main points which are the factors contributing to runaway and its impact on the society.

Chapter 3 HEALTH CONDITIONS The health condition of street children is generally poor. Many suffer from chronic diseases like TB, leprosy, typhoid, malaria, jaundice and liver/kidney disorders. Venereal

disease is rampant among older ones (14yrs+). Scabies, gangrene, broken limbs and epilepsy are common. HIV & AIDS cases are now widely seen. Most street children are exposed to dirt, smoke and other environmental hazards. They are constantly exposed to intense sun, rain and cold. Though there are supposed to be "free" Government / Municipal Hospitals in all cities, street children do not have easy access to them due the need to pay bribes to enter, or the indifferent or hostile treatment meted out to them by the staff. Bangalore, Vijayawada and Hyderabad report extreme conditions in this regard. Due to the unhygienic environment, poor quality and/or inadequate food, low access to medical care, exposure to the elements, exposure to acts of violence, sexual risk-taking, etc. The most commonly cited recurring health problems of children in the rapid assessment included malaria (cited by 12.4% of the children), headache (6.8%), and cough (3.5%). Asked if they had been sick recently, one third (33.1%) responded affirmatively. Of those suffering recurring health problems, approximately 78.7% reported receiving treatment for it. Similarly, of those reporting a recent illness, 81.8% said they had received treatment. In both cases, a clinic was the most common source of treatment, followed by family members and then friends. Family and friends combined accounted for the source of treatment in over 40% of the cases, with ‘traditional healers’ and selftreatment each also accounting for about 5%, raising serious questions about the quality of care.12 Pain killers such as panadol and cafenol were the most common treatments, reported by nearly one third of the children. Other common treatments included malaria tablets and other miscellaneous medications, including ‘traditional’ medicines. Mumbai has an estimated 1.5 lakh street children, who take refuge at railway stations, pavements and shelter homes, with little or no access to healthcare. Much more prone to diseases associated with risky sexual activity and/or drug use. In Toronto 50% of street children surveyed had chlamydia. 13 In Cambodia, 40% of all new HIV infections are in street working children.14 In Guatemala 53% had sexually transmitted diseases. 12

In decreasing order of prevalence, the ailments included malaria, headache, cough, abdominal pains, and diarrhea. 13 See at“ Strategies to combat homelessness”s, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, Nairobi, 2000, http://hq.unhabitat.org/en/uploadcontent/publication/hs.599.06.pdf accessed on 9-10-09 at 5:27pm.

A study also found 92% of the children had lice and 88% had contracted upper respiratory infections due to exposure. Skin infections were also common.15 Study on Mumbai Street Children An ongoing independent study in Dadar, Bandra, Kurla, Borivali and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus being conducted by Bangalore-based Institute of Public Health, as part of the process towards drafting the guidelines, showed that children visit government hospitals due to their affordability, but they have to purchase medicines. Of the 128 children surveyed, 98 had suffered some form of illness in the past year and 92 children visited a health facility. Some children mentioned having to pay bribes in public hospitals, while 87 children were addicted to some form of psychosomatic substances. Most street children were seen sniffing whitener fluid. Surprisingly, no use of tobacco, sniffing glue or drugs was found in Borivali. Children at Borivali said that it was an “unspoken dictum” among them. The study also found that NGOs are concentrated at bigger railway stations, leaving out small stations like Sandhurst Road, Wadala and Mira Road. As most street children do not have bathing and toilet facilities, many suffer from chronic diseases like asthma and dysentery.16 Sion Hospital Mumbai also noted that respiratory tract infection was most common, along with complaints of diarrhoea, sticky stools, abdominal pain and worm infestation, scabies, boils, malnutrition.17

14

Sebastian Marot, Director FRIENDS in consultation with Cambodian NGOs, reported by Consortium for Street Children, 2003. 15 Nancy Leigh Tierney, “Robbed of Humanity: Lives of Guatemalan Street Children”, Pangaea, Saint Paul, 1997. 16 See at http://streetkidnews.blogsome.com/category/1/asia-streetkid-news/india-streetkid-news/at 2:25 17 “In a first, BMC gets talking about street children’s health”, on Fri, 9 Oct 2009, in Expressindia News Paper.

