World Street Children News

The life of a street child - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM:
Sheldon Wright , Observer TEENage writer
Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I walk through the crime-infested streets of Kingston desperately seeking the next person to beg.
I think of all the friends that I had at high school, the break periods when we used to play football. Why did I have to be in this situation? I thought. Mama never had enough food.

With a family of six and no father, the only place for me became the streets, where I could scavenge for food and hustle money by washing car windows. Drivers mostly treat you like a common criminal, but there are the boys who fight back and behave like criminals indeed.

We are not all bad. It’s not our fault that we are born in this unfair circumstance. I see other kids riding safely in the comfort of their family vehicles, laughing. Lord, just end it right now. Jamaica is a funny place… some filthy rich, while some so poor they walk almost naked. But, why me?

I walked through Mall Plaza and looked at the clothes and shoes that I can’t have in the store because I have no money. Then a car drove by playing a song by rapper 50 cent, ‘Man, you a window shopper. Mad at me a guess I know why.’ I immediately started to cry. A lady looked at me, asking what’s the matter, but I just turned away and cried harder. If ‘children are the future’ I can only wonder when that dream will become a reality for people like me.

In an interview the Hon Edward Seaga, a fellow of the University of the West Indies, told TEENage that street children are mainly a result of poverty that affects the parents who have a responsibility for the children, and rural-to-urban migration. He also added that crime not necessarily stem from street children because they are not committing any crimes but merely soliciting in order to survive.

Seaga has established various fund-raising events, as well as the LEAP programme, located on Duke Street, that take in street children and give them an opportunity to learn a skill.
After this brief interview, I couldn’t help but think that we should not treat these young people harshly merely because of the position they are in or how they behave. Give them a chance and let the children be the future."

allAfrica.com: Uganda: Masaka Street Children Pick Baby From Bin

The Monitor (Kampala)

February 28, 2006
Posted to the web February 27, 2006

Michael J Ssali
Masaka

Street children picked a baby boy from a skip in Masaka town election day.

They told Daily Monitor that they found the baby on top of a rubbish heap on Mawogola Street on February 23.

In a group of five, they move with the baby in the town begging financial assistance.

One of them, Andrew Mayanja, said they found the baby in an old leather bag whose zip was halfway open.

The bag, which Daily Monitor saw, contained some baby clothes.

"No. Don’t tell us to report this to police,"Mayanja, the eldest of them said.

"This baby is ours now. Police will only arrest him. We can also take care of him. He will feed the way we do. And please stop photographing us, we shall not pay you for your pictures."

When Daily Monitor contatcted the Family and Child Protection Unit at Masaka Police Station, an officer who, refused to disclose his name said they are aware of the matter. "The children said they can help us identify the mother who abandoned the baby," the officer said.

CRCA Issues New Report on Child Labour and Street Children in Albania
CRCA
24 February 2006

The Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania – CRCA, a major child-rights organisation in the country, issued today its latest report on the situation of child labour and street children. This is the very first in-depth research-report published by a national organisation in Albania, on the situation of the rights of child labourers and street children in Albania. The research is funded by Palme Center and SIDA Sweden, as part of the programme ‘The Rights of the Child a Democratic Right’.

"Today we have issued our report on child labour and street children in Albania”, said Altin Hazizaj, Director of CRCA and one of the authors of the research, “and I have to say that the situation is far more serious then previously thought by us. In the next few days we will make public our requests towards the Albanian authorities, especially Ministry of Labour, which for so many years has left without protection thousands of children throughout Albania, which have fallen victims of economical exploitation."

CRCA is one of the few organisations in Albania that works for the elimination of child labour and other forms of labour among children. The main interventions of CRCA on child labour and street children include: Children’s Clubs, Public Campaign ‘Stop Child Labour’, policy and legislative improvement and capacity building for the authorities and NGO’s to work for the elimination of child labour.

The research "Child Labour and Street Children in Albania" is a quantitative and qualitative one. The research brings to the intention of the Government several new concepts and definitions of child labour and street children for Albania. It analyses the issue of economical exploitation of children, the reasons why, and consequences of labour to children. Because of the lack of referral mechanisms, the research is focused also on the role that state authorities can play and how the referral mechanisms may work. Finally the report provides a list of conclusions and recommendations for the Albanian authorities and civil society.

