STATUS OF JUVENILES IN SHELTER HOMES IN HARYANA: A SOCIO-LEGAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Children are the future of the nation and are thought to be its backbone. They must be able to exercise their rights and must not be neglected or victimised by the cruel and selfish society. Since children are a country's future human capital, creating an enabling environment for them should be on the top priority on everyone's agenda. In India, according to census data from 2011, 40% of the population are females. As a result, children's vulnerability is extremely high in the country. In India, however, the prevalence is increasing among groups such as abandoned and destitute children, missing and runaway children, the neglected and tortured ones, and the exploited children. These children's problems are a multi-faceted social problem and it is difficult to get an accurate as well as unambiguous picture of the current situation of children in the society. The main issue in today’s time is psycho-social problems, which result in mental illness, unhappiness, and other mental issues. Thus, children who are missing, abandoned, runaway, neglected, and street children are victims of so many crimes in our current society which also develops a negative behaviour in these children like mental illness and a pitiful existence. As a result, minors in shelter homes are a serious problem in Haryana. The public perception is that runaway, destitute, and abandoned juveniles engage in antisocial behaviour or are sexually abused.