The Delhi government's Women and Child Development (WCD) department has initiated the process of framing comprehensive guidelines for the care, protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration of street children in the capital. A dedicated committee has been constituted to prepare this framework.
Committee Composition and Objectives
The committee, chaired by a senior member of the Child Protection and Development Unit (CPDU), includes officials from child welfare homes, district child protection units, and welfare departments. Field experts working closely with vulnerable children are also part of the panel. A senior committee member stated that the priority is to engage with designated stakeholders and formulate an impact-driven roadmap.
Review of Existing Systems
The panel has been tasked with examining the current system for street children and those engaged in begging, identifying gaps in care and rehabilitation, and suggesting a more coordinated response. Institutional mechanisms such as open shelters, children's homes, outreach services, and convergence efforts under Mission Vatsalya will be reviewed to assess their efficacy.
Scope of Guidelines
The guidelines are expected to cover the entire chain of intervention, from prevention and identification to rescue, rehabilitation, and long-term reintegration. Strategies will include early identification of vulnerable children, mapping hotspots, and strengthening rescue operations. Immediate support systems such as shelter, healthcare, and counselling will be emphasized. The rehabilitation framework will focus on long-term measures including education, vocational training, family restoration, and follow-up mechanisms to prevent children from returning to street situations.
Study of Best Practices
The committee will study models adopted in other states and countries to identify practices that can be adapted for Delhi. Recommendations will also be made to strengthen coordination among government departments, NGOs, and civil society organizations, along with monitoring systems based on measurable outcomes.
Timeline and Consultations
The committee has been given 15 days to submit draft guidelines to the WCD secretary. Based on the findings, consultations with stakeholders, including government agencies and civil society groups, will be conducted before finalizing the framework.
Expert Insights
Sanjay Gupta, director of Chetna NGO and a subject expert on the committee, highlighted the scale of the problem. He noted that an estimated 1.5 to 3 lakh children live on Delhi's streets, with nearly 700 slum clusters housing over a million people, yet no official census exists to guide policy. Many children are migrants lacking local documentation, Aadhaar, or birth certificates, excluding them from education, healthcare, and welfare schemes. They are often pushed into informal labor at low wages, vulnerable to exploitation, and substance abuse becomes a coping mechanism.
Gupta emphasized that children on the streets face constant risks of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, with limited protection systems. Healthcare access, especially emergency care, is inadequate, and shelter homes cannot handle the scale or complexity. Rehabilitation is difficult for families living on the streets due to poverty, migration, and livelihood pressures. Adolescent girls often become invisible after puberty due to safety concerns, increasing exploitation risks. Frequent evictions, displacement, weak outreach, and poor awareness about welfare schemes disrupt access to services, while education remains inconsistent due to migration and earning pressures.
"Equally alarming is the severe psychosocial distress among these children, with little access to counselling or mental health support. The issue needs a coordinated system for identification, protection, rehabilitation, and long-term reintegration," Gupta said.
Government's Commitment
WCD secretary Rashmi Singh stated that the initiative aims to bring all stakeholders together and develop a realistic roadmap. Issues like Aadhaar-related challenges and other concerns will be addressed in the guidelines.
