Number Of Street Children Research Articles

The Use of Modern Contraceptives Among Women of Child Bearing Age Attending MCH/FP Clinic at Uasin Gishu Sub-County Hospital, Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Introduction: Family planning is a practice of controlling on when to have children through the use of contraceptives. Contraceptive use in developing countries has decreased the maternal deaths by 40% and could prevent 70% if the full demand for birth control is met. Problem statement: Despite serious campaign programs to sensitize women of reproductive age to take up contraception, there is still a rise in population and other problems such as rise in the number of street children which negatively impact on economy and available resources. Objectives: To identify the types of contraceptives used, to determine the perception of women on contraceptive use, to determine the factors associated with contraceptive use and to assess the effectiveness of the different types of the contraceptives. Justification: The study sought to determine the extent to which each contraceptive method was known and used, the effectiveness and factors that determined the use of contraceptives in women of child bearing age. Methodology: The study population included all women of child bearing age (15-49 years) attending MCH/FP clinic at Uasin Gishu Sub-County Hospital. A cross sectional descriptive survey was the design and Systematic random sampling was used to select respondent. Chi-square test was used to measure the strength of associations between variables where a p-value of = or <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The study showed that a large percentage of the respondents had knowledge on family planning methods with pills being the most known, the most commonly used method of contraception was injectables and among the methods used condom had the least complications. Conclusion: The contraceptives available were injectables, pills, male and female condoms, implants, IUCD and respondents also had knowledge on Natural Family planning (NFP), among these injectable and pills were mostly preferred. Recommendations: The health workers within the MCH should not limit the health education only on the methods available in the facility but should include all family planning methods.

Karakteristik Anak Jalanan dan Bentuk-Bentuk Kekerasan terhadap Anak Jalanan di Kota Padang Provinsi Sumatera Barat

Protection issues of children's rights in Indonesia has not received sufficient attention. Law 4 of 1979 concerning child welfare, and No. 23 of 2002 on the protection of children. Children's rights, such as the right to life, the right to protection from the threats to her own safety, the right to equality in education, employment, health, the right to employment, the right to meet the needs of food, clothing and shelter. Quantitatively, the number of street children in the city of Padang in the last ten years has increased. This research provides in-depth information about the various forms of violence experienced by street children in the city of Padang. This study was conducted in five point activity gathering place and street children in the city of Padang. The study found that violence to street children and some factors which it caused the violence. Demoralization among street children is a reaction to a situation that is very limited and the rigors of life on the streets. It is difficult to make strict limits on the morality of the group of street children. All forms of violence experienced by children and street, is a phenomenological reality for street children and a variety of social interactions that occur among street children in it loaded with a cargo of reciprocity, and can be seen as a form of social safety networks. Keywords: Street children, violence and abuse, social protection

A social work study on family patterns and street children

This paper presents a social work study on relationship between various family characteristics and street children in rural area as well as city of Esfahan, Iran. The proposed study selects a sample of 150 street children, 75 from city and 75 from rural area, and using some statistical tests verifies the effects of three factors including family income, place of residency and family size on street children. The results indicate that the city residence had more street children than rural residence did. In addition, there was a meaningful difference between the number of street children in low-income families and high-income families. Finally, the survey results indicate that big size families more likely suffered from street children than low size families did.

Developing a Coordinated Response to Counter the Public Health Menace of Street Children

Street children refer to a vulnerable population of children and adolescents / youth for whom the street has become home and/or source of income for their as well as their family’s survival [1,2]. On a worldwide scale, a remarkable rise in the number of street children has been detected, as evidenced by the recent estimates which suggest that within the range of 100-150 million children are either living or working in the street [1,3,4]. Furthermore, most of them have to deal with multiple obstacles; including different forms of abuse which itself questions the integrity of their survival [5,6]. Acknowledging the global presence, enormous burden and involvement of dependant population, negative influence on the quality of life, and long-term impacts, the public health professionals have realized street children as a marginalized group of the society which needs immense attention and care [7].

Lost indeed, but not in translation.

