Issues plaguing street children of Guwahati

Prof. (Dr.) Dharmakanta Kumbhakar

(drkdharmakanta1@gmail.com) 

There are thousands of homeless children, commonly referred to as ‘street children’, in Guwahati. There is currently no official figure for the number of street children in Guwahati, as it is difficult to obtain accurate data about them due to their floating nature. These children are mostly from poor families who have migrated from the rural areas of Assam and other neighbouring states. Some of them came with their families and some alone in search of livelihoods. In course of time, due to various reasons, these children adopted a life on the streets in Guwahati. Once on the streets, they hardly remained in contact with their parents, as the streets became their homes. Some of these children had run away from their homes for various reasons. Some leave their homes drawn by the glamour of the city of Guwahati.

A majority of the street children in Guwahati are in the age group of 8-17 years. Most of them are boys with little or no education. They live in unsafe places such as streets, footpaths, railway platforms, bus depots and stops, markets, parks, near temples and dargahs, under flyovers and bridges, etc. Some live in temporarily constructed huts in slums. They form groups, which become a sort of family for them. They also move in groups for security reasons. Usually the oldest child of the group becomes the decision maker. Almost 50% of them are self-employed as rag-pickers, hawkers and shoeshine boys, while others work in shops and establishments. Younger street children and girls are largely engaged in rag picking or in begging, and the older ones are selling wares or working in shops. Other jobs include cleaning cars, petty vending, selling small items such as balloons, pens, flowers, sweets, etc., and working at small hotels, construction sites and roadside stalls or repair shops. Their work hours range between 10 and 13 hours a day. The older street children are sometimes engaged in illegal activities like stealing, pickpocketing, drug peddling and prostitution, though this is a small proportion. The largest expense in a street child’s budget is food, which often costs 50-100 rupees per day. In order to cut down on food expenses, many children drink tea to kill hunger. Money earned by them that is not spent on food is usually quickly spent on other things, because older children and police frequently steal their money. This lack of ability to save causes severe financial insecurity. Many spend money on entertainment, though older children also use their money to buy cigarettes, chewing tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

They have little hope for the future and do not believe their condition will improve. They are very mobile and reluctant to discuss their past and present. They work and live alone without adequate food, shelter, education, affection and social security. This leaves them extremely vulnerable, with many of their physical, mental and social needs remaining unfulfilled. They are on their own and do not have any parental supervision or care, though some do live with other homeless adults. They are largely ignorant of their rights, leaving them especially susceptible to exploitation both as juveniles and later as adults. They are most vulnerable, as they are easy victims of abuse and inhuman treatment. They are frequently exposed to all forms of abuse, harassment and extortion by older street children, employers, municipal authorities, police and other people. At times police beat them up for money. Older children and children with higher incomes are abused more than younger children and children with lower incomes. Most of the street girls are molested and raped; they become pregnant teenagers.

The right to play of these children is almost non-existent. As they don’t have access to recreational facilities, they often venture into activities available to them on the street, such as drug abuse, gambling, drinking, etc. The majority of them have been found to choose maladaptive strategies such as drinking alcohol, using drugs and visiting prostitutes as a positive coping mechanism to deal with the stress of their lives and their adverse circumstances and to survive on the streets. Substance abuse is an important concern affecting around 82% of the street children (mostly adolescent boys) in Guwahati. The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles makes these children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. The majority of the substance users are in the habit of sniffing Dendrite regularly. The other most commonly used psychoactive substances are alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, whiteners, opiates and hallucinogens. Some of them use intravenous drugs also. Most of them use more than one type of substance. NGOs and the government should come forward to curb this problem and save thousands of vulnerable lives.

These children are exposed to big health hazards due to unhygienic conditions of living. Having no shelter, they are constantly exposed to heat, cold and rain. They face additional vulnerability because of their lack of access to nutritious food, sanitation and medical care. They lack access to nutritious food because many are dependent on leftovers from small restaurants or hotels, food stalls, or garbage bins. Lack of sanitation facilities like bathing, toilets and safe drinking water also contributes to their poor health. Open-air bathing of such children is in fact a very common sight in Guwahati. They have to put their naked bodies on display before, during and after bathing. As a result, they develop hardly any sense of modesty. Most of them use the roadside or railway line for their toilet. They use water from municipality pipes and water taps. They also lack access to medical care. They have much higher instances of HIV infection due to lack of awareness and supervision on the streets.

The problems of the street children in Guwahati are the least documented. As a subgroup of the Guwahatian population, they deserve specific attention from the authorities concerned. Their vulnerability requires specific legislation and attention from the government to improve their condition. The main responsibility of assistance to the street children in Guwahati should be given to NGOs, as they are better able to meet the needs of these children in varied circumstances. They should be backed financially by the government. Censuses of the street children in Guwahati should be taken in order to help the NGOs provide them help.