Delhi street children face abuse, violence, says Assocham

New Delhi, July 16: Nearly all children living on the streets of the national capital are exposed to abuse and violence, and majority of them face harassment from police, reveals a new study released here Tuesday.

The study, a situational analysis by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), shows that 33 percent of the street children face harassment from police, while 23 percent are sexually abused.

A staggering 31 percent children face abuse from employers, eight percent are used for trafficking drugs, while another five percent are convicted for theft or other crimes, it said.

The study also points out that substance abuse is high among the street children with 35 percent falling prey to inhalant solutions. Nearly 21 per cent smoke tobacco, 16 per cent chew tobacco, while 12 per cent are addicted to alcohol.

Most of the street children in Delhi belong to migrant families from Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who released the report, urged the industry to come forward and adopt such children.

"I appeal to the industry to set up a trust to adopt such children," he said.

According to United Nations figures, India has the highest number of street children in the world. Though exact numbers are not available, estimates say 20 million children live and work on the streets of urban centres across the country.

The Assocham study however, seems to have not taken note of the yeoman's work beng done by slefless activists of Rashtriya Seva Bharati and Seva Bharti, Delhi who run a successful Street Children Project in shanties situated across the Yamuna bridge in the national capital.

The surveyers would have done immense service to these street children by mentioning the details of these service projects run b Seva Bharti in Delhi.