849,054 – That is the number of street children in Tanzania, according to a 2012 estimate. Over 22% of children have migrated into the streets, mainly due to lack of school fees.
Street children are amongst the most vulnerable in society. Many of them live on the streets because of domestic violence and sexual abuse in their families. They face persecution from police, sex tourists, and gangs.
The Right To Protection
According to UNICEF, all children are born with children’s rights – mainly the right to protection. Despite these rights, over 75% of street children are from abusive households, and over 25% experienced emotional abuse during their childhood. The people in society mostly ignore them as they often misunderstand these children as thugs and a danger to the community.
Challenges Faced by Street Children
Most children experience or have experienced psychological issues and physical issues due to malnutrition and negligence from parents. Many do not trust anyone and carry knives or sharp objects for self-defense. There is a higher chance that these children might even participate in criminal activities for survival, e.g., dealing with drugs and stealing.
Many street children experience danger and abuse from people who take advantage of their vulnerability. They get beaten by the police, they involve in gang fights or even end up taking drugs. Street children have a very high risk of death at a very young age. Their safety is effectively non-existent, especially at night.
Addressing the Problem
Instead of eliminating the “problem” by killing street children or putting them to prison to decrease the numbers of the children on the streets, the government needs to fight the real cause of having so many kids living on the streets. Listening to the street children and creating policies after considering their voice is the first step. The government has to employ more street workers to talk to the children and support them mentally. They need to provide food and shelter for them. Creating awareness about sex education (which is still a taboo in many cultures and areas), which in turn creates awareness about pre-marital sex, teen pregnancies and STD’s, is of vital importance in such communities.
There are many ways to prevent children from ending up on the streets. These are just examples of solutions that could eliminate the cause of children having to live on the streets:
- Educating all families about children’s rights and supporting them with educational programs such as daycare or kindergarten.
- Financially supporting low-income families and making sure part of the money is spent on food and necessities for their children.
- Implementing higher mandatory minimum wages across the country so that parents do not have to work many different jobs or even make their kids work to pay their bills. Earning more money by working fewer hours would allow them to be at home to raise their kids properly and keep them off the street.
- Encouraging the work of NGO’s and non-profit organisations.
- Providing opportunities in government schools and employment for citizens that are 18 years or older (job creation programs).
- Removing restrictions on birth control and abortion and providing free access to medical services and sex education.
- Implementing stricter laws concerning child abandonment/abuse and child trafficking.
- Spending more money on education and health programs.
The Progress so far
Fortunately, in the past four years, free education for children has made a considerable difference and reduced the number of street children. Besides, providing rehabilitation for street children has made real progress in developing countries like Tanzania.
Tanzania sent out a team for the “Street Child Cricket World Cup” of 2019. It has been a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate their skills and interests and was overall a great initiative taken by the association as a matter of love and unity.
Such measures, if they are continued in addition to enforcing strict laws on child trafficking and forced labour will show a positive long-term impact in these countries and a significant drop in the number of children out on streets.
However, there is still a long way to go. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is challenging for these children out on the streets as they have nowhere to go, in addition to being threatened by police and exposed to the pandemic.
Many organisations, such as EVIE GRACE FOUNDATION, have been prividing for them during the pandemic. They have proven that humanity and compassion still exist, even in hard times. With love and consideration, we can get through this together.
Evie Grace Foundation is currently fundraising to provide a safer and more spacious new home for our former street boys rescue centre. If you want to make a donation or read more about it, please follow this link.
Sources
https://pesacheck.org/is-tanzanias-urban-street-child-population-increasing-7038d87e4576
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24401759_A_Survey_of_Street_Children_in_Northern_Tanzania_How_Abuse_or_Support_Factors_May_Influence_Migration_to_the_Street
https://www.africanews.com/2019/09/25/number-of-street-kids-in-tanzania-drops-after-introduction-of-free-education//
http://gvnet.com/streetchildren/Tanzania.htm
https://allafrica.com/stories/201905021043.html
Written by: Chandini Balla and Andrea Manno