Monteiro provides a passionate and compelling commentary (1) on our systematic review and meta-analysis of substance use amongst street-involved children in resource-constrained settings (2). It is indeed extremely disheartening that 20 years after the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the issue as a public health priority and developed resources attempting to address the problem, little or nothing has changed except that the numbers of street children have grown. Using a quantitative method of assessing and understanding substance use among this vulnerable group, we hoped this systematic review, in spite of its limitations, would bring street children’s substance use and related issues back to the forefront of the public health agenda. Re-ignition of enthusiasm amongst researchers, policymakers, advocates, and communities internationally to collaborate and move forward mechanisms to improve the health and welfare of these children through policy, research, and programmatic initiatives, is urgently needed. Street children’s fundamental human rights are being violated on a daily basis, including to the right to an adequate standard of living, education, health, access to healthcare, protection from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, economic exploitation and substance use, as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (3, 4). With estimates indicating that tens of millions of children continue to live and work on the streets worldwide (5), it is appalling that these young people and their issues are not a priority concern for global public health policymakers despite 192 countries signing and ratifying the CRC (6). We applaud the WHO Program on Substance Abuse Street Children Project and training package initiatives, but believe that to facilitate comprehensive programming, advocacy and policy changes internationally more needs to be done. The reports and training documents cited by Dr. Monteiro did not fall into the scope of our review. Although limited quantitative data are available in these publications (7, 8), they did not meet our inclusion criteria as the methods were primarily qualitative and the quantitative measures reported were from organizations utilizing unknown methods and sample sizes for estimating prevalence of substance use. We acknowledge our restriction of English-language publications as a limitation, but suggest that a more appropriate title to Monteiro’s commentary might have been simply “Lost”, rather than “Lost in Translation” to describe the sad state of street children today. There is clearly an opportunity for leadership among international organizations such as UNICEF, PAHO and the WHO to address the plethora of individual and public health issues of street children in resource-constrained settings. At a minimum, stakeholders from academic, government, non-governmental and community-based organizations including street youth leaders should be brought together to develop a research and action framework that will mitigate risks to street children, make recommendations to policymakers, and set a research agenda. It is clearly long overdue that the rights, health, and welfare of this largely invisible and extremely vulnerable youth population be put back onto the international agenda.

Street children and road traffic injuries: a neglected association in prevention strategies in Nigeria

BackgroundThe volume of road traffic and the number of street children are increasing in major towns and cities in Nigeria since 1999.ObjectiveThe objectives include understanding and documentation of the nature...

Heavy metals assessment in the hair of street children by INAA method, Isfahan

The street children phenomenon is an increasing problem in most cities of the world including Isfahan, which is a fast growing town. The number of street children with the growth of the town is increased. It is therefore important to have baseline data on their health problems. Hair element analysis remains an important tool in the nutritional and environmental assessment of them. A measurement of the elemental concentration in recently-grown hair provides an integrated view of the element status in the follicular cells and their blood supply, unaffected by short term fluctuations in the nutrient intake of the subject. This study aimed to assess heavy metals concentrations in the hair of street children in Isfahan using neutron activation analysis method. The concentration of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn, and Zn) of 17 Iranian street children (Isfahan) was examined. Data analysis found that different profiles of the concentrations of Cr, Hg, Mn, and Zn were seen in each sample. These results were discussed with reference to show of environmental effects.

Bief Note: Urban street children in China: a social exclusion perspective

Street children are defined in China as ‘those under 18 who leave their families or guardians to wander outside for more than 24 hours without any dependable security and are trapped into trouble’ (An, 2002: 28–34). According to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, there are about 150,000 street children in Chinese cities every year. If we add the children who hang about in streets while living with their migrant parents, the number may be more than 300,000 (Zhang and Yang, 2002). In fact, the actual numbers of urban street children may be even greater because the above statistics are always based on past counts and estimates. The numbers of street children will grow with China’s rapid urbanization and industrialization. The first part of this article looks at this issue, partly based on literature and also on some interviews conducted during an action study at the Beijing Street Children Relief and Protection Center (2006–8). The second part focuses on the difficulties of protecting street children in China. The third part consists of recommendations.

Knowledge Of Hiv, Sexua Behagior And Correlates Of Risky Sex Among Street Children In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of Congo

Homeless children are at risk of getting many diseases, including sexually transmitted infections (STI). The number of street children is on the rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while very little is known about their health problems. To determine knowledge of HIV (transmission and prevention means), sexual activity, exposure to HIV-prevention services, and to identify correlates of risky sexual behaviour (not having used a condom at first or last sexual encounter and/or having multiple sexual partners over a 12-month period) among street children in Kinshasa. At the time of the survey, most participants (85.8%, 95% CI = 83.5-88.1) were sexually experienced and 55.8% had their first sexual intercourse when they were already living on the streets. The median age at first sexual activity was 14.3 years for males and 13.5 years for females. Compared to males (median number of sexual partners = 1), females tended to be more involved with multiple sexual partners (median = 12). Condoms were used less at the fist sexual encounter (20.2%; 95% CI = 17.3-23.1) and the pattern of condom use depended on the type of sexual partners (61.1% at last sexual encounter with a paid/paying partner and 23.1% at last sexual encounter with a non-paid/non-paying partner). In males, sleeping in a NGO-provided night shelter (OR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.27-0.79), and having had the first sexual intercourse while living on the streets (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.35-0.88) were protective of risky sexual behaviour, while a history of drug use (OR = 3.00; 95% CI = 1.46-6.18), and being aged 20 to 24 years (OR = 1.59; 95% 1.00-2.55) increased the likelihood of displaying risky sexual behaviour. In females, not knowing where to get a condom (OR = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.005-0.29), having started sexual activity when living on the streets (OR = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.01-0.73) and not having an income-generating activity (OR = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.01-0.44) were protective of risky sexual behaviour. Street children need to be regarded as a high-risk group for acquiring HIV. The potential benefit of providing homeless youth with night-shelters should be explored more since this could be an opportunity to integrate risk-reduction programmes that take into account all problematic behaviors such as risky sexual behaviour and drug use.

