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.