Street Children Deserve Mental Health Support

Children who live on the streets face incredibly difficult situations. Without the presence of responsible and caring guardians, street and working children survive day by day. They also lack basic necessities such as food and shelter, as well as educational and healthcare rights.

In such a harsh environment, street children in India are exposed to a variety of dangers, and mental illness is unfortunately one of them. Underprivileged children struggle in many aspects of mental development — from harmful emotional patterns to stunted personality development etc. Following are some of the key reasons why mental health remains a challenge for street children:

Emotional Abuse
Children from marginalized families face many issues due to poverty. More often than not, many of these families engage in mental, physical, and/or emotional violence on a regular basis. Children from such families have either been subjected to abuse at home and decided to flee or have encountered abuse after moving to the streets; or, in some cases, they have experienced both. Growing up in such a stressful environment makes youngsters feel alone and depressed, many of whom run away from home, only to end up living in similar or more stressful surroundings on the streets. Children feel even more self-destructive when they live in a society that stigmatizes mistreatment.

Drug Abuse
Due to a lack of affection and attention, many children suffer from mental health disorders such as depression and aftereffects of mental health difficulties like anxiety, night terrors, hot flashes etc. What makes matters worse is when children turn to external substances to handle their emotional and mental turmoil. They try to handle the deteriorating state of affairs by consuming harsh drugs in order to avoid experiencing great pain but end up living in a detrimental and self-destructive state.

In a world where mental health is still brushed aside, the issue of mental health needs to be discussed more openly, especially in the case of street children. We must help provide much-needed support to help rehabilitate street children and ensure they have a more promising and fruitful future.

Salaam Baalak Trust, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation, supports street and working children in a variety of ways through its child-centric programmes. SBT ensures children have access to regular education, a safe shelter, healthcare facilities, hot and nutritious food, and mental health support. Donate for children and ensure they are rescued and well looked after. Support Salaam Baalak Trust’s initiatives now!