Status of the Children of Fishing Community of Southern India: an Empirical Study

The study examined the status of the children of the fishing community in terms of general care from parents, nutrition, education, health care and safety. Four clusters from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu were randomly selected by considering the geographical spread of the location. 103 children, 46 from Tamil Nadu and 57 from Puducherry were found from these clusters. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods like semi-structured questionnaires, informal interviews and case studies. About 44.7% children reported to have not received proper care from the parents, solely because of poverty, family violence and father’s personality and/or alcohol dependence. 63.1% reported not getting adequate nutrition. All the children from the present study are attending school regularly and 63.1% reported getting support from parents for school tuition fees, uniforms and study materials. 83.5% reported that they were not able to understand the lessons taught in the class. All the children were immunized. Only one-third (30.1%) of children were fortunate to get quality time with parents for discussing personal issues and problems. About two-fifths (41.7%) reported to have not shared personal problems with parents. Female children were found to get better care as compared to their male counterparts (p