NCJ Number
100062
Journal
Social Defence Quarterly Volume: 29 Issue: 75 Dated: (January 1984) Pages: 22-29
Date Published
1984
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This survey of 97 runaway boys from the Madurai Children's Aid Society, a custodial center in India for children arrested under the Children Act, identifies lack of formal education, loss of control in nuclear families, overcrowded housing, and poverty as causes of children running away from home.
Abstract
The study was conducted during November and December of 1978. Interviews were used to collect information on runaway boys' family relationships, character, economic circumstances, friends, and habits. The results showed that the majority were school dropouts and that 21.9 percent were illiterate. The vast majority were from nuclear families where control is less than in a joint family. Approximately 60 percent of the runaway boys were from broken families. Most respondents reported feelings of not being loved or appreciated as well as unfair treatment and frequent scoldings. The majority lived in one-room houses and were from families with 8-10 members and very low incomes. Almost half the respondents smoked, while a smaller proportion stole, gambled, and consumed alcohol. Almost 88 percent had run away for the first time. Tables and 3 references.