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Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (CRC) asserts that “States
Parties recognize the right of every child
to a standard of living adequate for the
child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral
and social development.” Homelessness
denies each one of those rights. According
to an Inter-NGO Program on street children
and youth, a street child is “any
girl or boy who has not reached adulthood,
for whom the street (in the widest sense
of the word, including unoccupied dwellings,
wasteland, etc.) has become his or her habitual
abode and/or source of livelihood, and who
is inadequately protected, directed, and
supervised by responsible adults.”
• A ‘Child of the Streets':
Children who have no home but the streets,
and no family support. They move from place
to place, living in shelters and abandoned
buildings.
• A ‘Child on the street':
Children who visit their families regularly
and might even return every night to sleep
at home, but spends most days and some nights
on the street because of poverty, overcrowding,
sexual or physical abuse at home.
• Part of a Street Family: These
children live on sidewalks or city squares
with the rest of their families. They may
be displaced due to poverty, wars, or natural
disasters. The families often live a nomadic
life, carrying their possessions with them.
Children in this case often work on the
streets with other members of their families.
• In Institutionalized Care:
Children in this situation come from a situation
of homelessness and are at risk of returning
to a life on the street.
The hidden and isolated nature of street
children makes accurate statistics difficult
to gather; however, UNICEF estimates there
are approximately 100 million street children
worldwide with that number constantly growing.
There are up to 40 million street children
in Latin America , and at least 18 million
in India.[1] Many studies have determined
that street children are most often boys
aged 10 to 14, with increasingly younger
children being affected (Amnesty International,
1999).[2] Many girls live on the streets
as well,[3] although smaller numbers are
reported due to their being more “useful”
in the home, taking care of younger siblings
and cooking. Girls also have a greater vulnerability
to trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation
or other forms of child labor.
Homelessness is largely an urban phenomenon,
yet children are homeless and living on
the streets in every region of the world
from developing countries to the most affluent
countries. Latin America and India , for
example, are known for their large populations
of street children,[4] despite the significant
efforts of some governments and non-governmental
organizations. The AIDS epidemic and civil
wars in Africa have caused a surge in the
number of street children as a result of
the abandonment of AIDS orphans or fatalities
due to armed conflict. Failing economies
and falling currencies in parts of Asia
force the poorest families onto the street,
often leaving children abandoned and homeless.
Unstable political transitions, such as
the end of Communism in Eastern Europe ,
caused unprecedented numbers of street children
due to inadequate social security for the
poor and those formerly State supported.
Children often experience the effects of
political, economic, and social crises within
their countries more severely than adults,
and many lack the adequate institutional
support to address their special needs.
Eventually, they end up on the streets.
Perspective: In 1996, the United States
had 5.5 million children living in extreme
poverty, approximately one million of whom
were on the streets.[5] A study conducted
by the Luxembourg Income Study shows poor
children in the United States are poorer
than children in most Western industrialized
countries, since the United States has less
generous social programs, the widest gap
between rich and poor, and high numbers
of poor immigrant and unwed teen mothers.[6]
The poverty and social conditions many American
children face lead to large numbers of homeless
and street children.
Children who are vulnerable to street life
include those who have been abandoned by
their families or sent into cities because
of a family's intense poverty, often with
hopes that a child will be able to earn
money for the family and send it home. Children
who run away from home or children's institutions
frequently end up on the street since they
rarely return home due to dysfunctional
families, or physical, mental, and/or sexual
abuse. In several areas of the world, disabled
children are commonly abandoned, particularly
in developing countries. In addition, refugee
children of armed conflict areas, children
separated from their families for long periods
of time, and AIDS orphans, repeatedly find
nowhere to go but the streets.
Homelessness and street life have extremely
detrimental effects on children. Their unstable
lifestyles, lack of medical care, and inadequate
living conditions increase young people's
susceptibility to chronic illnesses such
as respiratory or ear infections, gastrointestinal
disorders, and sexually-transmitted diseases,
including HIV/AIDS.[7] Children fending
for themselves must find ways to eat; some
scavenge or find exploitative physical work.
