The term ‘street children’ is commonly understood to refer to children who live on the streets without parental or adult care and supervision. Some of these children end up on the streets after running away from home due to a breakdown of family relations, for reasons including mental health issues, addiction, and abuse.
Other children live alone on the streets because they are orphans, have been abandoned, or are driven by extreme poverty to travel to cities like Kolkata to find work in order to survive.
However, the experience of each child that The Hope Foundation (HOPE) works with is unique and the overall situation relating to the life of a street child complex and dynamic. This is why organisations like the Consortium for Street Children, a global network which HOPE is part of, has adopted the term ‘street-connected children’. This term refers to young people who live or depend on the streets and other public spaces – including markets, parks, and stations – for their survival.
Street-connected children are not necessarily alone; many live with their families on the streets, in public spaces or in temporary homes constructed on unregistered land or in ‘slum’ areas. However, their identities and daily activities are closely linked to the streets. They may work or play on the streets and return to their families at night, they may accompany other children and family members on the streets or have other support networks based on the streets. They are some of the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and impoverished children in our world.
It has previously been estimated that the number of street-connected children in Kolkata ranges from 250,000 to hundreds of thousands*. The estimates vary greatly between organisations because street-connected children form part of city’s hidden population.
Getting an accurate count can be very difficult for several reasons. Street-connected children can be transient, moving from place to place, they may hide from the authorities for fear of reprimand, or some may they be less visible in public spaces – particularly girls or children with disabilities.
Due to extreme poverty, street-connected children face unimaginable hardships, are exposed to many forms of abuse and risks, and endure a daily fight for survival. The challenges they experience are difficult to overcome because of a lack of rights and access to basic services. For example, they cannot enjoy the basic comfort of somewhere safe to sleep, they lack access to hygiene facilities and do not have adequate and regular nutrition.
Because many street-connected children are not registered at birth and therefore have no identity documents, or may no longer have them due to their transient way of life, they cannot access education or healthcare services. Children as young as five are forced to find work to buy food or contribute to their family’s income, and older children might be required to look after younger siblings while parents go to work, meaning there is no opportunity for them to go to school. They often take on hazardous jobs, such as searching through bins for recyclable items, or have to resort to petty crime to earn money, falling under the control of adults or local authorities who may exploit them.
Mental health issues and substance abuse is common, as children try to find ways to cope with their difficult and vulnerable circumstances. And, without the care of trusted adults, many find themselves at very high risk of abuse and trafficking.
Like all children, street-connected children are entitled to the rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child**.
HOPE collaborates with the authorities in West Bengal, partner organisations, and the local community, to advocate for change. Our programmes in key areas of education, healthcare, protection, vocational training, and emergency response, invest in human potential and offer holistic and constructive solutions to deal with some of the challenges faced by street-connected children. Most importantly, while delivering these programmes, HOPE ensures that every street connected child in our care is provided for in a child-centred way, with unconditional love and support.
Recognising that each child is an individual with their own voice and needs, our staff in Kolkata take a personalised and holistic approach to supporting children, to empower them with the opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
Read our Stories of HOPE to learn more about some the children that we have supported.