[source: Times of India, January 14, 2010]
In damning statistics, a government study has found that a vast majority of street children face sexual abuse in India, which is home to the world's largest number of destitute children.
According to a study conducted by the ministry of women and child development, the overall incidence of physical abuse among street children was 66.8 per cent. The majority of the street children facing physical abuse are in the age group of 5-12 years.
Around 55 per cent of the street children reported having undergone sexual abuse, it said.
The study covered 13 states -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with a sample size of 12,447 children.
These included children in family environment, those attending schools, those in institutional care and street children. Out of these, 2,317 children (18.6 per cent) were street children.
Estimates by international agencies put the number of street children in India at 18 million, which is the largest in the world.
The women and child development ministry has recently introduced a centrally-sponsored scheme, namely Integrated Child Protection Scheme, for such children.
It is also implementing another scheme called 'An Integrated Programme for Street Children' for the welfare and rehabilitation of street children.
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COMMENT by Meindert to the above article:
Though not new, again these figures are alarming. It would be great if our APSA-SHIP extensive Sexual Health Intervention Programme for Indian Street Children could 'link' with these government schemes. There is such a need!
Not sure HOW this might be possible though, given the limitations on sex education in most states... If anyone has ANY IDEAS...?? Please let me know (you can contact me by clicking the contact link on this webpage (below)).
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