Family Related Vulnerability: Vulnerability of Tribal Children in Families Living under Parental Care in Kerala.

Abstract

Neglected and AbandonedChildren are the most vulnerable group in any society. However,a large segment of children face vulnerability in the family, even under parental care. Family-related vulnerabilities are inherently varied due to the diverse lifestyles and cultures across different tribal groups. The present study is a pilot study focused on assessing family-related vulnerabilities of children from a tribal village in Wayanad, Kerala. The research data was collected from a sample of 45 children from three tribal hamlets usinginterviews and the Score Vulnerability Assessment Tool. Results of the study showed that the difference infamily-related vulnerability to life conditions among male and female children is negligible, wheremost male and female children fall in the moderate to severe range of exposure. The findings disclose that 87% of children in the sample used some kind of substance (p<0.05), with asignificant score for the high rate of alcohol and substance abuse.