THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Shangumugham beach erupted into a joyous celebration by kids on the evening of the last Vijayadasami day. As many were enjoying the freedom of staying away from the busy schedule of homework and study for the day, there was one boy of about ten years who was busy trying to sell the rose-coloured cotton candy carried on his shoulders. The seller was Muthu, hailing from a village in Tamil Nadu. He was not a school-going boy. He planned to return home the very next day his ‘sales target’ was met. Until then, he would stay “anywhere, under a roof.”Muthu at least would find a roof above his head. Still pitiable was the condition of many other kids who live on the streets. Says Fr Philip Parakatt, director of Childline in the city: “After staying on the streets for a month or so, the children would lose all values and considerations and their mind would gradually start measuring anything on the yardstick of pain and pleasure. Such kids would indulge in acts such as crime and theft to satisfy these needs. They would also be prone to exploitation of varied kinds, including sexual and physical abuse.” As explained by him, these children are thrown to the streets owing to many reasons. There are children who hail from poor families who purposefully migrate to the city from other states in search of jobs. Other street children who have run away from families would have faced problems of manifold kinds. For another section, bad experiences at schools are the root cause for seeking the ‘freedom’ of the streets.They would wander from place to place and would not stay anywhere much longer. “When caught following the surveillance of child rescuers, they would not initially admit to the real purpose behind their arrival and would cite false reasons. But on further questioning, they would open up,” he adds. But even after these kids are sent back home after lots of efforts, there have been cases when they were spotted again on streets after being rejected by the family. Such kids may be back to square one. Then on, they are free to indulge in any anti-social activity. “But now, seeing these children, many would inform Childline by dialling 1098, the toll-free helpline number for street children. Taking statistics from January to October this year, Childline has rescued 279 children from the streets,” Parakatt said.
Comments
0 comment