The report at the present is available only in Albanian, and in the next few days will be released in English. It will be made available on line in both languages very soon. If you wish to receive an electronic version of this research-report contact with CRCA.

For more info, or to receive an electronic copy, please contact: Alma Kordoni (Maksutaj), Programme Coordinator ‘Stop Child Labour in Albania’; Phone / Fax: + 355 4 242264; E-mail: almam@crca.org.al

Who benefits from CSR?

Rudijanto, Contributor, Jakarta

U.S.-born Jiway Tung gets along easily with teenage boys who previously roamed the streets of Jakarta or provincial towns as he works side by side with them on a two-hectare organic farm in Bogor’s Puncak area.

Aged 13 years on average, the boys are participating in an organic farming program designed to help them become independent persons with the necessary skills to live in society. They were taken off the streets by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who provide shelter for street children.

"We want to give them the skill necessary to work as a team member, take responsibility and make plans. Here they learn mathematics, language and computer skill," says Jiway, who works for Boston-based NGO World Education.

Under the organic farming program designed by World Education, 27 street children are undergoing training for six months, which will possibly be extended for up to a year. Growing up on the streets of big cities and towns and facing a harsh life, it required great effort on the part of the children to adjust to their new situation.

"My palms have abrasions because I am not used to farming as I grew up in Jakarta," says Jaya, who is being sponsored in the program by Rumah Kita Foundation, which provides shelter for street children in Jakarta.

The cool mountain weather certainly poses a challenge for Jaya and the other boys, aside from the tough farming schedule of 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by various activities including drama, handicraft-making and music recitals up to 4 p.m.

Brought to Jakarta when he was barely six months old by his mother and father from Sumatra’s Lampung region, Jaya did not enjoy the warmth of a family for too long as his father and mother separated not long after. After his mother’s house in East Jakarta was demolished, Jaya had to face the harsh reality of life at an all too young age.

"I like being here in this organic farming program because I love plants. I hope to have my own farm somewhere in Lampung when I finish this program," says Jaya.

Jaya and his friends may have found new hope for the future, which otherwise had only gloomy prospects. Jiway and his team are able to run the program due to the financial support of not a big multinational corporation such as Freeport Indonesia or LG Electronics Indonesia, but fast-growing serviced-office operator CEO Suite.

Korea-born CEO president Mee Kim underlines that what matters most are good intentions and concrete action, not the amount or appropriate time to start sharing.

"There will never be a perfect time for sharing, not if we wait until we have enough ourselves," says Mee Kim, whose company has two serviced office facilities in Jakarta and is expanding services to China.

Following the worldwide trend among companies to enhance their role as part of the community surrounding their facilities, Indonesian corporations have also started to experiment with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.

This phenomenon has been welcomed by NGOs that are more than willing to help in the planning and implementation of CSR projects. Hendro Suwito, communication manager of World Vision International - Indonesia, appreciates this trend.

"The government has very limited financial and human resources. Meanwhile, many NGOs in Indonesia cannot implement significant programs because of very limited access to financial or other resources. Growing CSR awareness can play a significant role in filling these gaps," says Hendro.

Hendro was touched by Citibank’s initiative when scores of the bank’s employees started to regularly teach street children in Jakarta. Also, he once saw all the employees of Schneider here calculate how much they earned in an hour and donate that amount to a humanitarian program in Papua.

In December last year, the Matahari Group invited its business partners to jointly donate funds for social purposes, Hendro said. They collected a substantial sum of money and donated it through scores of charity and development institutions to help fight poverty and backwardness.

However, a successful and sustainable CSR program certainly goes beyond collecting donations. In fact, companies need to do their homework, including carrying out feasibility studies of projects in terms of their own resources and expertise.

"When it entails more complex social-humanitarian initiatives, especially when the sites are far from the corporations’ offices, it would be much more effective and efficient to channel the funds through NGOs working in the targeted areas," says Hendro.

Corporations still need to monitor everything so that implementation and schedule are carefully followed and the program has the expected impact on the community.

