Two in every classroom: The forgotten children who must be counted

Anil Pandey

(Anil Pandey is a senior journalist and Director of India for Children)

India’s census counts the number of households with electricity, the source of our drinking water, the  type of toilets we use, and even the fuel we cook with. It can tell us how many televisions we own and how many cattle we rear. These are the numbers that help the government decide what needs to be done, escalated, focused on, worried about, and prioritised. This crucial data forms the base of policies, reforms, and the country’s future.

But between what we have and what must be done, the census so far cannot tell us how many orphaned children live in this country. In the absence of a single question about whether a child’s parents are alive, millions remain statistically invisible. And in policymaking, what is invisible is almost always neglected.

That’s why the Supreme Court of India’s recent ruling urging the Union government to count orphaned children in the 2027 census by creating a separate category for them is a crucial step forward. UN data once estimated almost 25 million orphaned children in India. But this figure, last updated in 2007, is painfully out of date. Since COVID-19, many more children have been left without parents. Some have been taken in by extended families, but the story from there varies: a few continue school, while thousands from marginalised homes and without the safety net of parents are pushed into child labour, trafficking, early marriage, and abuse.

Even if we ignore the two-decade gap in official estimates and use that old UN figure, the numbers are chilling. Picture this:Census 2011 states that India is home to 470 million children, which is more than any other country on Earth. That makes us a global force for the future. Yet among these 470 million, 25 million have no parents to guide them, protect them, or tuck them into bed. That’s one in every 19 children. Picture a classroom of around 40 students, and imagine two of them alone in the world. Worse still, imagine them being pulled from that classroom and into fields, factories, brothels, orchestras, massage parlours or child marriages simply because no one claimed responsibility for them.

Some say numbers are heartless, reducing human pain to mechanical figures. But often, numbers are the only way to shine light on the scale of a crisis and the only way to force action against a crime that remains crouched under the safe social fabric and tradition. 

According to the National Family Health Survey V (2019–2021), 23.3% of women admitted they were married before turning 18. That’s almost one in every four girls, and chances are many of these girls were the ones without parents to defend them or take care of them. 

The National Crime Records Bureau reveals that in 2021, 18 children were victims of some kind of crime every hour. This means one child every 3 minutes is being wronged. And it is needless to say that the official numbers cannot be accurate. So many children are being exploited with no reporting anywhere, and many of these children are the ones with no parents or safety net to protect them. 

Often traffickers scout for such vulnerable children who can be easily groomed and lured with dreams of a decent life, love and resources. These orphan children, having lived in utmost poverty and scarcity, are the easiest to fall prey to crimes such as trafficking, abuse, marriage and labour.

Just Rights for Children, India’s largest network of more than 250 NGOs working for child protection and child rights in 418 districts, has time and again rescued children who had no one to call their own. From Abhilasha (name changed) in Jharkhand, who had to cut her hair to avoid marriage after her parents’ death, to Raman (name changed) in Lucknow, who was abused by the guardians who took him in after his parents’ demise, all these children, when rescued by the network, had similar tales of horror and helplessness as they became orphans.

The Supreme Court of India’s decision to include orphan children in Census 2027 is a landmark step toward closing a glaring gap in our national data. The Apex Court has also directed all states to survey and collect details of orphaned children who were denied their fundamental right to education under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

As of December 2024, government figures show that more than 11.70 lakh children in India are out of school. Each of these children faces a clear and immediate risk of being trafficked, pushed into labour, or forced into marriage. For an orphan, that risk multiplies, turning vulnerability into a ticking time bomb.

While the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act), provides a framework for the care and protection of orphaned children and empowers Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) to ensure their rehabilitation and education, this can happen only when someone reports such children to the board. There are protection officers at the district level who conduct vulnerability mapping of children in need of protection and care as well as children at risk, but there are far too many children who are at risk of falling between the cracks. 

The Census would ensure that there are exact numbers of orphan children who need our vigilance and constant support. The census would ensure that all these children are identified and part of the government system without waiting for anyone to report them to the authorities. The Census would ensure that the state becomes every orphan child’s parent in the truest sense of the word. 

Moreover, including orphan children in Census 2027 will arm the government with the information it needs to act decisively and ensure that every child is not just counted but cared for, educated, and empowered. With the world’s largest child population, India stands at a historic crossroads. Fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas must begin with our children because only when the most vulnerable are lifted can the nation rise as one. This is not just policy. This is a moral commitment to the future of India.