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SIMMI SONI*
Street children are the ones who have a life with fewer opportunities and facilities, or in layman’s language we can say “they are born to a poor family”. Basically, the term “Street Children ‘’ is meant for poor, homeless children who live on the street. According to UNICEF, it is a concept for children (boys and girls) who are under 18 years old and the street has become a source of livelihood for them. We, as a being, have seen various poor children roaming around the streets. Nowadays, we have also found many of them do very small work, such as selling pens, roses, balloons, dancing on the road and even begging on the streets along with their parents.
What is the huge condition which makes them do these kinds of things in order to get a little money for a day? Research has shown that many children become homeless and they have to work because of various factors which make children homeless and force them to work on the streets or to beg, such as parental death, children who are born in poor families and they have lost their parents. They became homeless as they didn’t have the proper support of anyone. Parent separation, abuse, and family violence are also the factors for homeless children.
According to the data generated by Bal Swaraj Portal in 2022, it is found that about 19,000 children live on Indian streets whereas in Delhi about 882 children are living on the streets without any support and care. NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Care) reports include about 19,546 children living on the street and about 10,401 living with their parents on the streets.
What made them work on the street, instead of going to school or getting education from government schools, they are roaming on the street to get some amount of money. the poor illiterate parents who are not even able to earn their basic needs, in order to fill those basic needs, they are forcing their children to work and to beg.
Photo: APNA VIDHYALAYA (NGO).
The right to education is the fundamental right, through which a child aged 6 to 14 must get a quality education, but in reality, it is not implemented on these children due to the lack of information to their parents, lack of identification, permanent address or guardians don’t want to send them. Education of Street Children Street is the real thing that needs to be focused on. In India, many children get a quality education, but these street children often face a huge problem getting the basic amenities, such as quality food, shelter and many more things. As these children are not able to get an education. The Government of India should take more initiatives to provide education for them and to ensure that they must have access to quality education that will help them to live a better life in the future. As they don’t get access to the proper education these Helpless children later get stuck with various problematic issues such as they will not be able to participate in decisions which will help them to work for society and their career and they will face various issues and challenges which can impact their physical, social and emotional development and the most critical problem they will suffer is, getting hard to come out of poverty cycle.
In order to reduce the work of children on the street and for their education and overall betterment, the government have taken various measures. Various integrated programs have been introduced to help the children living on the street. The program provides shelter, food, health care for the street children and helps to protect them from exploitation.
Some Integrated Programs for Street Children by the Government of India.
- Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).
- Scheme for grant in aid on child labor.
- Bal Swachhata Mission.
- Balika Samriddhi Yojana by the minister of Women and Child Development
- National Action Plan for Children,2020.
Studies conducted by the national commission for Protection of child rights (NCPCR) in 2010 show that most street children belong to the various marginalized communities that basically includes scheduled caste and tribe and various minority communities. The Ministry of Minorities Affairs has implemented various schemes and programs for the education of the street child that focuses on the minority’s education. Programs introduced by the Ministry of Minority Affairs include the development of minority children that provides scholarships, mentoring and educational institutes and many more.
Many NGOs have been working for the betterment of children. But, if we look closely at many remote areas, these things are not implemented properly for various reasons. Various NGOs have introduced rehabilitation programs for rehabilitation of children, which include education, skill development, counseling and mental health services, family reunification, community integration, livelihood support and many more. Many NGOs have been working for the amelioration of street children.
Photo: APNA VIDHYALAYA (NGO)
One of the appreciable NGOs started by Hariom Prasad Chourasia is named ” APNA VIDHYALAYA“. Hariom works as a teacher. He started his NGO for the kids who were roaming on the street and working to earn their livelihood. In an interview with us he said that he works for homeless kids. He reached them by himself and he found that the parents were doing very low-wage work. When they were at work, their children used to roam on the streets and used to sell minimal things. Hariom used to talk to the parents of children, give them knowledge about the importance of education in their children’s lives. Whenever Hariom is free, he usually spends his time with children, he usually plays with them and also talks about their studies. He had done various work for the street children, he himself gave admission to children in schools.
People like Hariom are continuously working for society without any greed. Only to see the smiling and happiest faces of the street children and their parents. As we know about the condition of these children. How they are working to fill their stomach in a day. We are born in a privileged family and we have various opportunities to grow and also a great facility to live in. One should know the importance of what one has and one should use those facilities in order to become a better person in society.
(*Student, B. A. Journalism & Mass Communication, II Sem.)