Some people are still skeptical and suspect the motives of corporations in carrying out such programs. They doubt whether the programs really benefit the people, saying most programs tend to serve as camouflage for the corporations’ darker activities, such as spoiling the environment and exploiting workers.

In fact, some giant multinational mining companies that have bragged about their good CSR programs have turned out to be polluters of rivers and destroyers of the environment. No wonder some are suspicious of their CSR programs.

However, well-intentioned programs that are designed around the understanding of a community’s needs often prove to be helpful. Even established NGOs welcome corporations’ CSR programs and readily assist in accordance with their respective fields.

"I have no objection to CSR programs as long as they have clear objectives and really understand and meet the needs of the community," says Jiway, who serves as the organic farm project manager.

On the side of corporations, running CSR programs is not only a matter of carrying out their responsibilities as good corporate citizens but is also a form of investment. In the words of then chairman and representative director of Omron Corporation Nobuo Tateisi in his book Good Corporate Citizenship: Community-minded Management for the 21st Century, it is a way of boosting a company’s stature within a community and widening business prospects for the future.

Then vice president of Honda Toshikata Amino was quoted by Tateisi in his book as saying that community activities are actually something done not for the community, but for yourself, for you receive as much as you give.

Indeed, far from viewing CSR programs as simply a costly obligation, some corporations realize that the programs benefit their companies. CEO’s Mee Kim says her company’s CSR has made her team’s life more fulfilling.

"This involvement has also made a small difference in someone’s life," said Mee Kim.

The CSR program carried out by Mee Kim through her financial support and staff’s involvement will certainly boost the morale of all CEO employees. The awareness that they work for a socially responsible company not only gives them a sense of pride but will also make them loyal to the company.

CEO’s involvement in organic farming in the company’s CSR can help other companies realize that CSR is not just for giant and multinational corporations. A well-intentioned and sustainable program may prove to be beneficial for both the recipient as well as those who are willing to share their resources.

Let’s Do Something About Street Children

The Post (Lusaka)

EDITORIAL
February 22, 2006
Posted to the web February 22, 2006

Lusaka

It is truly an absolute disgrace to have so many children living like rats on our streets.

Like Don MacDonald, we find it very difficult to understand how anyone can remain indifferent to the problem of street children in this country. No matter how much we try to turn a blind eye to this problem, the number of street children is on the rise. This is not an imaginary problem. These children exist in our midst, on our streets - we see them every day. And unless we choose to ignore their plight, we can do something for these children.

It is very difficult for us to understand how possible it is for us, as a nation, to ignore the plight of these children. These children are highly endangered. Many factors of living on the streets combine to rapidly destroy them. Contrary to the policy pursued by some individuals and organisations who believe that we should help these children while leaving them on the street, we believe that they are in a mortal danger on the street and that we should try to eradicate this way of life: on the street, they turn quickly to crime, they start to take drugs or prostitute themselves.

Street children are hungry. If they cannot find food, they will steal it, or the older children will force them to steal. Stealing will become a habit. At the beginning, they may be afraid, they know that if they are caught they will be beaten, maybe killed.

To pluck up courage, they take drugs. Anything is acceptable. They take cheap drugs: they put petrol on an old rag; they sniff carpenter glue. It all depends on the money they can get. These products are extremely dangerous as they destroy the brain, and after years of such drug abuse these poor children can become zombies.

Caught in such a life, children do not have many chances. And if they start living on the street when they are eight years old, they only have a one-in-two chance of reaching the age of 12.

We should take them off the street as soon as possible. If they are helped straightaway, they can be saved. Later, it is probable that as they are used to a certain amount of liberty - even with the difficulties involved - they will go back to the streets, to the drugs and the delinquency. We know that if we do not tackle this problem or if we simply pretend to help or talk without taking action, many street children will die. And the survivors will have a very bleak future.

Of course, to solve this problem in a permanent way, what is needed is prevention, so that new children do not end up on the street. But in the meantime, we must save those who are already there. As in medicine, it is foolish to choose between prevention and treatment, as clearly both are urgently needed.

Street children can be saved and all that is needed is political determination.

