Street Children in Nepal

The Street Children in Nepal

Street Children according to Inter-NGO of Switzerland “any girl or boy who has not reached adulthood, for whom the street (in the broadest sense of the word, including unoccupied dwellings, wasteland, etc.) has become her or his habitual abode and/or sources of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults”
Haphazard urbanization, political turmoil, increasing family breakup and natural disaster has led to a dramatic increase in the number of street children in the major cities of Nepal like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Butwal, Dharan, Narayanghat. The estimated population of street children in Nepal is 5,000 among which 500-600 is in Kathmandu (CWIN, 2002).
Children enter to the city centers as an escape from the deteriorating village life. They flee from home due to various reasons; poverty, illiteracy, brutality and discrimination at home, domestic abuse, fighting parents, along with the perceived attraction of the city life.
In the rural areas the caste system still has its strong existence, which stigmatizes, marginalizes and neglects the lower caste groups. In some cases they are exiled from the village. Being poor and with no place to go, they end up in the street.
Poverty is a main reason for increasing number of street children. Large family sizes of poor family contribute in increasing number of street children. With very few land holding they are compelled to send their children to work in the city. Most of these children end up in the street. Nepal Living Standard Survey (2004) has shown that about 5% of the total children (less than 15 years old) are absent or away from household. Of these “away” children, 36% were away for study purpose and 19% were for work-related purpose. 45% of absentee children from the poorest quintile left home for work.
Polygamy takes place when the first wife can not give birth to a son, when the wife do not bring as much dowry as desired, when the wife is not the desired one. The first wife and her children are often discriminated, abused and neglected. Children run away from home when they are abused by family members (physically as well as mentally).
Children from the poor family in urban area are more attracted to the street life. They perceive street life as more adventurous and with more freedom. The street children can earn money from various sources (stealing, garbage picking, burglary), which they can spend however and for whatever they want; going to cinema, hangout with friends having good foods and liquors or even having drugs. So children of the poor urban family perceive that the life of street is better than their own.
When the children end up in the street due to various reasons, the only challenge for them is to survive. They have to be independent. The detachment with the society begins with the very day they come to street. Drug abuse among the street children is high. Sniffing dendrite, marijuana, brown sugar and even worse drugs are abused by street children. With the drug abuse their involvement in the criminal activities had increased.
The future of street children in dark if the problem is not addressed in time. It won’t only harm the street children but also the society. Although they are neglected part of society but they are also part of our society. Therefore, we need to help in any way possible to improve their condition.

Reference:
A Study on Street Children in Zimbabwe. (2011). Retrieved from http://cfsc.trunky.net/_uploads/Publications/1.A_Study_on_Street_Children_in_Zimbabwe.pdf
Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre. (n.d.). www.cwin.org.np. Retrieved 2011, from http://www.cwin.org.np/index.php?option=com_jdownloads&Itemid=15&task=viewcategory&catid=4&lang=en
Nepal Living Standard Survey. (2004, December 11). Retrieved 2011, from http://www.cbs.gov.np/Surveys/NLSSII/NLSS%20II%20Report%20Vol%201.pdf