CHENNAI: Only a little over half of the urban homeless children in the city corporation limits have access to service offered by Anganwadis, according to an assessment conducted by the Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC).
Only 54% of the children surveyed used the services of Anganwadis including supplementary nutrition for children in the 6 months to 1 year age group, supplementary nutrition plus one boiled egg per week for children in 1-2 age group, supplementary nutrition plus nutritious meal for children in 2 to 5 years and post-natal supplementary food for mothers.
The reason, according to the report, is that mothers often are not aware of the location of the Anganwadi centres, nor did the workers visit their areas of habitation. Adding salt to their wounds, mothers reported cases of discrimination in the Anganwadis, which they cited as one of the reasons for their hesitation to visit the centres.
The assessment was carried out among 206 homeless children in the 0-5 age group in 11 locations such as Broadway, Royapuram, Mannadi, near Central and Egmore railway stations, Ekkatuthangal, Guindy and Velachery. Out of the children surveyed, 90 per cent were identified as belonging to the Scheduled Castes and 7 per cent as Scheduled Tribes.
Highlighting the vulnerability of this section of the population, the report has said, “Two mothers have complained that their children were abducted. One of the children has been found while the whereabouts of the other child continue to remain unknown.”
It has also stated that children often resort to open defecation as the families are forced to pay `5 to `10 for using public toilets. The children also don’t bathe regularly since public bathrooms charge them `15 for bathing.
However, the study has found that a high percentage of children (97%) have availed vaccinations, of which 84 per cent of kids have been vaccinated in government hospitals.