It’s very difficult for us to bear the thought that these children, even very young ones, are living and dying in the streets. We know that helping these children to get out of the streets is a tough job. But something can be done if the political will is there. We have no alternative but to do something because we can’t continue to watch these children in a perpetual brutal existence. We are denying these children a childhood. What we see at Manda Hill traffic lights and other streets of our towns and cities paints a very worrying picture.

Without really playing the blame game, we believe it should be the responsibility of government to ensure that these children are given a chance to live decent lives off the streets. But who is government? It is all of us. If this is so, why can’t we collectively do something about this problem? If government belongs to us, why can’t we tell government or force it to do something about this problem?

It seems the problem is that our government is making informed, deliberate choices that actually hurt childhood. But what should trouble our minds is that when so many of our children are growing up hungry, lonely and unhealthy, we should be ashamed that we have failed to deliver on the promise of childhood.

The consequences of not paying attention to the problems of these children do not need to be overstated. Meeting the Millennium Development Goals depends on reaching these vulnerable children across the breadth and width of our country. There cannot be lasting progress if we continue to overlook the children most in need - those on the streets, the poorest and most vulnerable, the exploited and the abused. Be that the indisputable reality, over 750,000 of our country’s children are vulnerable and 75,000 of these live on the streets. These children do not have homes, they only have food at the mercy of almsgivers and they spend cold nights on the streets. These are children who do not have any hope of getting an education. These are children whose future has been shattered.

When looking at this problem, what we should note is that it is less a factor of income than of basic rights. And this is why we urge our government to adopt a human rights based approach to social and economic development, especially as it is related to the plight of children. When making social and economic programmes or policies, our politicians should bear in mind the long-lasting effects on children. Otherwise, these children will continue being deprived of some semblance of a normal childhood. We have to change this and give children a normal childhood, which they should deserve as a matter of right and not a matter of privilege.

Temperance group stresses God and country

The New Anatolian / Ankara

‘If the hearts and minds of youth aren’t filled with the values of God, the Prophet Mohammed, patriotism, the flag, history, historical heroes and other national moral values, this vacuum will be filled with the ideas of ill-intentioned people and perverse ideologies,’ reads report

In a new report said to focus on the problems of street children, a Turkish anti-alcohol and tobacco association revealed that it has another axe to grind: the key role of both religion and stemming foreign influence in the salvation of "Muslim and Turkish identity."

The Turkish Green Crescent Association warned in the report released over the weekend that unless the love of "the nation, God and the Prophet" is fostered in the hearts of young people, they will fall victim to the "ill intentions" of certain people and perverse ideologies.

The report is being seen as likely to exacerbate worries of secular sectors of society over the rise in the Islamist tone of associations and public institutions as well as several municipalities of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party that drew fire when they banned sales of alcohol at municipality facilities.

They also attempted to further restrict the selling and serving of alcoholic beverages in cities in line with an Interior Ministry regulation, thus spurring a debate over individual freedoms.

The debate fueled already-existing suspicions of the hidden Islamist agenda of the AK Party. The suspicions got further support from the alleged Islamization of the discourse of public institutions, where the AK Party is accused of cronyism, such as the state-owned Turkish and Radio Corporation Television (TRT).

Moreover, a leaflet of advice for people planning to get married, released by the AK Party-controlled Ankara Altindag district Municipality, sparked debate in the media and in Parliament over its Islamist and misogynic tone. The report advised young men to "ensure that the woman you marry is clean, religious, honorable, hasn’t been touched by somebody else, has seen no other men besides the one she will marry, and has a good family," adding that men should "throw away a woman who doesn’t wake up early."

Saying that the group has new projects to help street children, the new Turkish Green Crescent report says that psychological support and drug addiction treatment will be provided to these children and they will be sent back to their families after rehabilitation.

However, going beyond the problems of street kids, the report also issues religious- and nationalist-oriented warnings to all Turkish children.

According to the report, children shouldn’t be allowed to play with toys and games from foreign cultures as these would harm their Turkish identity formation. Children should also be taught their national identity and should wear clothes that are compatible with Turkish identity, it urged.

The report argued that one of the factors in the rising number of street children is the moral degeneration of society. "If the hearts and minds of young generations aren’t filled with the values of God, our beloved father the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), patriotism, the flag, history, historical figures and other national and moral values, this vacuum will be filled with the ideas of ill-intentioned people and perverse ideologies," warned the report.

