DRUG ABUSE PHENOMENON AMONG STREET CHILDREN'S IN INDIA: A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ASANSOL CITY OF WEST BENGAL
ABSTRACT
India is the second most populated country in the world, and it has also the largest number of street children worldwide. UNICEF in its 1994 study published that there are more than 11 million children worldwide. In our daily life every one of us witnesses the children who are living in a street condition, outside bus stand , railway station, under the bridge, near traffic signals, etc. These children are regularly facing hunger, suffering from malnutrition , subject to substance abuse and addiction. These children have not experienced what is home or a shelter ?, health care facility, vaccinations are not available and on the top education is a daydream for them. We call ourselves a civilised society , then does our constitution permit the various stake holders to overlook the problems of the street children’s ?. In India drug abuse among street children is a critical issue , posing a significant challenge towards public health and social welfare system . This research work is an attempt to explore the prevalence and patterns of drug abuse and discuss the provisions of the existing legislations .
