At present, we don’t have a fixed definition of ‘street children’. We might say the term refers to those children without a stable home or shelter. But the most common definition of a street child or youth is “any girl or boy who has not reached adulthood, for whom the street (in the broadest sense of the word, including unoccupied dwellings, wasteland, etc.) has become her or his habitual abode and/or sources of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults.” This definition was formulated by Inter-NGOs in Switzerland in 1983.
‘Street children’ can be found mostly near railway stations, bus stops, and markets among many other places. Street life is a challenge for survival, and is yet more difficult for children than for the adults.There are over 2 million children living on the street in India. And in a country as huge as ours, the number of children needing care and protection is massive, and increasing with time.
Things such as extreme poverty, illiteracy, and being pulled in by the glamour of urban city life has led to the increase in the population of street children. With the same, there has been an equal increase in issues related to the exploitation of children and violence against them. According to the Global Report 2017 by UNICEF, on the issue of ending violence in childhood, an estimated 1.7 billion children experience one or more forms of interpersonal abuse or violence. In our country, as per the Government of India (2007) survey, the prevalence of all forms of child abuse are extremely high: physical abuse (66%), sexual abuse (50%) and emotional abuse (50%). The damage can that can be caused by the stated can also be permanent. It is very important to take care of this as India is now among one of the most youthful countries. We need to focus on the impact that street situations have on the physical, emotional, social, psychological and mental health and well-being of the child.
Some of the types of violence committed against the children include maltreatment, physical violence, sexual violence, bullying, discrimination, hostile treatment, and domestic violence. The impacts of these can be homicide, high risk sexual behavior, depression, unintended pregnancies, and developing a habit of substance abuse. The use or perpetration of violence in childhood can have long-term effects, if not checked. School bullies, for example, may be more likely, as adults, to engage in criminal behaviour, mainly violent crime and illicit drug misuse. Further, the NCRB data for 2016 suggests that nearly 6 out of every 100 murders in India, as registered under Section 302 of the IPC, is of children below the age of 18.
There have been a lot of NGOs set up to monitor child welfare and child protection. The government too has taken various measures such as enacting The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000 (amended in 2006) and establishing the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). It also came up with a Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) in 2009 which provides cost assistance to projects that help achieve child welfare and protection. Further, to specifically address the issue of sexual offences committed against children, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO Act 2012) was enacted.
Further still, there are two important steps to addressing harmful social norms that consolidate gender inequality and violence against women and children. First, to ensure services and programmes reach families and communities, especially in rural India. Second, to prevent childhood violence, what can be done is to create an environment complete with a strong service delivery mechanism which we can use, to some extent, to reduce the violence and vulnerability and enable children to sustain themselves.
In India it is necessary to (a) build safe environments, (b) impart education and life skills to children, and (c) strengthen the laws and norms. We need to strengthene the Commission for the Protection of Rights of the Child. An we need it to devise plans of action for Child Protection right through the three tires of government.