Street Children Statistics18: INDIA, STATISTICS Population India

1,065 million

Children <18 years

420 million

Children <5 years

118 million

Living on <$1/day

360 million

of whom, children

140 million

Orphans

35 million

HIV/AIDS infected

5.2 million

Rajasthan

56 million

Jaipur

3 million

Some Indicators and International Comparisons: India

World

31% of infants are born with low birth-weight

14% in Sub-Saharan Africa 15% in Middle-East & North Africa 7% in East Asia 9% in Latin America

7% of infants die before their 1st birthday

10% in Sub-Saharan Africa 4% in Middle-East & North Africa 3% in East Asia 3% in Latin America

46% of children under 5 are malnourished

28% in Sub-Saharan Africa 14% in Middle-East & North Africa 16% in East Asia 7% in Latin America

31% of children have adequate sanitation facilities

36% in 72% in Africa 50% in 75% in

Sub-Saharan Africa Middle-East & North

66% in 91% in Africa 93% in 83% in

Sub-Saharan Africa Middle-East & North

60% in 67% in Africa 90% in 90% in

Sub-Saharan Africa Middle-East & North

61% of children reach grade 5 at school

58% adult literacy rate

64% gender parity rate (literate women as % 18

See at

East Asia Latin America

East Asia Latin America

East Asia Latin America

76% in Sub-Saharan Africa

of literate men)

74% in Middle-East & North Africa 91% in East Asia 98% in Latin America

46% of children enter into child marriage (1986-2004)

40% in Sub-Saharan Africa n/a in Middle-East & North Africa 20% in East Asia 25% in Latin America

Statistics: Unicef, 2005

Chapter 4 Violence19 Law and order officials and self-styled vigilantes both attempt to ‘clean the street’ of these children in many parts of the world. In Latin America the problem is particularly acute with the worst offenders being Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras. An average of three street children are killed every day in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In Cairo, street children are routinely rounded up and beaten by the police, their heads are shaven and then they are transferred to crowded detention centres.

19

Strategies to combat homelessness, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, Nairobi, 2000, http://hq.unhabitat.org/en/uploadcontent/publication/hs.599.06.pdf

Higher rates of drug use and involvement in petty crime make them vulnerable to violence from others like them. The main reason for gang membership is protection.

Over half the street children in India sexually abused The government today admitted that the number of children on Indian streets was rising and though there was no authentic data available, the country, as per a Unicef survey, was home to the world’s largest population of street children, estimated at over 18 million. According to one assumption 40 per cent of these children are in need of care and protection, which indicates the extent of the problem. While two out of every three children were physically abused, 53.22 per cent children have been reported to have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse, reveals Child Abuse: India 2007, a study by the ministry of women and child development According to a sample survey carried out in 13 states in 2007, however, revealed their number at 18.6 per cent with more than half of them having been sexually abused. While Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Delhi reported the highest percentage of sexual abuse among both boys and girls, 21.90 per cent child respondents reported facing severe forms of sexual abuse and 50.76 per cent other forms of sexual abuse. The report states that out of the child respondents, only 5.69 per cent reported being sexually assaulted. Children on the street, children at work and children in institutional care in Assam, AP, Bihar and Delhi reported the highest incidence of sexual assault. The numbers, however, are far from accurate as most street children do not report the incidents. The minister of state for women and child development Mrs Krishna Tirath admitted that the 18.6 per cent street children in 13 states ~ AP, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, MP, Maharasthra, Mizoram, Rajasthan, UP and West Bengal ~ 54.51 per cent were abused sexually.

‘Ministry has no database of street children’ New Delhi, May 1: The women and child development ministry has no database of street children, the target group of Integrated Scheme for Street Children (ICPS) Programme, a parliamentary committee has said, terming the findings as "surprising".

The parliamentary standing committee on human resource development in its report said: "The committee is surprised to know that the ministry does not have any database on the street children in the country, the target group of the ICPS while analysing the scheme." The ICPS aims at providing shelter, nutrition, health care, education and recreation facilities to street children and seeks to protect them against abuse and exploitation. The panel in its report suggested that the ministry start preparing a data base detailing the number of children on the streets and those benefiting from this scheme. Expressing displeasure over the lack of basic infrastructure in the centres and effectiveness in the new scheme, the committee pointed out that despite 90 per cent of the financial assistance for the scheme being provided by the Central government, there seems to be lack of initiative for encouraging state governments and involving more NGOs for opening up centres for street children. UNITED NATIONS CHILD RIGHTS CONVENTION Children should enjoy: •

The Right to survival

•

The Right to education

•

The Right to good health

•

The Right to free expression

•

The Right to be heard

•

The Right to enjoy their own language …

and, indeed, many other rights, but apart from the obvious Rights of the Convention, the most prominent problem that street children experience arises from the law-makers and implementers, and the child’s lack of identity.

