Gujarat has second highest number of street children

AHMEDABAD: According to figures provided by the Union government, Gujarat has the second highest number of children who live on the streets.
Data provided by the Union ministry of women and child development shows that 1,990 children live on the streets in Gujarat, second only to Maharashtra, where 5,153 children live on the streets.
Those working in the field of child rights say the actual number of such children could be higher, although the number of children on the streets keeps fluctuating.
Quoting figures uploaded on the Baal Swaraj portal, the government, in reply to a question in the ongoing budget session of Parliament, said that as of March 24, 2022, the total number of street children in Gujarat stood at 1,990. Of these, 1,086 children lived with their families on the streets, 895 lived on the streets during the day but returned to their homes in slums or hutments at night. Nine children were such that they lived all alone in the streets without parents or relatives.
"The actual number of children who live on the streets could be higher than what has been provided. This number is however not constant, as the number of children who live on the streets is a transient thing," said Rajesh Bhat, convener of Child Rights Collective, Gujarat.
Bhat clarified that there is a difference between "children living on the streets" and "street children". "Those living on the streets go back to their homes during the night hours, while street children are those who live on the streets of one particular area. These are predominantly those who live without family members," Bhat said.
Quoting a study which his organization conducted in Ahmedabad city in 20026-2007, he said that it was observed that on average, five children arrive in the city on a daily basis, mainly by train.