What is a “street child”?
1. The term “street child” was coined in the 1980’s to identify children who choose to spend the majority of their time in the streets trying to earn a living.
2. They are the children of the urban poor.
3. They beg and offer services like car washing, baggage carrying, and selling various items like cigarettes, newspapers, candies, rags, and sometimes their own little bodies.
4. They are regarded as a “problem” in nearly every major city in the Third World.
2. They are the children of the urban poor.
3. They beg and offer services like car washing, baggage carrying, and selling various items like cigarettes, newspapers, candies, rags, and sometimes their own little bodies.
4. They are regarded as a “problem” in nearly every major city in the Third World.
What drives children to the streets?
1. Poverty
2. Breakdown of traditional family
3. Community values and structures
2. Breakdown of traditional family
3. Community values and structures
What hazards do they face?
1. Sickness
2. Malnourishment
3. Physical injuries from vehicular accidents
4. Street fights
5. Harassment from both extortionists and police
6. Sexual exploitation by pedophiles and pimps
7. Exposure to substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases.
2. Malnourishment
3. Physical injuries from vehicular accidents
4. Street fights
5. Harassment from both extortionists and police
6. Sexual exploitation by pedophiles and pimps
7. Exposure to substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases.
Three Pervasive Feelings of Street Children:
1. Unloved, rejected, and abandoned
2. Helpless and hopeless
3. Alone and lonely
2. Helpless and hopeless
3. Alone and lonely
Filipino Street Children Facts:
1. Estimated 1.5 million street children live in the Philippines
2. 56-90% boys, most 11-14 years old
2. 56-90% boys, most 11-14 years old
