Woven lives: The intersection of streetism and resilience in Dodoma City, Tanzania.

Introduction: Street children are a vulnerable group and a social problem. Weaning them off the streets requires an understanding of push/pull factors related to street life. Objectives: To describe factors associated with initiation and continuation of street life among street children in Colombo city. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study of mixed methods was conducted in Colombo Fort, Pettah, Slave Island and Maradana areas. Semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with key informants using a semi-structured questionnaire (SSQ). Focus group discussions were conducted using a moderator’s question guide with street children recruited through referral sampling. SSIs were also conducted with 25 street children, using a SSQ. All children identified through referral sampling were subsequently profiled. Data triangulation was used to validate data. Results: Two hundred and eighty three children, aged 8-18 years, were recruited, 210 (74%) being boys. Representation of minority ethnic groups was comparatively higher. Over 40% of children had been introduced to street life by their own family. Other common mediators included close family relatives, non-relative known contacts and peers. Common reported reasons for initiation of street life were: death / illness / imprisonment of one or both parent/s, extreme poverty, alcohol/substance abuse by fathers and being born in streets. One third of children lived in single-parent families and 42% with non-parent adults but 18% lacked an adult guardian. They had poor educational achievements and no occupational skills.Conclusions: Disadvantaged socio-economic conditions, poor family functioning and family influence have brought children to the streets. (Key words: street children; initiation; continuation; rehabilitation; Sri Lanka)Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 2013; 42: 70-75http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v42i2.5626

Sex Work and Sex Exchange Among Street Children: An Urgent Need for a Global Response

BackgroundScabies is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) and a significant public health concern in resource-limited settings. While the prevalence and burden of scabies in Ethiopia have been well documented among the general population, little attention has been given to the perspectives of street children on their vulnerability to this condition. This study aims to explore street children’s views on their perceived susceptibility to scabies, the role of gender in this vulnerability, and their resilience strategies.MethodsA qualitative ethnographic study was conducted from March to May 2024 across three Ethiopian cities: Addis Ababa, Hawassa, and Adama. Data were collected through in-depth interviews (IDIs), participatory group discussions (PGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and non-participant observations. To ensure diverse representation of informants, a purposive sampling approach was used to recruit 66 street children, 15 parents, and 15 key informants. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze and interpret the data.Findings: Although some street children could describe typical scabies symptoms, the study uncovered widespread misconceptions and limited understanding of the causes and prevention of the disease. Many children viewed scabies as contagious and linked to poor personal hygiene, but did not mention mites as agents, and considered scabies an inevitable consequence of street life. Participants believed scabies was prevalent among street children due to overcrowding, and close contact with infected peers. Male street children reported higher perceived vulnerability than their female counterparts, attributing this to differences in working conditions, access to hygiene facilities, and societal attitudes. Peer support networks, support from charities, and personal resilience were seen as key factors in coping with the condition.ConclusionsPeer-led, integrated health education interventions are crucial in reducing street children’s vulnerability to scabies. These efforts should actively engage street children and their support networks. Additionally, gender-specific interventions should be developed to address the unique vulnerabilities of male and female street children, tailoring health communication accordingly.

Many older children outside of family care and alternative care arrangements experience unique circumstances. Some have nowhere they call home. Others are not willing or are not ready to be reintegrated with their families for reasons such as feeling let down by their families and being judged by their families as outcasts. For some, the factors responsible for their dropout still stand. Yet on the streets, they suffer violence, exploitation and abuse orchestrated by employers (exploiting child labor), law enforcement authorities, care and justice systems, institutions (UNICEF 2011a), peers, gangs and strangers. This study aimed to find out the protection responses to children outside family care. It was conducted through focus group discussions with street children (14–17 years), interviews with staffs of 2 drop-in centers (non-governmental organizations—NGOs) working with street children in Kampala, staffs of other NGOs, and one Probation and Social Welfare Officer (PSWO) in Kampala. It revealed that the common agency responses to the children’s needs often emphasize child identification, admission into temporary care, family tracing, rehabilitation, resettlement, and reintegration with their families. In light of the interests of children however, this was not their priority. Such interventions, though critical, did not necessarily meet the needs of many children, being neither in their best interests nor serving the purpose of child protection. Children appealed for hands-on tailor-made skills training in preparation for productive adult life. This chapter underlines the need to take into account children’s opinions in making resettlement decisions. It concludes by placing emphasis on tailor-made skills training programs integrated with a social skills package to ensure these children secure productive adult life.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of street life on the growth and health status of poor children who live and work full-time on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh (street children), independent of the effects of poverty. This was accomplished by comparing 142 street children with 150 poor children who live and work on the streets of Dhaka but who return to their families at night (slum children). Children between 7-14 years old were recruited at locales where street and slum children are typically found. Weight and upper arm circumference did not differ significantly between street and slum children (P > 0.05), but energy reserves, as assessed by skinfolds, were significantly larger in street than in slum children (P < 0.05). There was no wasting in either street or slum children. Although the majority of children in both groups were stunted and underweight, there were no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05). The prevalence of disease symptoms tended to be slightly higher in street children than in slum children, but few of the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). These data do not support the contention that street children are a particularly high-risk group. The greater-than-expected growth and health status of street children, compared to other poor children, may be due to biologically fitter children being more likely to permanently move to the streets and/or to remain on the streets once the move has been made.

Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of social fields, this article sought to answer two research questions: (a) what challenges do street children encounter on the streets? and (b) what survival strategies do these street children adopt to cope with street life? Thirty street children constituted the study's sample size. Data were gathered through in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions and were thematically analysed. It was found that street children encountered challenges including abuse, inadequate access to basic needs, stigmatization, and theft. This study also found that some street children resorted to their peer networks and intimate partners for protection, as well as for financial and material support. Additionally, some street children engaged in menial working jobs and in some cases, stealing and prostitution to fend for themselves. While these survival tactics were noted to be crucial in the lives of street children, this article recommends for the intensified implementation of state and non‐state interventions to help alter the unwholesome living conditions of these vulnerable children.

Research on street children has typically described the phenomenon and examined the risks of street life to healthy development. Thus far, research has not contextualized street children's psychosocial lives by comparing them with non-street children or street children undergoing rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to assess how the life priorities of Tanzanian street children, former street children and school-going children (n = 183) differ according to their living environment. The “Importance scale” was designed and validated for this study. It includes 29 four-level Likert items about relationships, activities and family, encompassing two subscales: current well-being (Cronbach's α = 0.65) and preparing for the future (Cronbach's α = 0.72). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and contingency tables to determine group-level differences. Post-hoc Bonferroni tests determined pairwise differences. The analyses demonstrate significant differences in 14 of 29 priorities according to living context. With only three differences, former street children were more similar to school-going children than they were to street children. Street children and school-going children differed on 12 items, while street children and former street children differed on nine items. Street children considered that obtaining good advice from adults, having a dependable place to sleep and having time for enjoyable activities are most important, while former street children and school-going children pointed to education-related ambitions as most important. Findings show that after just 1 year of rehabilitative care, former street children's priorities are more similar to school-going children's, and thus rehabilitative care may be instrumental in enabling children to prioritize preparing for the future. Street children's emphasis on a safe place to sleep and adult support may reflect unmet basic needs. Former street children's high priorities on education and protecting themselves may represent healthy adaptation and a hopeful orientation to the future. High-quality rehabilitation for homeless youth can fulfill essential needs that may promote positive shifts in street children's priorities.

Violence against children has recently become detrimental. The study was conducted in Dodoma city at Nzuguni ward to examine strategies employed by single fathers in preventing violence against children, whereby a cross-sectional design was employed. A non-probability sampling procedure through the snowball technique was used to select single fathers, and a purposive sampling technique was used to obtain key informants, including a ward police officer, community development officer, social welfare officer, and ward executive officer. Data were collected using surveys, focus group discussions and interview methods, using questionnaires and checklists as tools. The study collected data from 65 respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse quantitative data, where frequencies and percentages were computed, and qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The findings indicate that the majority of single fathers employ living with relatives and sending children to boarding schools as strategies to prevent violence against children. Other strategies include limiting interactions with others, talking openly and friendly with children, staying alone with children, and using caregivers and neighbours. The study concludes that strategies used have succeeded in preventing their children from violence in their households but have not ensured preventive measures outside their home place. Therefore, the study recommends collaborative efforts of different stakeholders in preventing and responding to violence against children. Furthermore, awareness of parents and guardians talking openly with children should continue being raised as it seems less employed.

