Delhi street children beg to fund porn addiction, say NGOs

At the 10-12 prominent children’s shelters in the city, 80% are drug addicts and 10% are addicted to porn, say authorities.

Twelve-year-old Raju (name changed) was among the 50 boys Delhi Police picked up from the streets and brought to a de-addiction centre at Delhi Gate to be counselled to lead a normal life. Unlike other boys who are addicted to drugs, Raju is addicted to porn. He is ready to beg or commit crime to watch a short clip, he said.

Children at a shelter in Nizamuddin, New Delhi. The Delhi Police pick up children found begging on the streets and take them to shelters run by NGOs. (Ravi Choudhary/HT Photo)

“My friend first got me into the habit. Initially, he used to show me a clip for Rs 10. As I got addicted, he raised the rate to Rs 20, and then to Rs 30 a clip. So I began to beg and pick pockets to fund my habit,” said the boy.

The Delhi Police often picks up children begging or thieving on the streets and takes them to shelters, mostly run by NGOs. At the 10-12 prominent children’s shelters in the city, 80% are drug addicts and 10% are addicted to porn, say authorities. In addition, children also stay in shelters for the homeless. So, it is hard to estimate the extent of porn addiction among all children from the streets, counsellors at de-addiction centres said.

Most of them are introduced to porn and drugs by their friends, who later abuse them for their gain, say counsellors. “It was one of my friends, who showed me how to do drugs. First, we used to only inhale drugs. Later, we graduated to injections. I had to take three doses a day. To sustain my habit, I used to snatch and steal at railway stations. Now, I am returning to normalcy. I don’t want to do drugs anymore,” said another child at the Delhi Gate shelter.

“There have been a few cases recently where children were addicted to porn. The kind of questions they ask can shock anyone. We believe that there is a gang that makes them addicted and then force them into begging. The children are ready to do anything to watch porn,” said Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) executive director, Rajesh Kumar. The group operates de-addiction centres.

“Life is not easy on the streets and children earn to watch porn and buy drugs. There is a need to create awareness among them. It is important to take them off street and educate them. Sex education is also necessary,” said NGO Plan India executive director, Bhagyashri Dengle. The NGO runs four children’s shelters in Delhi.

SPYM’s Rajesh Kumar said it is difficult to convince parents to send their addicted children to shelters because they are a source of income. “In most cases, the parents are drug addicts themselves, and they send their children to begging as a way of earning,” he said. A Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) survey said 80% children are forced into begging by their parents.