International Day for Street Children: Vulnerabilities catch up as government schemes, basic facilities evade street kids

V Dinesh, a seven-year-old child has been living on Airforce Road in East Tambaram with his family since he was born. A native of Tiruvannamalai, Dinesh does not even have a thatched roof for a house as his father and mother work as a conservancy staff with a private company for the Greater Chennai Corporation. Though Dinesh goes to a government school nearby, he studies under the street lights in the locality as he does not have a home. Studying in Class 4, Dinesh wants to complete his higher education and become a teacher.

The lack of access to healthcare facilities is another woe of these street children as the private hospitals remain out of their affordability. They lack proper documents to claim free treatment at government hospitals.

Nine-year-old Vijay lives on the streets in Mannady along with his elder brother and has gone to school in his native Karaikudi till Class 3. “I came to the city with my brother two years ago and he has a food stall at Marina Beach. I accompany my brother to the shop and come back to the street. Last year, I came down with a fever and could not go to a hospital because we didn’t have money. I had to go to my relative’s home in Karaikudi when I became very sick,” said Vijay.

While anganwadis provide healthcare and nutrition services to these kids, many of them children have not been to anganwadis ever. A survey by the Information and Resource Centre for Deprived Urban Communities last year revealed that 46 per cent of the street children in the city aged between six months and one year did not have access to supplementary nutrition or healthcare facilities.

Though there are a few night shelters in the city, these children do not like to stay there as they cannot live with family. Five-year-old S Velu stays with his parents near Ekkatuthangal Metro Station and they prefer to sleep on the footpath near the metro station than night shelters. “My parents are labourers and I stayed at the night shelter with my mother for a few days when my father went to Vellore for work. I have never been to a school, but my father said that I can join this year,” said Velu.

The main issues these vulnerable kids face on the streets are- physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse and victimisation. Street children are at high risk of being trafficked, substance abuse and diseases.

“To receive the entitlements under government schemes, they to possess identity proofs which most of them do not have because they live on the streets. While we consider rehabilitating them, children who have families on the streets are hesitant to be separated from them even though they are given an option to meet the children every week. Parents are comfortable with where they are living and do not see the struggles and difficulties that the children are facing,” said Chris Kevin Emmanuel C, social worker and coordinator, advocacy, social and resource mobilisation at Rainbow Home Programnes.