The issue of street children is considered to be a modern urban problem. These children are found mostly in railway platforms, temples, footpath, markets, Public Park, bus stations. They are considered to be homeless or without a stable shelter for themselves. As nothing much has been seriously done to protect and cover these children under any welfare programme, our organization had launched a project for welfare of the street children at Guwahati, Assam. The organization has its own Child Protection Policy and the youth wing of GOLD has been assigned with a major role in this coveted project for overall benefits of these homeless children. The project will cover approximately 5000 street children each year. As a sizable percentage of the population of the city lies below poverty line without stable means of subsistence has resulted in abandonment of children by their parents. Many of such children are also either offspring of the homeless persons or ran away from home. Most of such children are non-starter in school and have no knowledge about health and hygiene including sexually transmitted diseases. They are prone to sexual exploitation, abuse and are vulnerable to be infected with HIV. 90% of street children above 10 years are found to be addicted to some kind of psychotropic substances. So our project’s agenda is to prevent this type of drug abusing activities and enable these children for a better future. Our team members started this campaign in order to make them aware about their needs of immediate attention and prevention of HIV/AIDS among the homeless children.
Care and Protection of Street Children
The programme carried out are on nutrition, shelter, health, care of street children and conferring and protecting Child Rights and prevent abuse and sexual exploitation.
- Health clinics are organized in vulnerable areas where they can avail medical attention. Five such clinics are established and a medical officer attends each centre once a week.
- The organization is putting effort to have Drop-in-Center and open shelter for street children at Guwahati where the special activities will be targeted towards this category of children. There will be provision for training and non-formal education for future rehabilitation. Efforts will be made to achieve 100% immunizations for this underprivileged section of children. Recreational facilities will be provided in the drop-in centers. Reward will be given to the deserving children. Three such centers will be established at areas where the street children are concentrated
- Counseling will be provided to these children by trained counselors from GOLD. Through appropriate approach there will be behavioral changes assisting them in to emerge out as responsible citizens of the country.
- Drug de-addiction will be done through counseling and therapy at the drop-in center and health clinic.
- Regular awareness generation campaign will be conducted to create awareness on child rights among street children. Innovative methods like Music competition, Drama, Play, Quiz etc are organized depending upon the interest of such children.
- Networking will be done with both governmental and non-Governmental organizations, opinion leaders and other stakeholders.
- GOLD conducts door-to-door campaign covering 500 household in each year. The prime objective of such campaign is to generate community awareness about child labor. A large number of young children are engaged as domestic servants by the city dwellers and community will be apprising about the legal consequences of violation of Child Right.
- The youth wing of the organization had initiated an innovative measure for formal education of the street children in the vicinity of Guwahati railway station. The program was set forth with the cooperation from railway police. The timing of the school was set in convenience to the street children. Small gifts and chocolates were distributed to attract children to the platform of school. Positive support and enthusiasm was to be notice in young volunteers in the project. GOLD has decided to put few temporary toilets and bath rooms for these children. This will prove to be an innumerous help especially towards girl children.