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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Street Children: The Core of Child Abuse and Neglect in Nigeria

P.O. Ebigbo, 31 Dec 2002

A research study which explores the overt and covert abuse and neglect experienced by children, especially by those who work and/or live on the streets, in three Nigerian towns. Includes a brief discussion of the African Network on Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) in Nigeria.

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Preventing Child Exploitation on the Streets in the Philippines

Teresita Silva, 2002

Highlights the work of Childhope Asia Philippines and Families and Children for Empowerment and Development in helping street children living in and around Manila.

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All Our Children: Human Rights and Children of the Street

Jonathon Rose, 2002

Brief article arguing for doctors to take a lead role in caring for children on the street. Suggests that physicians could provide direct patient care, advocacy for children's rights, and leadership for reform at the community and national level.

Street Children, Human Rights, and Public Health: A Critique and Future Directions

Catherine Panter-Brick, 31 Dec 2001

An analysis of the multi-level factors present in the lives of children living and working on the streets. The author advocates for integrating human rights and child participation based approaches into interventions and supports for at-risk children.

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Floating Children in China: The Problems of Street, Migrating, Trafficked Children, Out of School and Out of Place

Andy West, 01 Jun 2001

Examines the emergence of children living and working on the streets in China. Disaggregates 'street children' as a phenomenon by outlining the underlying causes for their situations. Compares adult perceptions of 'street children' with the children's own perspectives.

Romania's Abandoned Children Ten Years After the Revolution

U.S. Embassy Bucharest, Romania, 01 Feb 2001

An account of the massive child welfare crisis in Romania which erupted from a movement in Romania during its communist regime to institutionalize thousands of children. This paper also reports the efforts of NGO’s, PVO’s and the international communities to reverse the damage after the fall of communism and also where the efforts need to be directed.

China Country Report

Ministry of Civil Affairs, People’s Republic of China, 2001

Country report of China on the situation of children in residential care in anticipation of the Second International Conference on Children and Residential Care: New Strategies for a New Millennium, to be held in Stockholm 12 – 15 May 2003.

A Civil Society Forum for South Asia on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street Children

Consortium for Street Children, 2001

Report from a regional meeting on street children in South Asia. Contains country reports, outlines key issues, and highlights best practices for programs operating in the region. Includes recommendations for advocacy, program and policy development.

Creating Space for Children's Participation: Planning with Street Children in Yangon, Myanmar

Karl Dorning and Tim O’Shaughnessy, 2001

Summarizes an empowerment evaluation of the Street and Working Children Program in Yangon and Mandalay. Includes detailed methodology and lessons learned.

The Problem of Street Children in Africa: An Ignored Tragedy

Peter Kopoka, 2000

Examines initiatives taken to protect street children in Africa. Emphasis on increasing community and NGO participation in local responses.