Street Children

Who are the Street Children?

Street Children are young people who spend a considerable time living and/or

working on the streets of the world's cities. Different countries describe street

children in different ways. However,two general categories have been frequently used

to describe them:

• Children living and working in the street.

• Children working on the streets who maintain regular contact with their families.

Reality Situation of Street Children

• The working street child works from 6 to 16 hours, often in a combination of “occupations”.

• Street children usually come from large families, with six to ten children per family.

• Street children are generally malnourished and anemic, many of them physically stunted.

• Street children suffer psychologically from undue family pressures, abuses and neglect at home. Very often, they develop low self-esteem.

• Street children are prone to street fights and bullying from bigger youth, harassment from policemen, suspicion and arrest for petty crimes, abuse and torture from misguided authorities.

• Street children usually come from broken families.

• There are more boys than girls. Female children are disadvantaged because of their sex; they do more housework and are prone to sexual abuses.

• Parents of street children are preoccupied with earning a living, oftentimes