EXISTING LAWS CONCERNING STREET CHILDREN There is absolutely no legislature that specifies the term "Street Children" in the judiciary of India. The laws applicable under the Juvenile Justice Act 1986 relate quite strongly to the care of and rights of street children in general, without mentioning them in any term, but are found, on a national level, not to be implemented properly at all. In fact, many police officers/constables in the field do not know about the details of the Act. JUVENILE BOARDS AND COURTS The Juvenile Justice System has proved to be ineffective in coping with the problem under its present structure. [Example: 3,301 cases were brought before Juvenile Court in Mumbai in 1989, the number of street children is 50,000]. There are many States in India where there exists no Juvenile Board or Juvenile Court system. Street children are, in many cases, sent to remand in adult jails where they are abused, both physically and sexually, for indefinite periods of time. There is little or no provision made for these young children to contact their parents or obtain proper guidance or legal representation. The children eventually escape from these "Homes" just as they run away from their real home. In other States, street children are placed under the "care" of observation homes, remand homes and other Government juvenile centres, but it is just as well known that these socalled child care centres are sadly lacking any semblance of actual care. There is a need for these centres to be taken over and run by the NGO’s, and the Ministry has recently mooted such a proposal for Social Welfare. Discussions and meetings are under progress, but when the reality of such a proposal will be realised, is very unclear. The Juvenile Justice Act has to be looked at very carefully in terms of street children and needs to be closely scrutinised. If changes are affected, then the implementation of the Act on a national level needs to be seriously and permanently looked at.

The Apprenticeship Act 1850 which enabled public charities to bring up orphans and poor children teaching trades etc. The Reformatory Schools Act 1867 dealt with neglected and delinquent children. The Juvenile Justice Act 1986 dealing with "the care, protection, treatment, development and strengthening process of neglected or delinquent juveniles, and for the adjudication of certain matters relating to, and disposition of, delinquent juveniles".

ARBITRARY DETENTION, ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT Street children are constantly arrested, locked up, tortured and abused in all ways because there is none to take responsibility for them. They live in fear of arrest and long detainment. They have no faith in the police or the judicial system. They disrespect the legal authorities because they have rarely experienced any kindness or understanding from anyone at that level. THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS For street children, this aspect is conspicuous by its absence, and totally ignored by the relevant authorities. Street children are arrested, locked up, sent to remand, runaway, are arrested again beaten locked up and so on and so forth without ever being offered a word of legal advice, much less a lawyer, or a government counsellor. They are sent to lockups, and sometimes jails, for days together without even a hearing. The remand homes sometimes make an effort to trace the parents, but usually the parents do not come for one reason or another, usually poverty. So the child grows up in an environment of cruelty & abuse, physical, mental and sexual and if he/she does not have the wits to escape, emerges a hardened criminal with total contempt for society in all its aspects when they are 18yrs old. The Municipal Corporations are, however, showing some interest in the plight of street children. Studies show that there are more small programs for street children in the country today than ever before and that some are either located in Municipal Buildings or

assisted by the Local Body. i.e. Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Chennai etc. The Juvenile Justice Act 1986 is now defunct since the U.N. C.R.C., and India’s ratification of the same. The new J.J.Act is better but needs serious discussion.20

Chapter 4 Rehabilitation of the street Children ANALYSIS OF STREET CHILD ASSISTANCE IN INDIA Until 1993, the term "street child" was not in the "Official Vocabulary" of postindependence India. After the local as well international pressure of NGO’s the Government of India set up a "Scheme for Assistance to Street Children" under Ministry of Welfare, which was launched in February of 1993. The Scheme was supposed to be implemented in only six major cities initially. 20

See at www.skv.com/street%20children%20in%20india.htm on 9-10-09 at 5:00pm.

Prior to the release of the Scheme there were many meetings between NGO’s and Government officers, and the Government noted and agreed many suggestions for improvement and better management for the scheme, but not implemented in the final draft.... leaving the Scheme empty and ineffective for NGO participation. Although clearly stated there that three years minimum experience in the field was a requirement but immediately after the release it was seen that many NGO’s not working in the field of street children, but with political clout, applied for and received the large amounts granted for said assistance. Since, the programme has been extended to more cities (with 1 million plus population). But the most sincere NGO’s in the field are not interested in the funding because of the lack of understanding of the Government towards the assistance to street children and the elasticity needs of the NGO’s in working with the street children. The jumping on the bandwagon by unqualified NGO’s however, continues. No other scheme of assistance has been offered by the Government specifically for street children.

