The life of a street child
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."
