Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policymakers use UNICEF’s concept of boys and girls, aged under 18 years, for whom “the street” (including unoccupied dwellings and wasteland) has become home and/or their source of livelihood, and who are inadequately protected or supervised.
Who are the “Street children”?
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Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; boys and girls, aged under 18 years, for whom “the street” (including unoccupied dwellings and wasteland) has become home and/or their source of livelihood, and who are inadequately protected or supervised.
The main causes of children coming to the streets include the following;
- Poor parenting habits
- Domestic violence
- The HIV/AIDS scourge killing parents and guardians of children.
- Civil strife in the North and North-eastern Uganda leading to displaced families.
- Famine, draught and cattle rustling activities in the Karamoja area.
- Floods and landslides.
- Peer pressure from other children
- Child Neglect
Street Children can be categorized into;
(i) Part-time street children
These comprise of 60% of street children and spend most of their active hours on the streets and retire later in the evening to sleep in the slum communities. Most times they are the bread-winners and responsible for their entire families meaning that either they have to find work or beg on the streets.
(ii) Full-time Street children
These make up about 40% of children on the street, working and living on the streets with no contact with their families. They are engaged in sniffing drugs, sexual abuse and petty crimes thus usually victims of mob-justice when caught in crime.
While on the street,these children engage in various activities namely; Child labor ( odd jobs ranging from cleaning to carrying heavy loads,scrap and plastic selling as well as vending),Theft, Begging, Sniffing glue/petroleum, Drug abuse, Sexual abuse and use of vulgar language.
Problems Faced by street children
Children on the streets suffer harassment, cold nights, various sicknesses, child abuse, child labour, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, hunger, lack of sanitary facilities, mob justice and many times they are sent to prison for petty crimes because they do no have anyone to bail them out.