JUUC Social Discuss Program; Tackling the Menace of Street Children.

By Eno-obong Ekpo 

The phenomenon STREET CHILDREN was formally raised and documented in far back 1848. Sadly, up untill the rising age of the 21st century, it is still a household term. As the years grow older, the number of children on the street beats the count for it. And as the hopeful eye looks, what meets Its end is a society on the verge of peril, and the scales of history tilting against a possible solution. Ultimately, one is forced to believe mother world has failed in her responsibility of providing for her children. And while this may be true, hope is what we must not loose. This change which we seek will come, and a new history will be written for the young babes of our father land.

The Street Child

A quick analysis of the depressing issue of street children across the world follow thus; 

• In 1848, Lord Ashley referred to more than 30, 000 naked, filthy,roaming lawless and deserted children in London alone.

• In 1922, there were at least seven million homeless children In Russia, the aftermaths of both the world war 1 and the Russian Civil war.These abandoned Children Formed gangs, created  their own argot and engaged in petty theft, prostitution and even High quality robbery.

  

  Street Children in Cambodia

                                   
• In 2010, UNICEF carried out an estimated Statistics that held that over 250,000 street children were present in Kenya and 60,000 in its capital alone.                                               
• In India, there was an estimated sum of about One million or more Street Children in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai And about Eleven Million Children who earn their living off the streets in Cities and rural Areas in the whole of India.

The count still goes on and on with countries of Europe suffering a general plight from the burdens of the Menace of Street Children and Africa facing a not so much different Case.

In general, reports from the Consortium for Street Children, UNICEF estimated about 100 million children growing up on urban Streets around the World.

Our dear country is not uninvolved in this trending plight affecting the societies of the world. On its own, Nigeria has an Estimate of over 1 million plus Street Children all all around the length and breath of the Country.

Children without homes sleeping on the streets in Nigeria 

And here, a reasonable question is posed. Who are These Street Children?

What makes Them to be considered as "Street Children"?

According to Wikipedia, Street children are considered as children that are poor and without a home to live, forcing them to live on the Streets of a city, town or village.

What does this mean for a Country like Nigeria?

What it means is that Nigeria has about 1 million Plus Children who are poor, homeless, and liable on the streets of our cities, Towns and villages. Children sleeping under Bridges and In Construction sites  and Classrooms with broken desks as their beds and Stones as their pillows.

A street child without a home

These Children sometimes no have origin, no progenitors, and no background that the society knows of. They are scattered all around the face of the globe.

They are usually found in the Large Majority of our Country's most famous Cities and are mostly prevalent in densely populated urban hubs of developing or economically unstable communities/Cities.

Street children are among those rated to be highly involved in crime, and are also subject to abuse, neglect and exploitation. In extreme cases, they may be used for bizarre and ritualistic purposes.

Children without homes

The issue of Street Children in Nigeria has be a big problem that is yet to receive the needed attention from the public and Government administrations like it deserves to in our today's society.

What are the prevailing factors that Causes the emergence of "street children" in our Society?

A street child eating in the street 

The causes of the emergence of street children in our society today are often varied but often related to domestic, economic and social disruptions, including but not limited to poverty, family breakdowns/Breakups, political unrest, Acculturation, Sexual and physical or emotional abuse, domestic violence.

Cultural factors also necessitate the emergence of  the street Children in our societies.

Street Children begging 

In some parts of Nigeria, Children are made and forced to Leave their families and homes because they are suspected to be witches that bring bad luck. Also, among the Cultural factors includes the Accusation of Children to having committed heneous Crimes against society and culture. Crimes like adultery (Which may include rape or Sexual abuse) Or a strong refusal of an arranged marriage. These erring Children are sent off from their various homes and led away to the Society with no place to reside, no jobs to do, and no clothes to put on. At the end of it all, they allow themselves to take up arms to survive and feed and clothe themselves.

The crime rate in society through this spikes up and the society suffers much more.

Religious factors is a factor to be considered as what constitutes the problem of street Children in our Societies today.

With all these being said, One may in a reasonable sense ask, is there still hope in the fight against the Menace of street Children in our society today?.

The street child

One of the ways of ending or possibly reducing the problem of Street Children is through
a collective effort of people who come together to avail the solution to this problem. It is not uncommon to say that in Nigeria, the gap between the have and don't have is extreme. The scales of wealth in the country is tilted to one side with the level of poverty in the Nation suicidal. Yet we cannot always hold this as an cudgel for un seriousness and apathy in tackling the problem. 

We can curb the problem of Street Children through the following ways;

i)volunteering.

A generous act of helping the street child 

It really does not mean that one has to be part of an
international organization/program that Specializes in helping street Children to help children. You can always in the smallest of ways help in any way you can. But first you must volunteer.

Caring for the Street Child

ii) Establishing Connection

Always try to establish a connection with any street kid you come across. Move ahead to try to find out the cause of his situation and profer reasons which you think can help. You may also help them yourself by dining with them and making   them feel more secure with the fact that you are actually interested in helping their predicament.

A teenager establishing connections with street children 

iii) Advocacy/Awareness Creation

One of the many ways of ensuring good advocacy for street children may be through online or offline campaigns. Online processes could be made on Social media platforms and the Internet where you can create the awareness to the public on the dangers of having street children In our societies, the benefits that aligns with solving the problems of street children and tackling the original factors that causes the emergence of street Children today.

Advocacy for the Street Children 

iv) Hosting Seminars/Symposiums that allows for people to understand that it is ill to send a child away from the home and out into the street because of Heinous and demeaning beliefs.

Sponsoring campaigns that preaches against the factors that ensues street children in our streets and the indifference of government in tackling the situation will also do a great good.

  Education for the street child  

 The government can also play key roles in controlling and possibly solving the problem of street children.

This can be by increasing the budget and planning on issues that bothers on helping street children from the streets. Engaging more experts that are more conversant with the practices that allows for the curbing of the 'street children problem' and the hosting and sponsoring of seminars and campaigns that creates the awareness and advocates against the factors that aids the demeaning issue of street children roaming in our streets today.

feeding the street child 

The business of making Society better Is everybody's business, and this business should be performed with the highest of regards to societal growth and social development. The unification of purpose in curbing the issue of street children bothering in our streets today is overemphasized.
Every child deserves to have a home, and not sleep under Bridges covered with a tattered wrapper and a stone by his side which he may use to lay his head.