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Countless numbers of children are living and working on the streets of Asia’s largest cities. For some children, the streets are a permanent escape from broken homes, cruelty or domestic violence. Others arrive in the hope of better financial opportunities for themselves and their families.
It is difficult to locate these children, even more difficult to protect them from the daily risks of life on the street: labour exploitation, trafficking, sexual abuse, disease and drug abuse.
The term “street children” does not do justice to the huge variance in experiences and reasons that bring children to the streets, or what behaviour they exhibit once there.
Some are homeless and destitute, while others work extremely hard to bring money home to siblings or parents. Some have arrived from out of town; some have grown up in temporary housing around the city.
What they all have in common is their vulnerability, away from the protection of their guardians and left to make their own decisions in an adult world.
Who are they?
Runaways and abandoned children
Parks, river banks and railway stations are homes for a large number of children who have run away from home or have nowhere else to go. These children often form their own communities, with gang-style hierarchies and “employment” opportunities which may include criminal activities like begging, peddling drugs or petty crime.
In many cases, it is the psychological effect of isolation from family or stability that places these children at greatest risk. Even the most hardened of street children will respond to promises of protection and guidance made by an adult they trust.
Sadly, it is this instinct that often puts them in the worst danger, as they risk attaching themselves to people who make a living from child exploitation.
Urban immigrants
Increasing urbanisation is bringing families to the outskirts of large cities, where facilities like schools and clinics to support children’s development are often lacking.
Many children do not go to school, but join their parents in taking responsibility for family income. They may spend their days scavenging for rubbish, selling cheap goods or shining shoes.
Because more money can be made in wealthier parts of town, these children often travel far from home and family each day, to markets or tourist areas. This daily dislocation places them among strangers without the protection of other family members, and puts them at risk of exploitation, sexual abuse or trafficking.
Children in conflict with the law
The majority of children on the street are boys, who have more confidence than girls that they can fend for themselves. Combining street living with adolescence is a volatile mix and many children who are lacking schooling or guidance from adults are very vulnerable to petty crime including stealing, violence and prostitution.
Drug and alcohol abuse is also very common among children on the street, with boys starting to use drugs or sniff glue at alarmingly low ages.
In some countries it is illegal for children to live on the street, further compounding the underground “invisibility” of children at most need of life skills and emotional support. Fear of being caught by authorities can push children into exploitative situations including sexual abuse, placing them at risk from HIV and AIDS and other STIs, as well as physical injury and ongoing harassment.
The effects of street life
Physical: Children who live and work on the streets of major cities are exposed to pollution, garbage and hazardous materials. Finding clean water to wash in or a safe, hygienic place to go to the toilet is a daily challenge. In addition, children experience high levels of violence from customers, employers or authorities, with little recourse to protection or justice.
Developmental: If they are not part of a country’s structured school environment, children have difficulty breaking out of the poverty cycle. They miss out not only on reading and writing, but also life skills including hygiene, sexual education, HIV and AIDS protection and rights awareness. When they are placed in situations of exploitation, they are less able to protect themselves.
Psychological: Children on the streets are often denied the love, care and support they need to develop their emotional strengths. They may be asked to do things they know are wrong, or have their self-esteem and trust damaged by abuse. As they enter adolescence or adulthood, these fundamental psychological challenges often lead to anti-social or self-harming behaviour.
Getting off the streets for good
Children who have spent time in street life require a very different approach to other children of the same age. They are used to making their own decisions and living without discipline or rules.
Projects that work with children on the street are most successful when they take this need for flexibility into account. World Vision’s street outreach programmes, drop-in centres and informal schools for working children all invite children to decide for themselves when and why they need this support.
As well, World Vision runs or supports community shelters for children who are recovering from physical abuse and sexual exploitation. |