“An Integrated Programme for Street Children” One more programme has been launched for the street children by the government. The objective of this programme is to prevent insolvency of children and help them in withdrawing from life on the streets. This programme provides for shelter, nutrition, health care, education, recreation facilities to street children, and seeks to protect them against abuse and exploitation. The strategy is to develop awareness and provide support to build capacity of the Government, NGOs and the community at large to realize the rights of the child enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. The object group of this programme is children without homes and family ties i.e., street children and children especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation such as children of sex workers and children of pavement dwellers. Children living in slums and with their parents are excluded from the coverage of this scheme. State Governments, Union Territory Administrations, Local Bodies, Educational Institutions and Voluntary Organisations are eligible for financial assistance under this

programme. Upto 90% of the cost of the project is provided by the Government of India and remaining has to be borne by the Organisation/Institution concerned. Under the programme, no predefined cost heads are stipulated. Depending upon the type of activity and the nature of service, an appropriate amount not exceeding Rs. 1.5 million per annum can be sanctioned as recurring cost for each project. The grant under the programme is released to selected organizations in two equal half yearly instalments. •

The programme component of a project under this scheme can be:-

•

City level surveys;

•

Documentation of existing facilities and preparation of city level plan of action;

•

Contact programmes offering counseling, guildance and referral services;

•

Establishment of 24 hours drop-in shelters;

•

Non-formal education programmes;

•

Programmes for reintegration of children with their families and placement of destitute children in foster care homes/hostels and residential schools;

•

Programmes for enrollment in schools;

•

Programme for vocational training;

•

Programmes for occupational placement;

•

Programmes for mobilizing preventive health services;

•

Programmes aimed at reducing the incidence of drug and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS etc;

•

Post ICDS/Aganwadi programmes for children beyond six years of age;

•

Programmes for capacity building and for advocacy and awareness building on child rights.21

In Rajasthan total investment through 'An Integrated Programme for Street Children' during the year 2008-09: Financial Assistance to NGOs running Street Children/Childline projects under the scheme 'An Integrated Programme for Street Children' during the year 2008-09, Rajasthan India Institute of Data Interpretation and Analysis(I-India) 1, Lakshmi Path, 21

See at http://wcd.nic.in/streetchildscheme.htm accessed on 12-10-09 at 4:47 pm.

Hathroi, Jaipur-302006 for Street Children, amount released was 11.29 lakhs and no. of beneficiaries were 800. Rajasthan Jan Kala Sahitya Manch Sansthan, F-70, Shankar Marg, Kanti Chandra Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur-302006 for Street Children amount released was 10.80 lakhs and no. of beneficiaries 800. So total Rupees in Lakh in Rajasthan is 22.09 and no. of beneficiaries were 1600.

A community to watch out the station children In Mumbai, a helpful agent, labor recruiter, or other predator usually approaches children within 15 minutes of their arrival, according to Saathi- An NGO organization. To maintain a 24-hour watchout, NGOs enlist the help of vendors, bathroom cleaners, ticket checkers, and others who work in the station. A community that is in the railway station can understand who are the new faces. When new children are identified, reuniting them with families can be difficult. Many come from close-knit rural villages, where there is a strong stigma associated with runaways. Often reluctance is shown by other families to accept the returning children.

Rehabilitation projects: In America The Family and Youth Services Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds three grant programs to help runaway and homeless youth: 1. The Basic Center Program funds emergency shelters where youth can stay for up to 15 days. Shelters aim to keep youth safe by providing them with immediate needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Shelters may also provide

individual, group, and family counseling, and if desired, help reunite youth with their families.22 2. The Transitional Living Program funds programs that help homeless youth develop skills that allow them to become independent and may prevent them from depending on social services in the future. Shelter, services, and counseling are provided for up to 18 months for youth ages 16 to 21 who are unable to return to their homes.23 3. The Street Outreach Program funds local youth service providers that reach out to homeless youth living on the streets and in unstable housing. The providers offer emergency shelter and other services to young people who have been, or who are at risk of being, sexually abused or exploited, with the goal of helping them leave the streets.24 The Family and Youth Services Bureau also provides funding for the National Runaway Switchboard, a national hotline for runaway youth, youth who are thinking about running away or are in crisis, parents, and other concerned adults. Available 24 hours a day 365 days a year, the hotline (1-800-RUNAWAY) is confidential, anonymous, and free.25

In Turkey Some children in the age group 6-14 who should be in school but end up in streets working either to contribute to their family subsistence or for some other reasons and whatever their working conditions may be they are all vulnerable to various risks and threats as mentioned above. The government of Turkey in GAP Administration considers 22

