Street children campaign for their rights in Kolkata

Kolkata, October 12 They have no place to stay and have made the streets their home. Armed with placards requesting the authorities concerned not to evict them, more than 80 street children below the age of 15 years marched down the crowded streets of north Kolkata on Friday with their parents by their side.

The rally was organised by a city-based NGO, Association for People Initiatives for Liberation (APIL). Children from Neemtala, Bagbazar, and Shovabazar participated in a rally, which started from Neemtala Ghat and ended at Shovabajar Metro Station.

The NGO members believe the rally is providing these kids with a platform to campaign for their rights.

Rajesh Jaiswal, Secretary of APIL, said those living on the streets are often targeted by anti-socials. Particularly vulnerable are the women and children. Therefore, they should be taught to “fight for their rights.”

For Gita Paswan, a Class I student, the march was to stop the police from destroying their shanties and separating them from their parents. Dinesh (13), a school dropout was there to make people aware of the plight of others like him. “Police come and evict us from our homes. The worst sufferers are those who go to schools as there is little time to study if one stays on the streets,” he said.

A survey conducted by the NGO reveals there are 65,000 homeless people in the city. Some live along the circular railway tracts of Neemtala. About 200 families live in the slums nearby and are evicted by GRP at an interval of 15 days.