Who are the Street Children?

UNICEF estimates that one billion children live in poverty -- almost every second child in the world. The Philippines can be seen as a microcosm of the problem, with children driven to the streets. One man -- a former child of the streets himself -- is trying to help.

video courtesy of World Focus.

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 in Asia

• 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 engaged in irregular low-paying jobs as construction workers, vendors, and scavengers.

info from: http://www.childhope.org.ph/about-street-children.html If you have any questions or inquiry just email rexyapejr@gmail.com