IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 20, Issue 4, Ver. VI (Apr. 2015), PP 12-19 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-20461219 www.iosrjournals.org 12 | Page Awareness on the Problems and Issues of Children in Difficult Circumstances among Women in SHGs M C Sandhyarani, *Research Scholar, DOS in Social Work, University of Mysore, Mysore – 570006, Karnataka, India, Abstract: There are situations where children are in difficult circumstances due to they are vulnerable, powerless, helpless and they are exposed to different types of abuse. Such children sufferings have been neglected and there is very little awareness on the problems and issues of children among public in general and SHG women’s group in particular. Hence the present study aimed at understanding the SHG women’s awareness on the problems and issues of children in difficult circumstances such as abused children, children on the street, child trafficking, juvenile in conflict with law, child labours, destitute, orphans, neglected, institutionalized children, female infanticide, child marriage. A total of 100 respondents from ten SHG, constituting 10 respondents from each were selected through convenient sampling at Kiriya Pushpa Family Project (NGO), Mysore. Individual interviews were conducted for all the SHG members to collect their opinion and focus group discussion was done after the individual interviews to collect the group opinion on the problems and issues of children in difficult circumstances. Descriptive research design was adopted to describe the problems and issues of children in difficult circumstances. The result revealed that majority of the women SHG members were aware of the problems, issues of children and very few respondents were aware of the services which are available for the children in difficult circumstances. Keywords: Children, Difficult circumstances, SHG Women, Neglect, Awareness. I. Introduction India is home to almost 19% of the world‟s children. More than one third of the country‟s population, around 44 million, is below 18yrs old. Children are the future of the country, and the strength of the nation lies in a healthy, protected, educated and well developed child population that will grow up to be productive citizens. In India it is estimated that around 170 million or 40 percent children are either vulnerable or experiencing difficult circumstances. Therefore there is an urgent need for increasing expenditure on child protection so that the rights of the children are protected. The neglect of child protection issue results in outright violation of the rights of the children and increases their vulnerability to abuse, neglect and exploitation. Children from all societies in the process of normal upbringing have been neglected, ill-treated, abused. The reason may be continues socio-economic stress in the families may induce the children to be under such circumstances. Physical abuse is one such abuse among children which involves inflicting bodily injuries or forcing them to engage in physical harmful activities (Wissow, 1995). Sexual abuse is defined as any sexual conduct or contact of an adult or significantly older child with or upon a child for the purposes of the sexual gratification of the perpetrator. Recent Indian studies on abuse of children reveal that the problem of child abuse is more prevalent in metropolitan cities and urban sectors than in rural areas. Such incidence and nature of such physical/ sexual abuse are largely unrecognised and are unreported in general. There are circumstances where a large number of children are deprived of basic minimal facilities and are forced to work as child labours. Giri (1995) has delineated two different senses of child labour, firstly, it includes an economic practice and secondly, as a social evil. In the first context it signifies employment of children in gainful occupation with a view to add to the income of the family. In the second context, in assessing the nature and extent of social evil it is necessary to take into account the character of the jobs in which they are engaged, the dangers to which they are exposed and the opportunity to which they have been denied. There are children who are deprived of parental care and are in need of care and protection like orphans, destitute, single parenthood, runaways, street children, abused, juvenile in conflict with law etc. According to Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000, Amended in 2006 defined, a child or juvenile is a person who has not completed his/her 18th year of age. This Act protects not only the rights of children, but a person's rights when he/she was a child. The purpose of the Act is to provide for the care, treatment, protection, rehabilitation and development of the child and in doing so uphold the rights of the child. The child may be brought in front of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) by a police officer, public servant, social worker, CHILDLINE, the child or anyone public citizen. The committee may commit a child to the