CHILD Protection & Rights > Child Protection Issues.

G - Providing a Protection to Street Children

Identifying street children

A street child is any child that lives and/or works on the street. Street children use the street as their source of livelihood and sometimes as a "home”. It includes children who might not necessarily be homeless or without families, but who live in situations where there is no or little protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults. Often highly mobile, street children can alternate between living on the streets and living with their families. Some may only work on the streets during particular periods of the year, and attend school at other times. This makes it extremely difficult to estimate the total number of street children.

There are, however, relatively less children who actually live on the street compared with those who use it as a means to earn a living.

Every child has a right to grow up in a nurturing environment where they can realise their full potential. The street, with the risks it poses, is not such an environment.

What are the factors that make children runaway from their homes or be on the street?

Some reasons why children runaway from their homes or are on the street include:
• Poverty when their families are struggling to feed them.
• Hope of better life opportunities.
• Attraction of urban life and metropolitan cities.
• Abandon by their parents.
• Unhealthy family relations (drug, alcohol, domestic violence, etc.)
• Fear of being beaten up or abused by parents, caregivers or teachers.
• Escaping sexual or physical abuse.
• Caste discrimination.
• Gender discrimination.
• Discrimination due to disability, HIV/AIDS.
• Peer pressure.