Children Living or Working on the Street

Children living and working on the street are some of the most excluded and unprotected in the world. While some are homeless with their families, or return home at night after working on the street, many others are without parental care or a home and have no viable alternatives. This may be the result of family disintegration, conflict, poverty, HIV/AIDS, abuse or neglect. Life on the street exposes children to a myriad of risks and robs them of the safety and comfort that a family environment can offer.

Children living and working on the streets are highly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, addictions, and crime, and lack access to everyday essential services such as health and education. Their situation is made more difficult as a result of social perceptions of street children. Street children are frequently targeted by the police, beaten, held and charged without due process. Government policies, institutions, and communities may exclude or marginalise children on the street, and deny their basic human rights.

Children living and working on the streets require legal protection by the state, recognition of their rights, and access to public services. Reception and drop- in centres can provide an entry point to basic services, including shelter, food and health provision, education, and income generation projects. While such initiatives can help to sustain children on the street and protect them from high risk behaviours, organisations working with vulnerable children need to work towards preventative measures to reduce the numbers of children who end up homeless. Prevention begins with an assessment of the causes of family separation, identification of those most at risk, and strategies to support family and community placements.

The opinions and preferences of children already on the street must form an integral part of any strategy since the empowerment of such children is necessary to effect change in their own lives. Community reintegration services should be established where possible to provide children with an alternative to street life. All placements, such as kinship or foster care, must be regulated to ensure that they meet the needs of children and are in their best interests.

The resources in this section provide statistical and country information on the situation of children living and working on the street, assessments of their needs, and intervention examples relating to support services, care planning, and access to health and education programmes.

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Policy on Alternative Care for Children - Cambodia

Kingdom of Cambodia, 01 Apr 2006

This document presents the full policy on the alternative care of children in Cambodia.

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What Future? Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Human Rights Watch, 01 Apr 2006

This report is based on interviews with more than fifty street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo––children who might not necessarily be without families, but who live without meaningful protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults.

Report on Survey and Analysis of the Situation of Street Children in Zambia

Lukas Muntingh, Derek Elemu, and Lukas Moens, 2006

Profiles street children in Zambia. Outlines good practices and priorities for use in the development, coordination, and implementation of a national strategy.

Exploring Factors and Processes Leading to HIV Risk among the Most Vulnerable Children and Adolescents in Vietnam

Jan de Lind van Wijngaarden, 2006

A literature review of HIV vulnerability in Vietnamese children. Includes analysis of current gaps in related research.

Guidelines for Combatting Child Labor Among Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

International Labor Organization IPEC and PRO 169, 2006

Guidelines to address the specific needs and rights of indigenous children in the context of child labour. Includes a comprehensive list of follow-up resources.

Report on Survey and Analysis of the Situation of Street Children in Zambia: Profile of Street Children in Zambia

Luke Muntingh, 2006

Profile of street children in Zambia. Emphasis on generating data for policy development. Collected data analyzed at a national level but datasets are available for further analysis in terms of geographical location, gender, or other population sub-sets.

In Best or Vested Interests? An Exploration of the Concept and Practice of Family Reunification for Street Children

Thomas Feeny - The Consortium for Street Children, 2005

Examines current conceptual and practical issues relating to reunification of street children with their families. Includes guidelines for organisations operating or starting reunification programmes and suggests directions for future research.

Youth On The Streets: The Importance Of Social Interactions on Psychosocial Well-Being in an African Context

Sweta Shah, Georgina Graidage, and Josephine Valencia, 2005

Research on the psychosocial factors contributing to distress of children living and working on the streets in Ethiopia. Highlights the importance of facilitating social relationships and connectedness. Suggests intervention constructs and measures based on the Psychosocial Child Well-being model.

Reaching Out to Africa's Orphans: A Framework for Public Action

Kalanidhi Subbarao and Diane Coury, 2004

A detailed book providing evidence-based guidelines for approaches and interventions to best mitigate the various risks confronted by OVC.

Street Children and Juvenile Justice - Recommendations

Marie Wernham, 2004

General recommendations for addressing street children in the context of juvenile justice from the book An Outside Chance: Street Children and Juvenile Justice – An International Perspective. Targeted at governments and other actors in the justice system. Includes a tabular breakdown of which actors should collaborate with government in addressing each specific recommendation.