STREET CHILDREN

Many of us might have encountered many children with torn clothes, unhealed injuries while traveling, near our work place or any in the public places such as railway stations, bus stations etc., we know the lives of these children who were abandoned by their parents.




Most of us thinks in a very peculiar way that government or any social organization will look after those, but that's not true. Even though many organizations were put up to help those needy by the Govt. as well as many social service organizations, the help is not reaching the poor street children. There may be many rules and regulations, various Acts set up by the both State and Central governments of our country as well as UNESCO to help those needy, poor, tinder children.
But most of the cases these rules regulations, are not followed properly; the reasons for it are many, they may be

• corruption in the Govt. Sectors.
• Lack of funds, infrastructure.
• Lack of awareness among the society.

Every one of us have to reach those street children in our locality. We have to provide a steady and friendly future for those little buds. We can help them through charity or by making them reach to safe child rehabilitation centers. No one person can start this activity on his own and I am not at all asking you to do this work on your own. Let us do collectively.

If you are a person who want to sponsor a child, to provide a better environment, make the dreams of a child who want to goto school and study. I have visited a website with tag "bringing HOPE where there is DESPAIR..." Its amazing, we have to appreciate the organizers of the website www.worldvision.in. Where you can sponsor a child, make a donation. If you are a person who can donate an sum of Rs. 600/month, where a child can get good food and goto school. So, if you are intrested donate a child....

My main motive of creating this blog is to create an environment for comprehensive development of young homeless and orphan street children, making them aware of themselves with relation to the world and their own problems, thus mobilizing their independent potential to work collectively towards a better future for themselves, and a cleaner, healthier and more peaceful planet through child participation.

Research:

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.

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.

WORK CONDITIONS

Most street children find themselves some work, even though they may not be steady and lose jobs regularly. Many think of rag picking as a "job". A study in 1989 shows that 39.3% working children are paid inadequately, and 34% complain of being forced to overwork. Many children are lured into bonded work or "work-camps" that they are unable to escape from, due to unscrupulous and cruel proprietors or middlemen.

DESIRE TO BE SECURE

A recent study in Madras shows that many street children (45.6%) would like to live in a secure place, while 71% are very eager to change their present life. 63% of children have an ambition to do something meaningful in their future. The vast majority of them have a survival instinct and the tenacity that helps them survive the day to day trials of street life. That does not, however, provide them a future

AGE OF CHILDREN

The average age of street children is:
33% 6-10yrs
40% 11-15yrs
27% 16yrs +

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.

Rehabilitation center's in India

• SKCV
• Shelter DON BOSCO
• www.worldvision.in
  

I have collected few photographs* of some of the miserable street children.


Please post in your valuable feedbacks on this blog at everychildisspecial@gmail.com.

Please also post your comments....






* Note: All the photographs are collected from various web resources.