Street children are very unfortunate and forgotten, sometimes orphaned children, many of whom have taken a very big decision for a small mind, and have run away from home. A large percentage have even perhaps been forcibly thrown out by uncaring or poverty stricken family members. The reasons are mostly conflicts with parents or step-parents, broken homes, ill treatment by family members, or there are the rural children who have simply become attracted to big city life through the mass media, mainly films. Having run away or finding themselves on the street, they are forced to live on the pavements, under bridges or in make-shift shelters, eat from dustbins or obtain food by begging or stealing. Some are rag-pickers, others sometimes help out in small tea shops, shine shoes or do myriad odd jobs.
None attend school.
Very few have good health. Many, specially the very young, die an anonymous and agonising death. The number of street children in India, and the world, has increased dramatically over the past few years due to deteriorating living conditions in both rural and urban areas, and the migration of the village family or members into the city in search of work to pay back loans taken from village money-lenders. The children are the first and worst sufferers. They are left most of the day uncared for, and when the parents get weak, sick, or worse, die, the children are left alone.