Urban poor children suffer greater inequalities in India

(March 01, 2012) In India, like the rest of the world, cities were the "settings for some of the greatest disparities in children's health, education and opportunities," according to a United Nation’s report. There are nearly 97 million urban poor living in 50,000 slums in India, states the UN report -'The State of the World's Children 2012: Children in an Urban World'. Seventy per cent of the urban poor are concentrated in just five states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The flagship report, released in Delhi on Wednesday stated that by 2026, 40 per cent of India's population would live in towns and cities. It called for making cities “liveable and safe places” for millions of children. The report presents a grim picture of the reach of health services and social schemes to the urban poor who migrate to bigger cities in search of opportunities. Urban violence and crime, stunted growth, malnutrition, poor elementary education, poor hygiene and sanitation were just some of the implications of life in urban slums, it said. Children and adolescents in urban areas are likely to have greater access to alcohol and illegal drugs than their counterparts in rural areas, said Karen Hulshof, UNICEF’s Indian Representative. The report recommends ensuring urban planning and infrastructure development meets the needs of children in urban slums. It also called for promoting partnership between government and voluntary organisations, and identification and removal of barriers against inclusion of children.