Editorial

Editorial

The Relationship Between Street Children and the Justice System in Egypt

This article examines the relationship between street children and the justice system in Egypt. After introducing the context of street children in the Egyptian case, it explores whether the justice system exacerbates the problem of street children and whether its potential to play a positive part in alleviating the problem should be revisited. The article then explores the basis for the negative perspective on the role of the justice system and the steps required to improve its role in solving the problem of the increasing number of street children. It concludes with a three-pronged approach for the Egyptian justice system to adopt to effectively address the problem of street children. The article is based on an existing knowledge base that is scattered in small-sample empirical studies, large-scale surveys, United Nations reports, newspapers, and a few academic articles written in both English and Arabic.

Perception of the health of children living and working on the streets of Sunnyside - Part 1: Literature review and methodology

The phenomenon of street children is generating increasing concern in South Africa. The number of street children has grown because of the current economic hardship in South Africa, increasing levels of violence and widespread family and community disruption. In terms of health, it is clear that street children may be vulnerable to a range of severe risks. The street child's view of health may differ considerably from that of the researcher. Discrepancies exist between the perceptions of the street children, and those of community health workers. This can have serious consequences when planning health promotion strategies (Jenkins & Emmet 1997:427). The purpose of the study was to describe the perceptions of street children concerning their own health. A qualitative descriptive design was followed in this study. Focus groups were used to obtain data. The findings of this research revealed five categories: Influences the environment has on street children's wellness Paths of homelessness of street children of Sunnyside that play a leading role in their wellness Wellness seeking behaviors of the street children of Sunnyside and the access to care they make use of Sources of advice and wellness education the street children of Sunnyside make use of Illnesses perceived by the street children of Sunnyside.

Health problems of street children and women in Awassa, Southern Ethiopia

Background: The number of street children and women in major towns of Ethiopia is rapidly increasing. Yet their problems have not been fully studied. Objective: To assess health and related problems in street children and women. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted in Awassa town, women southern Ethiopia in December 1999. Data was collected using a uniform questionnaire. The respondents were interviewed by trained health workers in purposively selected nine data collection sites for one week. The data was processed using Epi Info version 6 statistical package computer software. Results: A total of 506 street children and women participated in the study. A considerable proportion (63.0%) of respondents had daily income of less than four birr, all women being included in this category of income, and 15% of them had an income of less than two birr. Two hundred forty one (47.6%) of the respondents reported that they have had meals as available. Two hundred seventy eight (58.0%) of the children were homeless. Two hundred eighty (55.3%) of the street children reported one or more previous health problems. Malaria-like febrile illnesses (42.6%) followed by respiratory tract illnesses (33.1%) and diarrhoeal diseases (4.5%) were the major health problems reported. The majority of them attended government health care facilities to the reported health problems. About half of the children reported that they used one or more of the habit-forming substances (alcoholic drinks, chat and cigarette). Among street children above 15 years old and women, only 22.8% used family planning and prevention methods for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The majority (55.7%) of street children and women did not know the transmission routes of STDs and HIV. A large proportion (64.5%) of the street children did not attend any kind of health education programs. Their personal hygiene is found to be very poor. Conclusion: Improving access to existing health facilities, providing them with health education and looking for possibilities to reunite the street children with their families are recommended. [Ethiop.J.Health Dev. 2002;16(2):129-137]

Using capture-recapture in promoting public health.

Capture-recapture refers to a collection of statistical models that can be used to estimate population size using two or more overlapping sources of information about the same population. The capture-recapture technique is used commonly in demography to estimate the completeness of census data and vital registration systems and to estimate population birth and death rates. Further potential applications of the technique include obtaining improved estimates of the prevalence of child abuse certain forms of injuries extra-marital rape severe alcoholism septic abortions and the numbers of street children. Where more than two sources of information are available log-linear capture-recapture models can be used to obtain population estimates controlling for different forms of dependency between sample sites. In order to estimate the numbers of sex workers in Mutare Zimbabwe staff interviewed sex workers at a weighted random sample of bars over the Friday and Saturday nights of 2 consecutive weekends at months end. An analysis of the numbers of sex workers seen from 1 to 4 times was then used to estimate the overall number of women selling sex from bars over the study. Issues in capture-recapture study design include defining the population being estimated; accounting for population mobility and mortality; controlling for population heterogeneity; methods used to distinguish individuals; and the extent of repeat contacts. A substantial influx of sex workers occurred in bars between the 1st and 2nd weekend when men in the formal sector had just been paid. Each night different gifts were given to each sex worker interviewed to distinguish individuals. Generally the larger the overlap between samples the more accurate the estimate obtained. Capture-recapture methods are potentially a useful and feasible way of estimating the size of hidden covert or marginalized populations and to check the completeness of other forms of survey.