Orphans are more prone to crime later in their life than children having parents, a survey has found.

Non-government organisation Bhoomika Vihar had carried out a survey in five districts — Purnea, Katihar, Araria, Supaul and Muzaffarpur — between December 2012 and May 2013 covering 5,700 households in two panchayats of each district.

The aim of the survey was to find out the condition of orphans in the state.

Around 365 such children were interrogated during the survey. NGO director Shilpi Singh said though there have been many surveys on juveniles and child labourers in the state, anything hardly was done on the condition of orphans.

“We discuss about the increasing number of child labourers and juvenile crimes in the state but tend to ignore the reason behind it. The orphans often take the wrong path in the absence of a proper guidance,” she said.

Singh said the survey revealed that orphans are hugely exploited and tend to become juvenile criminals. She said: “The findings of the survey were shocking as 54.7 per cent of the children surveyed said they face discrimination at homes of their relatives. They complained that they are not treated well by their guardians and are often served leftover food. Around 26 per cent of the children said they were often forced by their guardians to work on fields or at construction sites. Some of them are even forced into rag-picking to earn money.”

The survey also stated that around 85.7 per cent of the children said they have not received new clothes from their guardians. The children surveyed were either abandoned or lost their parents. Singh said the survey also revealed the government’s irregularities in the education sector.