This research aimed to determine the factors contributing to street children’s resistance to street-removal interventions in Zambia. Interviews were conducted with children living on the streets, former street children, and guardians. In addition, caregivers in child-care facilities, also known as centers, provided insights through questionnaires. The study concluded that poverty, family conflict, peer pressure, the desire for money, abuse, and the need to experience freedom were the main factors contributing to children’s decision to live on the streets. Furthermore, poverty, family conflict, mistreatment, the need for money, peer pressure, addiction-related needs, unconducive conditions in child-care facilities, strict rules, misconduct, and inadequate resources contributed to children returning to the streets during or after the reintegration process. The study recommended increased collaboration among organizations working with street children, greater resource allocation to intervention programs by the government and its development partners, and the development of policy frameworks to guide programs targeting street children. It also emphasized the need for interventions that address both the root causes of street involvement and the factors that drive children back to the streets during and after reintegration.
