How interesting would it be for the reader to go poetic and dream of a situation in which the whole earth is his bed , with the open sky in his arms and the cool breeze whistling past him as the rain drops descend from the heaven. If it is all by choice and there is a home to revert to once the nature’s bounties have been enjoyed, there would be many takers for such a situation. But if these very elements have to faced by compulsion of circumstances with no way of escape from them, once the excitement is over, it all turns into a curse. The open sky , the breeze and the rain drops are least aspired for by those who are deprived of a roof over their heads or the walls in the homes thatwould shelter them against the scorching heat and freezing
Such scenes evoke feelings ranging from pity and helplessness to contempt , detestation and anger depending on one’s sensitivities and perceptions. Whatever may be the activities pursued by the street children they have one thing in common-lacks of parental care, love, protection and supervision, and separation from the general stream of education and mental development which is their legitimate right at that age. Ideally every child should be enjoying the cosy comfort, affection, care and protected environment of the family and if he and she is in the school going age , should be attending educational institutions in general or vocational streams. Deviations from this ideal often occur in practice for various reasons such as lack of family , and if there is family , physical and emotional stresses in the family, conditions of poverty preventing pursuit of education , socio-cultural factors hindering the educational process , for example, in case of a girl
The vast majority are on the streets to make a living for their families and themselves.the return may be paltry , and may be in kind rather in cash. For these children , the street is above all a workplace. But they spend large amounts of time on the street frequently because of low returns on their labour. Secondly, most make their way in the informal sector as petty hawkers, shoe-shine boys, scavengers of raw material or even thieves and street prostitutes. And due to the nature of their work they are largely unprotected by adults.they are vulnerable to many dangers and abuses , and they tend to receive few servicesessential to their protection and development.” Based on the relationship of the child with its family , the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF distinguishes between three categoriesof street children. These are :
a. Children on the street: this category comprises of children working on the street but maintaining mpre or less regular ties with their families. Their focus is home to which they return at the end of the working day and have a sense of belonging to the local community. This category constitutes by far the largest component of the street