Indian cities need to have a system of local governance that is committed to fulfil children’s rights, according to the report The Forgotten Voices: The World of Urban Children in India compiled by PwC India and Save the Children.
The report does a reality check on the situation of urban children as varying patterns of migration to cities across India make them increasingly vulnerable to a variety of risks.
Urban children, especially those from disadvantaged sections, are susceptible to ill-health, poor access to water and sanitation, insufficient education, urban disasters and lack of protection.
The focus of the major urban development schemes need to be on smaller urban centres where 68 per cent of the urban population is concentrated, says the report.
Every fourth child in India (27.4 per cent of total children) lives in urban areas. Also, in comparison to 2001, the number of children (0-6) in urban areas has increased by 10.3 per cent while in rural areas it has decreased by 7 per cent. This makes urban children and youth a very important segment, deserving focused attention.
According to the report, India’s demographic dividend can only be realised if our cities improve their performance in areas such as urban governance, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, child protection, and urban resilience. Of the 377 million urban Indians, 32 per cent are children below 18 years of age.
Read the whole report here .