In Indian society, social workers and other human service professionals traditionally have not been sensitive to the occurrence of child abuse. The Children's Observation Home houses neglected, destitute, and delinquent children for short periods, pending permanent placement. The institution's records rarely contain mentions of abuse by parents. Therefore, intake interviews were conducted with 360 males and 155 females ages 3- 19 who were admitted to the Home during an 8-week period. Results revealed that approximately 50 percent of the children reported physical violence; ore than two-thirds of these children reported the use of abusive violence. In addition, more than 60 percent of the children who had run away from home cited violence by parents as the main reason for their leaving. Findings indicated that child abuse may be one of the variables adding to the number of street children in India. Tables and 29 references (Author abstract modified)