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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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.

How Poverty Separates Parents and Children: A Challenge to Human Rights

International Movement ATD Fourth World, 2004

An executive summary of lessons learned on preventing family separation in poverty stricken communities. Brief case studies from Guatemala, Haiti, Philippines, United States and Burkina Faso.

Study of Policies and Programmes Addressing the Right of Street Children to Education

Hitman Gurung, 2004

The study provides an overview of current policies and programs that address the educational needs of street children as well as an analysis of their needs. It identifies best practices, gaps, and challenges in education and makes recommendations for government policy and programs.

http://www.crin.org/docs/UNESCOreportfinal.pdf

Not Seen or Heard: The Lives of Separated Refugee Children in Dar es Salaam

Gillian Mann, 2003

A study on the lives of separated refugee children in Dar es Salaam. The study highlights their experiences of abuse and discrimination, and their negative perception of refugee camps.

Street and Working Children's Participation in Programming for Their Rights

Claire O'Kane, 2003

Focuses on the work of the Butterflies Programme for Street and Working Children in India. Advocates for participatory approaches in child-focused development work.

Working With Street Children: Exploring Ways for ADB Assistance

Judith Ennew, 2003

Outlines a wide range of interventions designed to protect street children, ranging from prevention and reunification to vocational training, economic support, and improved rural infrastracture.

http://www.crin.org/docs/ADB%20working_with_streetkids.pdf

Street and Working Children's Participation in Programming for their Rights

Claire O’Kane, 2003

Outlines the Butterfly Program in India, which utilizes to an empowerment approach to working with children living and working on the streets of New Delhi. Highlights the importance of child participation and rights.

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Difficult Circumstances: Some Reflections on "Street Children" in Africa

Judith Ennew, 2003

An exploration of the factors surrounding children living on the streets in Africa, including comparisons to street children in Latin America.

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Children at Risk: Practical Approaches to Addressing Child Protection in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam

Laurence Gray, 2003

Discusses approaches to protecting at-risk children in five Asian countries. Identifies programming and policy measures that effectively address child abuse. Emphasis on committing all levels of society to coordinated practical response.