Street children are those who live on urban streets,
partake in various activities on these streets but are
not provided with rights due to children1
. They come
to streets habitually (either for an activity or not) and
sustain their lives mostly by themselves2
. UNICEF
identifies two groups of street children, namely,
‘children on the street’ who lack an adult parent or
guardian and do all the daily activities (including
earning, eating, toileting, and sleeping) on the street
and ‘children of the street’ who have some
connection with guardians or habitations and earn
their living on the street3
. The most vulnerable group
is ‘children on the street’4
. While the reasons for
these children to live on or of the street are
multifactorial, their lifestyles are entirely shaped by
the mixed communities of urban streets5
.
