A city-centric survey of street children in Mumbai by an NGO has revealed that around 47 per cent of the children are found at signals, followed by railway stations and tourist places.
A city-centric survey of street children in Mumbai by an NGO has revealed that around 47 per cent of the children are found at signals, followed by railway stations and tourist places. The survey also found that almost 49 per cent of street children were involved in hawking while 47 per cent were involved in begging.
The survey aimed to find out the age group of the street children and found that 58 per cent were in the range of 6-14 years. The Right To Education Act stipulates children in this age group should be getting free and compulsory education. The NGO, Pratham, has suggested setting up of a task force involving the police and enforcement of Child Rights and Protection Act and increasing shelters for such children.
Throwing light on the survey, a spokesperson from Pratham said that it was conducted across the city over a period of three working days and involved 35 staff members who scoured various locations including 52 traffic signals, 40 railway stations and 41 tourist spots. “The surveyors found 651 children at these spots. Unlike the preconceived notion that boys outnumbered girls the survey showed that the difference was not much as the surveyors found 342 boys and 309 girls,” said the spokesperson.
The survey also showed that a most of the children (84 per cent) lived with their parents and were out on the streets to earn money and hence 318 (49 per cent) were hawking different items while 309 (47 per cent) resorted to begging. Around 10 per cent of the children lived alone while three per cent either lived with an extended family or friends.
Shockingly, the survey also found that 58 per cent of the children were in the age group of 6-14 years, an age when they should be getting free and compulsory education under the clauses of the RTE Act. From the remaining children, 159 children (24 per cent) belonged to the 3-5 years age group while 11 per cent were between 1-2 years and seven per cent were in the age group of 15-18 years.
The spokesperson said that based on these findings they had enumerated a list of suggestions to ensure that these children are accounted and their rights are addressed.