Stating that the violent movies have a bad influence on children, the report also criticized the "Matrix" series and similar films for propagating the "atheist line of thought, and the denial of the Holy Creator and destiny." The report also touched upon the risk of AIDS and argued that male circumcision decreases the risk of contracting HIV.

"There are efforts to degenerate our Muslim and Turkish identity, which has lasted for more than 1,000 years, as well as efforts to make Anatolia Christian," claimed the report, adding that Turkish people should protect their national unity like the Japanese.

Mustafa Necati Ozfatura, the group’s head, is known for his columns in daily Turkiye supporting the unity of the Islamic world and warning that Turkey should re-embrace its "national and moral values" to make the Islamic world stronger.

Philstar.com - The Filipino Global Community:

Manila cops rescue, feed street children
By Nestor Etolle
The Philippine Star 02/15/2006

The Manila police spread the spirit of love through the rescue and feeding of 121 street children yesterday.

The operation, dubbed as ‘Sagip Batang Lansangan,’ was spearheaded by operatives of the Sta. Cruz police station (PS-3) led by Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, in compliance with the directive of Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong.

‘Even for just a single day of every year, we in the police force must share our blessings for the less fortunate, which is just appropriate on this particular day, Valentine’s Day,’ Sapitula said, adding that they chose the homeless street children as their beneficiaries.

Street children are a common sight on Manila’s streets, with most of them even sleeping on sidewalks. Civic groups have joined hands to shelter these children, but they eventually go back to the streets.

Sapitula tasked his police community precinct commanders to round up these children as early as 4 a.m. in coordination with the Council of Community Elders.

The children, whose ages ranged from four to 15, were brought to the police station where they were given clean shirts.

Rice porridge and fruit juice were also distributed to the children, while their names and other personal identification were taken by MPD civilian employees.

Sapitula also lectured the children on the perils of spending the night on the streets and related to them stories of street children turning into criminals.

After feeding them, the children were turned over to the officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for proper disposition.

Sapitula said they often celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving flowers and candies to elderly women of the city."

We ignore street kids at our peril

"THE issue of street children is no longer a negligible affair, but a matter of grave concern, because of the devastating effect they have on society.

Children wind up on the street because of various misfortunes that befall their families.

The massive number of street children and beggars was originally blamed on the turbulent political past and the early days of the AIDS scourge, that left many orphaned and with no option but to try to survive on the streets.

However, 20 years down the road, with relative peace and the HIV infection rate falling, one fails to account for the increasing number of street children and beggars. Society may overlook the issue but will live to regret having done so.

Many of these children are born and raised on the streets. They endure an agonising life, which moulds them into a breed of hard-core criminals.

These children have no training at all to sustain themselves in an upright way and they will be a menace to society in days to come.

Samuel Senkaba
Kampala

Kolkata’s street children

There seem to be two groups of children on the streets of Kolkata: the professional panhandlers and the destitute. Most in the former group wear tattered clothes and worn out sandals and seem to at least get a meal or two a day judging by their frames. Many in the latter group are barefoot and barely clothed or naked. Naked babies. Naked toddlers. Naked eight year olds, though their age is always a guess because they are invariably short and thin for their age. Despite their desperate state, this latter group does not beg, which caused me to reflect on the two groups of children who by most standards are both quite impoverished.

Group 1: the destitute
It is hard to engage the most desperate street children, both because it is devastating to see their condition and because there is no hint of childlike laughter in their eyes with which to start an interaction. Getting lost on the roads of Kolkata is the best way to see these children as they, unlike the professional beggars, do not roam the touristy stops. Jer and I took a wrong turn heading to a tourist office and ended up taking a circuitous loop through the less touristed streets: the ones Mother Theresa invariably knew well during her work in Kolkata. And unless you have something with you to offer, like Mother Theresa’s vision, a blanket, a set of child’s clothing, or the confidence that money is not futile, it is hard to interact with these children.

