Street Children: Circumstances and Problems of Street Children in North Western Ethiopia Amhara Regional State, Central Gondar Zone

Birara Melese Yalew

doi:10.7176/rhss/10-23-01

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to show the general circumstance that is accounted for the phenomenon of street children, and problems in the study area. Thus, it examines the contributing factors that push children to be on the streets, encounters, and their experiences in their endeavour with street life. The study employed a qualitative method to get rich information about the actual life of participants. The study employed a Phenomenological design to investigate the daily life experience of street children. Purposive and snowballing sampling techniques in this study were employed to get participants. The sample size for this study was 23 participants in which 12 of them participated in an interview and 8 participated in focus group discussion and 3 key informants’ interview. The collected data were analyzed thematically. The findings of the study showed that children joined the street due to lack of family planning, divorce, parental detachment, poverty, attending religious education, abuse and neglect, peer pressure. The result also showed that children on street encountered rape, taking away their properties, chased away by Militia patrol and police; they are facing social exclusion, and health problems due to their dwelling conditions and inaccessibility health services. Thus, street children additionally face more troubles once they are on the street that is surely going to have an effect on their development. Keywords: street children, circumstances, problems DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-23-01 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Highlights

1.1 Background of the Study The issue of street children is a serious and worldwide problem
1.3 Objectives of the Study The aim of this research study was conducted with the purpose of investigating, circumstances and to show the www.iiste.org foremost problems facing on street children in Gondar city Amhara region, Ethiopia
Interview with the key informant in central Gondar women and children affairs directive who is serving as a professional of children right and security illustrates as follow: Our institutions always attended street children and as we identify most of the street children were coming from lower-income parents

Summary

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study The issue of street children is a serious and worldwide problem. It is alarmingly increasing occurrences that have been extended in many countries due to the rapid growth of urbanizations and the development of industrializations (Waghid, 2014). There are various reasons why children living on the street. The circumstances of street children are varying from country to country, since; it depends on the level of economic development, cultural, traditional setting, institutional intervention, level of social coordination and peace (Kibrom, 2008). Street children constitute a multifaceted phenomenon that can be divided into at three categories: children on the street, children at risk, and children of the street (UNICEF, 2012). Children on the streets are children who are working on the streets in order to survive (Lalor, 1999). Children at risk include the urban poor who form a reservoir of street children. Children of the streets are living and work on streets (Densely and Joss, 2000)

Objectives

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion