American Journal of Advanced Drug Delivery www.ajadd.co.uk American Journal of Advanced Drug Delivery www.ajadd.co.uk Original Article Experiences of Abuse Among Street Children: Nature, Magnitude and Practices

Objective: The prime objective of the research is to determine the nature, magnitude and practices of abuse among street children by their parents. Design: Self-structured Interview Schedule. Setting: The sample was selected from various crowded places of Ludhiana city such as railway station, bus depots, traffic lights, market places, temples etc using a snowball sampling technique. One of the criteria for sample selection was that the street children should be home based. Participants: 160 street children (9-12 years) equally distributed over gender. Main Outcome Measures: Age and gender differences in the method of punishment inflicted upon street children by parents were determined. Results: Majority of the street children (92.50%) experienced abused by their parents. The most predominantly used punishment was scolding (83.44%) followed by spanking/slapping (47.96%), twisting ears or hands (37.50%)