There are times that you see scenes so striking they are etched into your mind and become images you never forget. My work in public health started when I acquired enough of these that they turned into a short film in my head that blended with my consciousness so that I looked at the world in a different way. Two young girls in Kolkata added a new image to this short film of destitution. They were side by side on the corner of a busy intersection in the city. Buses, police cars, taxis, government vehicles, bicycles, vendors, businesspeople and pedestrians passed on all sides of them. The two had their pants pulled down and their feet up on the curb and were hanging back off the vertical bars of the sidewalk railing to defecate in the gutter as traffic whipped past. We approached them from the back as we crossed the street: two bare backsides, two ponytails four thin arms reaching skyward, and four small hands clutching the bars. As we passed in front of them four eyes, opened wide, followed our move. They were not even among the most destitute children we saw judging by the fact that they had clothes, but it was the act itself and the look in their eyes, which for the life of me I couldn’t read, that took my understanding of urban poverty to a whole new level.

I held their gaze as we passed, trying to recognize in it something to which I could respond. A tinge of embarrassment to which I could try to reassure them with a small smile. Anger that I could meet by at least not averting my eyes. Sadness or resignation that would indicate a small plea for some sort of relief from their state. But I couldn’t read any of this. Maybe the gutter toilet was so commonplace for them that they nearly forgot what they were doing and were just dumbstruck to watch two white foreigners, one a tall blond (Jeremy), on a street that doesn’t see frequent tourists.

For my part I have no idea what they read in my face; I was too absorbed by their eyes to know what my own expression was. But I hope with all of my heart that my eyes didn’t tell them what I was really thinking. That I wasn’t too surprised. That after watching men peeing all over their country and defecating in crop fields in plain view of their house (and me in the train) it was only a matter of time before seeing a woman or young girl following suit. That if I was living on the street as a child with cars and buses and people and cows passing my by without looking at me that I’d hang from the sidewalk rail as if playing on monkey bars and relieve myself too. Because if people can walk by without acknowledging you day after day, then you certainly must be invisible.

If I was so inclined I could draw all sorts of analogies and broader reflections on India from the two girls as their fists clenched the bars. Yes, they looked like monkeys in a disturbed world zoo. Yes, it’s hard to say if they’re in the cage looking out or if they’re outside the cage and can’t get in. Kolkata is known the world over for street begging. But none of the people on this street were begging. Every 20 paces there was another small family on the sidewalk. Generally the mother was lying on the pavement with her arm across her face or was grooming a child’s snarled hair. The babies were lying beside the mother while the toddlers, often naked, stood several feet away in the midst of sidewalk traffic peering up the length of legs passing on either side of them. They were some of the poorest of the poor – the lowest on the wrung of people getting by. People just slightly better off than those in times of famine who have hollowed out cheeks from a temporary state that will either ease or kill them. And still, not a single person extended a hand or even looked pleadingly at the people passing. If they looked up at all it was with an apathetic expression, much the same as a tired middle class person watching a television program that holds little interest.

Group 2: the “professionals”In general in Kolkata it is the women, the children and the decrepit who panhandle. Much has been researched and written about the industry begging has become. It is reported that most beggars work in groups, have shifts and managers, and are sometimes mutilated at a young age to increase their panhandling potential. The money collected each day is largely turned over to the man running the begging circle and by giving money to women with babies and people with maimed limbs, in particular, you are reinforcing the lucrative position of being in one of these two categories. So people inclined to give money handouts are in the tough situation of deciding if a handout does more harm than good. We usually tried to avoid deciding by giving food instead.

In addition to food handouts and wanting no part of the money-exchange side of this ‘industry’ I also defaulted to what I know best: chasing children. I’ve found that thanks to most foreigners and Indians who hustle past the onslaught of small tugging hands and “please sir’s!” called out, the last thing these kids expect is a foreign woman to turn around and lunge at them with tickling fingers extended.

Now some of the kids can be downright mean as they beg. They’ll pinch you, mutter unpleasant things, or demand money and I leave these kids to their work. But some of the children seem either bored by their work or to take it as a game, and these little ones scream with glee when I turn on them quickly. All it usually takes is one quick 180 degree hop with hands on my knees for the young panhandlers to realize that I’m not going to give them any money. Quick alternating taps on the head, tummy, nose, ears and chin reliably provoke eruptions of giggling. The interactions are usually short so they can return to their work, but it’s nice, even for a minute, to see smiles from these kids who know humanity all too well.