BACKGROUND The definition of the term street child has been widely contested but the most accepted and commonly used definition is the one formulated in 1983 by the Inter-NGO programme for street children, ‘any boy or girl under the age of eighteen years for whom the street in the broadest sense of the word including unoccupied dwellings, wastelands has become his or her habitual abode and or source of livelihood and who is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults’. The issue of street children in Kenya was first noticed during the colonial period in the early 1950’s. During this period the colonialist imprisoned men and women leading to breaking of the family unit. The children were left to fend for themselves and it is from this that they sought to get a source of livelihood in the streets. From that the numbers of the street children and families continued to increase rapidly . More and more street children continued to be witnessed and the very first time that street children issue was discussed in a more organized manner was in the year 1982 when the World Health …show more content…
The most common and well known are those who have made the streets their permanent dwelling places. The street children live in difficult and harsh social economic conditions for lack of better and alternatives living conditions. Different reasons and circumstances have been attributed to the rise in the number of street children. Some street children happen to have family connections whereas others do not have any family connections. They have probably been abandoned while others choose to run away from their families as a result of issues such as marriage break down, being left as orphans, mistreatment and
During the beginning of modern Europe, there were conflicting views on the proper way to view children. Previously in history, the infant mortality rate was very high, so kids were treated more like adults and were often neglected because odds were they would die. There was a resounding view that kids should be treated harshly in order to become strong. Then in the seventeenth century, the idea of being tender and gentle to your kids was introduced. The way in children were brought up was influenced by assumptions made on both old and new schools of thought.
What could a parent do when their own life and their child’s are in danger? During World War II The Jewish, homosexuals, Gypsies, and disabled people were targeted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis for mass genocide. The Nazis built concentration camps to keep those peoples for labor, medical testing, and more, their goal, mass liquidation. Most people considered as expendables like women, children, the elderly, and the disabled were executed fairly early. While some who were valuable for their cause stayed.
In Columbia, South America, there is a large population of homeless people. During the 1990’s there was a population of around 40 million people, and many of the homeless population, were children. These children were on the streets of Columbia mostly on their own, begging for money and food. For the most part these children were unsupervised and left to their own devices. Slowly these children started disappearing, and unlike in most cities in the United States, when a child goes missing no one really notices.
Many end up on the streets because their parents lost their jobs and can 't afford the rent. Some have run away from abuse, violence,
Children in Foster Care “One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is to have a happy childhood and a loving home”. This quote by Agatha Christie comprises one of the most powerful realities for a child to successfully develop to his optimal potential. The main influence a child has is through stable and reliable caregivers. A child should find in a loving, caring, and responsible environment a place where his physical, intellectual, social, and emotional needs are fulfilled.
A hardship that many people have to endure is poverty. The characters in the short stories, Angela’s Ashes, by Frank Mccourt and The Street, by Ann Petry, both experience living in impoverished conditions. In the story The Street, Petry shows the life of a single mother who lives through the struggles of being poor. In another story portraying poverty, Angela’s Ashes, the author uses kids to paint the image of indigence. These kids are burdened with the task of caring for themselves.
Throughout human history, children were thought of as servants, apprentices, or a means to ease workload. Children would work on the family farm or a family business. They could be easily taken advantage of compared to adults. The exploitation of children for labor without concern for their education or welfare was common and even the norm. No special concern about children existed.
The Raising of children has been a topic that has changed quite a lot because things change due to the surroundings of the child and who they are bore from. Children from the 16th - 17th century were treated well based on their social status on birth, if you were born into wealth you would likely survive and if you were born a bastard or into poverty then you would be more likely to die of disease or infanticide. Although infanticide was rampant in Europe during these times it had been going for ages, like in Sparta when children were born female or weak they would kill them because they weren’t good enough to be born into their society. The adults opinion on children over time changed from loving their children to killing them changed a lot
Youth homelessness in Canada is not a new phenomenal, it has become more and more severe over the past 20 years. “One third of homeless individuals on the streets are under the age of 25”(Cino, Rose). It is a significant social justice issue in Canada. Within our community people are increasingly aware of the sight of youth sleeping in parks, asking for money and sitting on sidewalks. Youth homelessness is caused by tragic life occurrences such as abuse, illness or unemployment, while many falsely assume homelessness is a choice.
These factors include, but are not limited to, lack of affordable housing, economic insecurity, behavioral health, etc. Research has found that the main contributing factors for children living in homeless families are the lack of affordable housing, poverty, and domestic violence (Aratani, 2009). Similarly, mental illness, substance abuse, and lack of affordable housing are the top contributing factors of homelessness among unaccompanied youth (Aratani, 2009). In addition to analyzing the factors that can cause homelessness, the article explores the impact that homelessness can have on youth. For example, homelessness can often lead to food insecurity since food supplies can be scarce, which can then have a negative impact on the child/youth’s overall health.
While they may have escaped the poor living situation from their childhood,
Each year, a pool of thousands of homeless youth get commonly overlooked and misjudged throughout the United States. “In the 2013-2014 school year alone, it was reported that there were approximately 1.3 million homeless youth enrolled in the public-school system” (United States). Despite the enormous number of children homelessness affects, the public eye remains ignorant on the topic. Some people try to go blind to the number while others decide to look down upon those it hurts, rather than assessing and improving the situation. Until society gains knowledge of both the causes and effects these adolescents face daily, the ever-growing epidemic will continue to show no signs of improvement.
During the recent years homelessness has increased eminently. Although homelessness is not a new phenomenon it has become a huge social issue in today’s society. In urban areas homelessness is visible by the masses but ignored by society’s negative perception. Characterized as unstable individuals, alcoholics and criminals by society, these negative stereotypes have only escalate the issue. Homeless can occur at any stage of life for multitude of factors.
Child Neglect- the negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child by a parent or by a caretaker under circumstances indicating harm or threatened harm to the child’s health or welfare. Child neglect is something different than actual abuse although some may argue it is some form of abuse, reported cases of neglect outnumbered those of physical abuse. There is that very fine line between actual neglect and poor parenting; it covers a wide range of activities, and there is no single set of factors established that clearly divides neglect and poor parenting if child neglect is detected everything must be viewed with caution. Parent that neglect their children hold a certain set of characteristics they have an inability to
There are many issues regarding the welfare of children from all over the world. Children have been repeatedly impacted by wars and conflicts in their countries. Moreover, many children from some areas do not have access to their rights such as education and health and have to suffer from discrimination, violence, abuse and sexual and economic exploitation. After the World War II, Children from all over Europe had to suffer the aftermath of the war. This is when the United Nations stepped in and created United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, or as today’s shorter term, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in December 1946 with the sole purpose to lessen the suffering by providing foods, clothing and health care.