Streetism: The effects and coping mechanism of street children in Gondar City, Ethiopia

Abstract

As one of the metropolitan cities in Amhara’s national regional state, Gondar is being beleaguered by the problem of street children. The present study attempted to highlight the effects of streetism and the coping mechanisms of street children. The qualitative research approach was adopted and data were collected from 15 selected street children. The majority of street children were discovered to be between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Thematic analysis was conducted to further understand the lives of street children. Street children suffer from the burden of having to handle responsibilities at an early age. Thus, the findings of the study illustrate that the issue of street children cannot be viewed as an economic phenomenon alone but as a social and psychological one as well. Consequently, the study highlights that even in settings where street children are standardised, leaving home very early is related to negative outcomes. Keywords: Administration, coping mechanism, street, streetism;