STREET CHILDREN

 Nowadays, there are many children who live and work on the street. They are exposed to physical and psychological abuse, disease and occupational hazards. Although this situation is against children’s rights and many people know this fact, this problem can’t be solved. If we want to eradicate this problem, we should focus on what makes children live on the street.

       Many of these children are born into abusive or negligent families, poverty and overcrowded situations. Unfortunately, their families force them to work for extra income.  Some of these children also work on the street in order to escape their abusive families. But they are exposed to more abuse on the street from their peers and other adults.  Working conditions also threaten their lives. Second, many children working on the street are abandoned or orphaned. They also live on the street. Therefore, they are undernourished and their growth is stunted. They are susceptible to disease. Because many of them can’t benefit from medical treatment and vaccination, they die.

       Some of those children live on the street because their families are unemployed and poor. Their families also live on the street and have health problems. So, these children feel responsible and they begin to work. They quit their school due to the fact that they must work. When they don’t get necessary education, they don’t gain any ability to earn money. They don’t have any choice other than doing dangerous jobs or begging on the street. Unfortunately, some of them also commit crimes. When they are involved in delinquency, they are often inclined to drug abuse.

       Consequently, when we see these children, we have to prefer to seek reasons rather than ignore them. We can remove them out of society, but this can’t solve the problem. Everyone should know the fact that their recovery will take a long time. But, if we stop estranging them from society and try to help them, we can overcome this problem.