Street Children’ in India
A New Framework for Research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14955101 |
|---|---|
| Authors | K P Jayaraj (0000-0002-2780-7280, Independent Researcher, New Delhi, India, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 149-158 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Indian Journal of Human Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0973-7030 • E-ISSN: 2456-480X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09737030251346753 |
| OpenAlex | W4411395632 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
The article is an attempt to review the available literature on the genesis of ‘street children’ in India. It synthesises the key research findings and examines the frameworks followed by empirical studies to understand the prevalence and origin of this cohort. This review, based on academic as well as grey literature generated by civil society organisations in the country, reveals that research studies and reports generally adhere to the popular definition proposed by UNICEF in the 1980s to define a ‘street child’, even in the contemporary era. Therefore, this approach disregards the diverse and distinct experiences of ‘street children’ and their agency in constructing their everyday lives. The article further explores how the quantitative methodology adopted by the studies limits the exploration of complex social realities, especially in unveiling the underlying structural factors of this phenomenon. Based on the review and analysis, the article argues for the necessity of conducting qualitative research studies by utilising the concept of children in street situations and adopting a framework of structural analysis that considers the interface of institutions as well as the interactions of human actors to provide context-specific explanations
Agency (philosophy · Civil society · Context (archaeology · Empirical research · Epistemology · Geography · Grey literature · Phenomenon · Political science · Politics · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Structure and agency · Children's Rights and Participation · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
Reconceptualising Agency and Childhood
Street Children in the Developing World
Street Children, hotel boys and children of pavement dwellers and construction workers in Bombay - how they meet their daily needs
The Social Construction of Street Children
Street children of Rio de Janeiro
Towards a working definition of street children
| Highly cited | No |
|---|