Over half the street children in India sexually abused’

The government today admitted that the number of children on Indian streets was rising and though there was no authentic data available, the country, as per a Unicef survey, was home to the world’s largest population of street children, estimated at over 18 million. According to one assumption 40 per cent of these children are in need of care and protection, which indicates the extent of the problem. While two out of every three children were physically abused, 53.22 per cent children have been reported to have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse, reveals Child Abuse: India 2007, a study by the ministry of women and child development.

According to a sample survey carried out in 13 states in 2007, however, revealed their number at 18.6 per cent with more than half of them having been sexually abused. While Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Delhi reported the highest percentage of sexual abuse among both boys and girls, 21.90 per cent child respondents reported facing severe forms of sexual abuse and 50.76 per cent other forms of sexual abuse. The report states that out of the child respondents, only 5.69 per cent reported being sexually assaulted. Children on the street, children at work and children in institutional care in Assam, AP, Bihar and Delhi reported the highest incidence of sexual assault. The numbers, however, are far from accurate as most street children do not report the incidents. The minister of state for women and child development Mrs Krishna Tirath admitted that the 18.6 per cent street children in 13 states Andhra Pradesh Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal 54.51 per cent were abused sexually.link