Have you ever thought why children are begging on streets or railway stations? Talk to any five street children and find out the causes of their begging on the street.
Answers
Abuse
Child Labour
Gender Discrimination
Health
Homelessness
Poverty
Abuse:
Many of the street children who have run away from home have done so because they were beaten or sexually abused. Tragically, their homelessness can lead to further abuse through exploitative child labour and prostitution.
Not only does abuse rob runaway children of their material security, but it also leaves them emotionally scarred. Many of the abused children I-India encounters are traumatised and some refuse to speak for months. To aggravate matters, children often feel guilty and blame themselves for their mistreatment. Such damage can take years to recover from in even the most loving of environments; on the streets it may never heal.
A large proportion of the boys and girls in I-India’s homes have suffered abuse. In addition to fulfilling their material needs, we seek to provide a warm and caring atmosphere. Our vocational centres, too, are safe, fun places where children gain confidence and self-esteem. We run a help line for children in need, and, unusual amongst Indian NGOs, we employ male and female full-time counsellors to support our children’s emotional development.
Child Labour:
Most Indian street children work. In Jaipur, a common job is rag-picking, in which boys and girls as young as 6 years old sift through garbage in order to collect recyclable material. The children usually rise before dawn and carry their heavy load in a large bag over their shoulder. Rag-pickers can be seen alongside pigs and dogs searching through trash heaps on their hands and knees.
Other common jobs are the collecting of firewood, tending to animals, street vending, dyeing, begging, prostitution and domestic labour.
Children that work are not only subject to the strains and hazards of their labour, but are also denied the education or training that could enable them to escape the poverty trap.
I-India provides non-formal street schools to ensure that working children get at least a basic education. We nurture community support for our schools and seek to mainstream suitable children into the government education system. We also provide popular and practical vocational training where older children can learn skills while also earning some money.
Gender Discrimination:
In Indian Society females are often discriminated against. Their health, education, prosperity and freedom are all impacted. The problem is worse in conservative Rajasthan than almost anywhere else in India.
For example, because girls carry the liability of dowry and leave the family home after marriage, parents may prefer to have male offspring. Many babies are aborted, abandoned or deliberately neglected and underfed simply because they are girls. This can be seen in the fact that female mortality rates amongst 0-4 year olds in India are 107% of male mortality rates, whereas the comparable number in Western Europe is 74%. The rate is 119% in Rajasthan. Further evidence of the imbalance is that the female/male ratio within the general population of India is unnaturally low at 927/1000, and even lower in Rajasthan at 909/1000.
Gender discrimination is particularly evident in education where boys are more likely to attend school and to do so for more years. The traditional place of the woman is in the home and so many parents and children consider education for girls to be a waste of time, especially when the child can instead be working or performing domestic chores. Only 38% of Indian women are literate and, at 64%, the gender parity between literacy rates amongst Indian women and men is one of the most unequal in the world.
Child Marriage is another way in which girls are disadvantaged. In addition to limiting educational possibilities and stunting personal development, early marriage carries health risks. A girl under 15 is five times more likely to die during pregnancy than a women in her twenties; her child is also more likely to die.
I-India emphasizes care and opportunity for girls. There are more girls than boys in our street schools, vocational centres and homes. We also employ many women and do so at all levels up to the founder, Abha Goswami, herself.
Health:
Reasons why street children beg.
There are many reasons why children find themselves on the streets and end up begging.
1. child abuse. Many children as a result of abuse from parents and foster parents or care takers, they usually decide to run away from the home. Some of the kids i talked to, 5 out 10 ran away from home because they couldn't stand the torture and abuse put on them by their care takers.
2. Peer pressure. Some of the children i talked also admitted that they ran away from home because their friends had also done the same. This prompted them to also go out and experience street life.
3. Kids on the street are too tough headed that they feel they cannot live and be commanded by someone. It is absurd but true that there is one young boy who admitted that he needed his freedom. He couldn't stand his father who used to give him rules all the time thus decided to run to the street and enjoy his freedom.
4. Some street kids also ended up there as a result of school drop out. When they realized they cannot continue with school, they decided to drop out and go out to fend for themselves.
5. Other street children admitted it was due to poverty. They realized they needed to go out and look for food.
I hope this helps. Thank you