Children - Terre des Hommes

57
The Condition of Children Living in
Hospet Slums
Hospet town has more than 70 slums, which spread largely
due to the mining activities. Sakhi, a local organisation
working with the mine workers and communities, undertook
a random survey in 14 slums and villages around Hospet to
get a glimpse into children not attending school. Table 2.01
gives some data regarding out-of-school children in Hospet.
Table 2.01: Details of out-of-school children in Hospet
school because of financial problems in the family, death of
one or both parents, seasonal migration or the need to earn
a daily wage for their survival. Most of the parents of these
children are either mine workers or coolies (loaders) in the
railway station where most of the iron ore loading takes place.
Majority of the children interviewed were from SC and ST
families. Some of the children of mine workers’ families were
found working as coolies in the railway station, as stone
pickers in the mines or in other odd jobs or as domestic
labour in the town. In four of the slums we visited in Hospet,
the situation was similar. Several children just stay at home or
work as domestic maids or are hired by vendors, shop keepers
Sl. Village name Male Female Total Nature of work
1 88 Muddapura 13 23 36 Mine labour, working in small hotels, building
construction labour, staying at home
2 Danapura 26 4 30 Ore loading, domestic labour, agriculture labour
3 Joga 12 16 28 Ore loading, domestic labour, agriculture labour
4 Hanumanahalli 19 14 33 Agriculture labour, child marriage, mine labour
5 Sankalapura 12 14 33 Mine labour, agriculture labour
6 Danayakanakere 7 19 26 Not working
7 Kariganuru 17 20 37 Loading, driver, cleaner, staying at home, domestic labour
8 PK halli 13 7 20 Staying at home, mine labour, domestic labour
9 MM halli 23 24 47 Agriculture, mine labour, building contruction, staying at
home, shepherd,mentally challenged
10 SR Nagar 9 13 22 Selling pots, working in hotels, child marriage
11 AS Gudi 6 7 13 Staying at home, agricultural labour, mine labour
12 Riyaz Nagar 18 9 27 Factory labour, domestic labour, auto drivers
13 BTR Nagar 12 6 18 Building construction, mentally challenged, staying at
home, auto drivers
14 Chittavadgi 9 8 17 Helpers in roadside shops, domestic labour
Total 196 184 367
Source: Survey undertaken by local organisation Sakhi, Hospet, October 2009
This survey is just a small sample of the larger picture of
the children living in the slums of Hospet. The survey
was conducted in these slums and surrounding villages to
understand the background of the children who have dropped
out of school and reasons for this drop-out. Almost all the
children surveyed are from mine workers’ families, either
one or both parents working in the mines or having worked
in the past. The children stated that they do not attend
or hotels. Out of 25 children interviewed in one slum, eight
children said they live with their family in a rented house, two
families live in tents (kaccha house), and other children live
with their family in their own house. The common illnesses
we found in these children are fevers, cold, body pain, malaria,
diarrhoea and respiratory problems. Constant illness due to
the hazardous work and expenditure on medicines and private
hospitals were stated to be a major reason for indebtedness.