Street Children in India

The Republic of India is the seventh in area and second largest population in the world. With increasing economic growth, India has become one of the fastest growing developing countries .. This has created a gap between rich and poor. 22 per cent of the population lives below the income poverty line. Due to unemployment, there was an increase of rural-urban migration, attraction of urban life and lack of political will at present has led India to one of the greatest number of working children in the world.

Street children are exposed to malnutrition, hunger, health problems, drug addiction, theft, harassment by city police and railway authorities, as well as physical and sexual violence. Although the Government of India has taken several measures to remedy the situation and declared child labor is illegal.