Author(s): Dr. Ajanta Nayak

Abstract:
A sizable section of children are the worst victims of circumstances. They are street children, deprived children, abandoned children, refugees and children of the weaker section of society, those who need special care and attention. “The Operation Research Group in 1983 estimated that there are 44million working children in India, of which 11 million are street children. The problems of street children are a global one and exist in both the developed as well as the developing countries with a difference in its size and magnitude. The urban growth is an infinite process which keeps on growing, is a terrible strain on the economy as the population grows in both the urban as well as the rural areas. Consequently, the problem of street children in such a situation will be of an order unprecedented in social history of India (Sahaya 1995: 14).