Plights of street children

The activities they are engaged in for a small amount of money are risky and may imperil their life

It is a grim reality that many children are now growing up on footpaths in the country, particularly in the capital, without any care and attention, and many of them don't have parents and home. Over the past few years the country saw a phenomenal increase in the number of street children with the rapid population growth. According to a report of this newspaper yesterday, there are about 11 lakh street children in the country now and almost 85 per cent of them are growing up in dirty and unhygienic environment. They are suffering from malnutrition along with different diseases. For survival, they get involved in crimes like theft, snatching, drug selling and even the female children are engaged in prostitution.
The street children are engaged by political leaders, activists and godfathers to join rallies, carry and throw bombs and torch public transports during hartals and other political programmes. Hounded by abysmal poverty these hapless kids have hardly any choice. The activities they are engaged in for a small amount of money are risky and may imperil their life. Even undergoing jail time, suffering grievous injuries and death are not unlikely.
The lives of these children are very tough and full of deprivations, ideal childhood as envisioned in the Convention on the Rights of the Child is merely a dream for them. They do not know what an uncertainty and calamitous future awaits them. Growing up in a culture of crime and violence, they have hardly any scope for cultivating good manner, human values, justice and humility. They become accustomed to a perverted sense of self-worth and the unscrupulous political activists who use them as pawns heighten this.
    What is alarming is that some of these street children may emerge as hardened criminals in a crime-infested society and pose a serious threat to peace. A good number of children accused in various offences are in prisons often together with grown up offenders. They are allegedly exposed to torture, ill-treatment and sexual abuse.
The government is going to take up rehabilitation programmes for street children soon. It is a heartening piece of information. More initiatives should be taken up through proper planning for their rehabilitation. But what is worrying is that the platitudes are not translated into action.
The street children can be brought under vocational educational programme so that they can be engaged in income-generating activities to live life with dignity.   

Plights of street children

The activities they are engaged in for a small amount of money are risky and may imperil their life

It is a grim reality that many children are now growing up on footpaths in the country, particularly in the capital, without any care and attention, and many of them dont have parents and home. Over the past few years the country saw a phenomenal increase in the number of street children with the rapid population growth. According to a report of this newspaper yesterday, there are about 11 lakh street children in the country now and almost 85 per cent of them are growing up in dirty and unhygienic environment. They are suffering from malnutrition along with different diseases. For survival, they get involved in crimes like theft, snatching, drug selling and even the female children are engaged in prostitution. The street children are engaged by political leaders, activists and godfathers to join rallies, carry and throw bombs and torch public transports during hartals and other political programmes. Hounded by abysmal poverty these hapless kids have hardly any choice. The activities they are engaged in for a small amount of money are risky and may imperil their life. Even undergoing jail time, suffering grievous injuries and death are not unlikely. The lives of these children are very tough and full of deprivations, ideal childhood as envisioned in the Convention on the Rights of the Child is merely a dream for them. They do not know what an uncertainty and calamitous future awaits them. Growing up in a culture of crime and violence, they have hardly any scope for cultivating good manner, human values, justice and humility. They become accustomed to a perverted sense of self-worth and the unscrupulous political activists who use them as pawns heighten this. What is alarming is that some of these street children may emerge as hardened criminals in a crime-infested society and pose a serious threat to peace. A good number of children accused in various offences are in prisons often together with grown up offenders. They are allegedly exposed to torture, ill-treatment and sexual abuse. The government is going to take up rehabilitation programmes for street children soon. It is a heartening piece of information. More initiatives should be taken up through proper planning for their rehabilitation. But what is worrying is that the platitudes are not translated into action. The street children can be brought under vocational educational programme so that they can be engaged in income-generating activities to live life with dignity.