Street Children in India

Hi I would like to have the definition of the Street Children in India as well as some of the statistics for the same?

[Shaleen]

The issue of street youngsters is thought to be a urban issue. Kids can be found in railroad stations, close sanctuaries and durgahs, in business sectors, under extensions, close transport warehouses and stops, and so forth. Consequently the meaning of road is not in the exacting sense, but rather alludes to those kids without a steady home or asylum. There are three noteworthy classes of road kids:

Youngsters who live in the city with their families and frequently take a shot at the road. There might be kids from moved families, or incidentally moved and are prone to retreat to their homes.

Youngsters who live in the city without anyone else or in gatherings and have remote get to or contact with their families in the towns. A few youngsters go to the urban areas for the day or timeframes to work and after that arrival to their towns.

Youngsters who have no binds to their families, for example, vagrants, exiles and runaways.

INDIA, STATISTICS

Population

India
1,065 million

Children <18 years 420 million
Children <5 years 118 million

Living on <$1/day 360 million
of whom, children 140 million
Orphans 35 million
HIV/AIDS infected 5.2 million
Rajasthan 56 million
Jaipur 3 million

Some Indicators and International Comparisons:

India
31% of infants are born with low birth-weight

World
14% in Sub-Saharan Africa
15% in Middle-East & North Africa
7% in East Asia
9% in Latin America

India
7% of infants die before their 1st birthday

World
10% in Sub-Saharan Africa
4% in Middle-East & North Africa
3% in East Asia
3% in Latin America

India
46% of children under 5 are malnourished

World
28% in Sub-Saharan Africa
14% in Middle-East & North Africa
16% in East Asia
7% in Latin America
31% of children have adequate sanitation facilities 36% in Sub-Saharan Africa
72% in Middle-East & North Africa
50% in East Asia
75% in Latin America

India
61% of children reach grade 5 at school

World
66% in Sub-Saharan Africa
91% in Middle-East & North Africa
93% in East Asia
83% in Latin America

India
58% adult literacy rate

World
60% in Sub-Saharan Africa
67% in Middle-East & North Africa
90% in East Asia
90% in Latin America

India
64% gender parity rate (literate women as % of literate men)

World
76% in Sub-Saharan Africa
74% in Middle-East & North Africa
91% in East Asia
98% in Latin America

India
46% of children enter into child marriage (1986-2004)

World
40% in Sub-Saharan Africa
n/a in Middle-East & North Africa
20% in East Asia
25% in Latin America

The above Statistics: Unicef, 2005