Many homeless children are enticed by adults
and older youth into selling drugs, stealing,
and prostitution.
Drug use by children on the streets is common
as they look for means to numb the pain
and deal with the hardships associated with
street life. Studies have found that up
to 90 percent of street children use psychoactive
substances, including medicines, alcohol,
cigarettes, heroin, cannabis, and readily
available industrial products such as shoe
glue.
The mental, social and emotional growth
of children are affected by their nomadic
lifestyles and the way in which they are
chastised by authorities who constantly
expel them from their temporary homes such
as doorways, park benches, and railway platforms.
Countries in Latin America like Colombia,
Guatemala, Honduras, and Brazil are notorious
for the torture and violence inflicted on
street children, many times escalating to
murder - by police officers or death squads.
Street children lack security, protection,
and hope, and continue to face a deep-rooted
negative stigma about homelessness. And,
more than anything else, they lack love.
Many governments, nongovernmental organizations,
and members of civil society around the
world have increased their attention on
homeless and street children as the number
of this disenfranchised population continues
to grow dramatically. Nonetheless, more
action is necessary. Most importantly, as
a result of adverse economic conditions
in many countries, an international plan
to provide basic housing needs to be developed.
In 1992, the United Nations issued a Resolution
on the Plight of Street Children, expressing
concern over the emergence and marginalization
of street children, and the acts of violence
against them. The Resolution called for
international cooperation to address the
needs of homeless children and for enforcement
of international child rights laws. European
nations that have taken effective steps
toward combating homelessness include Belgium
, Finland , the Netherlands , Portugal ,
and Spain . In many countries, governments
have included a right to housing in the
national constitution.[8] The Finnish devised
a plan in 1987 including house-building,
social welfare, health care service, and
a duty to provide a decent home for every
homeless person. The number of homeless
people in Finland was cut in half after
10 years.[9] However, the major problem
with State programs is that children often
reject the alternative assistance offered
by the State.
On a local and regional level, initiatives
have been taken to assist street children,
often through shelters. Many shelters have
programs designed to provide safety, healthcare,
counseling, education, vocational training,
legal aid, and other social services. Some
shelters also provide regular individual
contact, offering much-needed love and care.
Many NGOs have been founded with mission
to improve the plight of homeless adults
and youth. Casa Alianza, active in Mexico
and Central America; Child Hope UK working
with local groups worldwide; Butterflies,
based in New Delhi, India; and, Street Kids
International, a Canadian-based organization,
all focus specifically on street children.
Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre (JAC) Society,
based in Delhi , India , pioneered the first
intensive study on Homeless children ever
conducted; they have also set up numerous
shelters providing basic security, food,
and clothing for more than 50,000 homeless
people in Greater Delhi.
If you are interested in helping street
and homeless children, you can volunteer
to work in shelters and other programs in
your area, or donate funds or supplies to
organizations that work with street youth.
You can also participate in legislative
efforts and write letters to your Congressional
Representative urging him/her to support
increased funding for programs in the United
States and abroad that assist street children.
Finally, you can raise awareness of this
issue by educating yourself, your peers,
colleagues, students, teachers, family members,
and others around you interested in this
issue.
[1] http://www.oneworld.org/guides/streetchildren/
[2] Beasley, Rob. “On the Streets,”
Amnesty Magazine. April 1999.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Alston, Philip. “Hardship in the
Midst of Plenty,” The Progress of
Nations , 1998, p. 29.
[6] “U.S. Poor are among World's Poorest,”
The New York Times , August 14, 1999 .
[7] Alston, Philip. P. 29.
[8] Ibid. p. 31.
[9] Ibid.
Amod K. Kanth, Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre
Society
Bruce Harris, Casa Alianza
© copyright -
Youth Advocate Program International 2003-04
Last updated 5/17/2004
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