This paper is based on study that was conducted to explore challenges with eradicating the problem of street children in Tanzania. Street children is a sensitive and significant social and human rights problem growing in the world today. In Tanzania, street children are found in almost all urban centres and the situation is getting worse in Dar-es-Salaam, the biggest city in Tanzania. While a number of scholarly research studies have been done regarding the problem of street children, empirical data with regards to challenges with eradicating the problem of street children are limited in Tanzania. It is based on this gap of knowledge from the literatures that promoted this paper which also is also informed by Durkheim's structural functionalism theory.The study employed qualitative approach in combination with case study strategy where by data were purposively collected through in-depth interview. The primary sources of data included: street children, social welfare officers, community development officers and ward executive officers. The collected data were analysed using thematic analysis model to obtain themes.Overall the findings established that poverty, poor planning, weak legislations and weak enforcement of legislations, breakdown of traditional safety nets and HIV/AIDS have been cited as major challenges with eradicating street children in Tanzania. This paper recommends that the government should improve household income of poor households, review the existing laws and policies protecting the welfare of children, conducting awareness raising campaigns on the care and support of the most vulnerable children and combat HIV/AIDS.

BackgroundThe life and health of street children are becoming a global concern. Push and pull factors i.e. poverty, family death, economic decline, child abuse, financial independence, and peer influence draw children into the street. The street lives by itself pushes them into sex work, and lack of shelter magnificent abuses, where both sexes have the same sleeping quarters.Materials and MethodsA phenomenological study design was employed from January to March 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Time-Space Sampling (TSS) was used to recruit participants into the study. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and individual in-depth interview were used to collect data. Data analyzed by using framework analysis software.ResultsAbout 103 participants took part in the study. Finding shows street children are encountering widespread challenges like social network fragmentation, child trafficking, harassments, and shortage of basic needs. Furthermore, poor design of comprehensive, contextualized strategies and less political value worsening the problems. They are considered as a felon, outlaws, and having a mentality of committing a crime by both law-keeping bodies and society. This situation resulted in fewer acceptances of street children by the community, and less legal protection by law that made them more at risk for denial of social protection. Street children positively perceived strategies like Income Generating Activities (IGAs), shelter, community support, child protection, and access to education, health services, life coaching, and less extent re-integration strategies to address their problems.ConclusionThe study shows street children are defenseless to harassments and denial of social protection services. Poorly designed policies, strategies targeting them, less political values, and traditional response by government has been subjugated, which made them prone to health and social problems. Therefore, finding might be beneficial to health data scientists, and policymakers; to design and implement policies, and strategic plans in addressing, and preventing their plights.

This paper examines the coping strategies that were employed to curb the situation of the question of child streetism Specifically, the paper analyzes the challenges faced and coping strategies by street children. I used two major cities i.e., Dodoma City which is the Capital City, and Dar es Salaam City which is the major commercial city of Tanzania. Methodically, the study employed both qualitative methods. Instruments for data collection included participants’ interviews, key informant interviews, and document review. The findings of the study revealed that child streetism in both cities was largely promoted by both push and pull factors. Major push factors included poverty, limited family support, family violence, low education, and single parenting. In terms of coping strategies, the study found that street children in the two cities survive by using the little money they get through begging and doing other petty activities. To address this issue, the study recommends mechanisms such as providing community education on how to handle children, increasing attention on the matter from the government and other stakeholders as well as involving religious leaders.

Single parenting has recently become common worldwide, transcending cultural, social, and economic boundaries. The study was conducted in Dodoma city at the Chang’ombe ward to explore the community’s perceptions of single parenting. The study examined the community’s attitude and practice of single parenting. The study's sample size was 155 respondents, obtained using a systematic sampling technique. Also, purposive sampling was used to select the ward executive officer, social welfare officer, and children protection committee members as key informants. A survey method through a questionnaire was used to collect data from community members, and interviews using a checklist were used to collect data from the key informants. The quantitative data were analysed using the IBM-SPSS Statistics version 27 computer programme in which descriptive statistics (mean, frequency and percentage) were computed, and content analysis was used for qualitative data. The study found a positive attitude among most respondents, indicated by the mean score ranging from 3.7 to 4.5. The study also revealed that a parent raising a child alone is overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities. In addition, a child raised by a single parent misses the care and love of the other parent, may experience abuse, poor academic performance, get involved in lousy peer groups, moral decay, loneliness, sadness, and lack confidence and self-reliance. Moreover, the study found that the majority of the respondents experienced single parenting, which resulted from searching for employment opportunities, the death of a partner, separation, birth out of wedlock, divorce, and choice. The study recommends that local government, through social welfare officers and the police gender desk in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, should continue providing education on the negative effects of single parenting to children.