See at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/bcpfactsheet.htm/ “Basic

Center Program fact sheet” 23

See at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/tlpfactsheet.htm/

“Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth fact sheet” 24

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/sopfactsheet.htm/ Street Outreach Program fact sheet 25 See at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_youth on 18-10-09, at 1:03pm

such children as a disadvantaged group and it has therefore launched the "Project for the Rehabilitation of Children Working in Streets" in partnership with national and international organisations, NGOs and local governments. The full title of the project is "Rehabilitation of Children Working in Streets in Gaziantep, Batman and Sanliurfa" and it is implemented as one of the second stage projects of the wider "Programme for Strengthening Integrated Development in the GAP Region and Reducing Socioeconomic Disparities" jointly carried out by the GAP Administration and UNDP.26 Under the project the "75th Year Child and Youth Centre" was launched on 15 February 1999. The centre is used as a means to protect children from risks and threats in streets; provide for their needs including education, health, clothing, etc. and eventually save their from streets and child labour. The project had different achievements which are as under: •

The Centre mentioned above is active.

•

636 children were registered to the centre and 1,316 children benefited from the services of the centre.

•

3,246 children were delivered services in streets.

•

368 children were enrolled to primary schools.

•

850 children were placed in Regional Boarding Primary Schools (YİBOs)

•

700 children, who run the risk of working in streets benefited from "Summer Courses Programme".

26

•

423 children took courses in computer skills.

•

580 children took courses in painting, music and handicrafts.

•

200 benefited from the services of the Learning Centre.

•

200 children were given supportive courses.

•

650 children received counselling services.

•

562 children were given health screening.

See at http://www.gap.gov.tr/English/Sosprj/cocuk.html accessed on 13-10-09 at 2:10 pm.

•

250 children were served lunch everyday.

•

26 female siblings of street children were given vocational training courses.

•

300 families were covered in cash assistance scheme.

•

43 mothers and female siblings took courses in cutting-sewing.

•

Fathers of 10 children took training in "Start Your Business".

"WOULD YOU BE MY SCHOOL GUARDIAN?" One activity carried out under the "Rehabilitation of Street Children" which is presently implemented by the GAP Administration, UNDP and governorates of Batman, Sanliurfa and Gaziantep is the campaign "Would you be my school guardian?". In the campaign, school materials (textbooks, notebooks, uniforms, school bags, etc.) of children working in the streets of Sanliurfa, Batman and Gaziantep will be provided by volunteer guardians and families of these children will also be supported economically. Any volunteer "guardian" is expected to provide such assistance once unless he/she is willing to continue it. Educational assistance extended by volunteer guardians will be followed on the web. The basic aim of the campaign is to withdraw children from hazardous work including working in streets which pose many threats to their physical, mental, emotional and social development.

Suggestions: After going through the text of the project in America and Turkey and their achievement in the respective field the guidelines are open for Indian Government also for implementation of the different project works and policies for the street children and their rehabilitation. One more suggestion for the improvement of the street children is Self Employment. The street children are getting aided from the production of jewellery and accessories, made by those children themselves by one NGO in Jaipur called I-India. I -

India27 has organised such facility for these children at Jaipur in Rajasthan Through these programmes, and the dedication of the teachers, staff and volunteers, children are learning confidence, social values and most importantly, skills which will carry them further in life.

Conclusion In reality the problems associated with running away are multifaceted. Children and adolescents who leave home in the hopes of a better life on their own lose far more than a mere roof over their head. They lose the social and emotional support that comes with a loving family; they lose the feelings of security that only parents can provide. As education becomes a distant and fleeting memory, these children likewise lose the desire and opportunity to excel and compete with others from their own age cohort. They are 27

Since 1993, i- india, a charity based in Jaipur, India, has been working for the welfare and educational needs of street children.

truly the forgotten children, and attempts to understand and accommodate these vulnerable youths should be imperative. Running away is not an idyllic rite of passage for young people. It is not Huckleberry Finn floating down the Mississippi on a homemade raft. It is a harsh and brutal reality for millions of children worldwide, and it is a reality that needs to be addressed immediately. Programs such as the National Runaway Switchboard28 have made great strides in understanding and assisting these youngsters, but more attention must be paid to the national runaway problem, as the experiences of these impoverished children are far more intense and undoubtedly more dismal.29

28

See at http://www.1800runaway.org accessed on 13-10-09 at 2:45 pm. See at http://family.jrank.org/pages/1431/Runaway-Youths-Conclusion.html, accessed on 10-10-09 at 1:15pm. 29