This study examined social factors leading to street children's abscondment from rehabilitation centres in Iringa Municipality. Specifically, the study investigated the children’s peer pressure, social culture and children’s autonomy factors contributing to children's abscondment from the rehabilitation centres. A snowball chain was used to obtain 10 street children who absconded from the centres and Purposive sampling key informants. Interviews and documentary reviews were used for data collection. Thematic analysis technique (TAT) was used to analyze data. The results showed that social factors significantly influenced children's decisions to abscond from rehabilitation centres. The study found social factors that drive children’s decisions were peer pressure, social culture practised at rehabilitation centres and the desire for children’s freedom or autonomy played a significant role towards children's decisions to abscond from rehabilitation centres. These factors are rooted in their social experiences, relationships, and perceptions of the environment that they lived in before joining rehabilitation centres. To end the study, it concludes that children's abscondment from the rehabilitation centres was a result of a combination of social factors ranging from the influence of peer pressure, street children's autonomy and desire to regain self-independence as well as the social culture practised at the rehabilitation centres. The study recommends: (i) To rehabilitation centre, addressing social factors effectively requires rehabilitation programs to incorporate comprehensive vocational training, financial education, and sustainable livelihood options that cater to the unique needs and aspirations of street children (ii) The government must develop a coordinated multi-agency strategy to identify and share information about concerns for a children person’s safety when absconding from centres. (iii) Recommendations to scholars, the study recommends examining political ecology factors contributing to children's abscondment from rehabilitation centres to cover large areas to enable generalization.

The general perception, on the part of South African society, is that street children are a major social menace. Yet the reality is that, street children are a vulnerable group that suffer both psychological and physical- violence including sexual abuse. This qualitative study investigated the social experiences of street children in Mafikeng, North-West Province in South Africa. Data were collected using focus group discussions made up of a total of 20 participants aged 10-19 years, and selected using convenience sampling. Three themes were extracted using the consensual qualitative method and constant comparison to establish credibility and trustworthiness. The results of the study revealed three major themes (i.e. reasons for abandoning home: life in the streets, and the desire to go back home), and three sub-themes (risks and challenges encountered, regrets, and the desire for rehabilitation and schooling). Recommendations included the need for psychological interventions among this group, the need further for research, and the need to use probability sampling techniques in future studies, as this might provide a more comprehensive picture of the situation.Keywords:Street children, social experiences, Mafikeng, Africa, vulnerable, psychological interventionIntroductionThe rapid increase in the number of homeless or street children in the cities of Africa and in the North West Province of South Africa in particular, is a matter of grave concern. Many street children are feared by members of the public because of their general physical presentation in public. They are usually dressed in rags, are unkempt, live from hand to mouth, and roam the street all day long. These children are more visible around market places, vehicle parking areas, busy road junctions, outside cinema houses, and other busy public places. At night, they sleep in uncompleted buildings, at bus stops, under bridges, in abandoned vehicles, in public gardens and parks or simply in the open. They also experience economic challenges and psychological trauma, emanating from physical violence, which includes police brutality and sexual abuse perpetrated by members of society.Street life may result in the children becoming vulnerable to exploitation, which in turn may make them get hooked to drugs such as marijuana, and glue. Street children often engage in more than one type of economic activity to make ends meet. Sometimes they engage in seasonal work in which the earnings are very low. Often the activities which they engage in are unlawful or morally inappropriate. According to Adisa (1994), street children engage principally in petty crimes such as shoplifting and pick-pocketing; they seldom take part in serious crime like robbery, car hijacking or murder. Glue-sniffing and other forms of drug abuse and prostitution also tend to be part of the street subculture (Jansen, Richter, & Griesel, 1992). The involvement in a myriad criminal activities leads to the propensity of street youths to graduate from, what Diop and Faye (1997) have termed a 'pre- delinquent state' into a state of criminality. Street Children may also engage in prostitution and homosexuality, thereby putting themselves at serious risk of contracting and spreading HIV and AIDS, in addition to other health hazards (Kruger and Richter, 2003). It is because of the potential risks they pose to society at large that the situation of street children needs to be given far greater attention than has hitherto been the case.According to Ross (1991), the majority of street children in South Africa are black and normally aged between 13 and 14 years - a legacy of the apartheid period. However, Van Niekerk (1990) argues that it is unrealistic to explain the situation of street children in South Africa on the basis of a political system alone; rather the problem should be considered holistically. While Le Roux (1993), identified family violence, parental alcoholism, abuse, poverty and personal reasons as to why many children live on the streets, Keen (1990) identified broken homes, alcoholism, violence and desertion by family as some of the factors contributing to street children. …

Multiple traumas and resilience among street children in Haiti: Psychopathology of survival