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Written evidence submitted by the Consortium for Street Children (CSC)
1. Introduction: 1.1 The Consortium for Street Children (CSC) is the leading international member-based network dedicated to advocating, promoting and campaigning for the rights of street-involved children. We are committed to creating a better and sustainable future for some of the most disadvantaged and stigmatised children by working together to inform and inspire research and action that influences policy and best practice worldwide. CSC published the first report of its kind, State of the World's Street Children: Violence in November 2007. CSC welcomes the opportunity to submit written evidence to this enquiry as many children living and working on the streets originate from, and live in and around, urban slums. 1.3 This submission will follow the key issues which was outlined in the announcement, but these questions will be answered within the framework of what impact urbanisation and poverty has on the most vulnerable children - street children. 1.4 Key recommendations: · DfID adopts indicators specifically mentioning street children in their revised and updated Institutional Strategy with UNICEF. · Any new initiatives designed to improve the lives of the urban poor must take into consideration factors, such as discrimination, stigma and denial, which can prevent street children with complex overlapping needs from benefitting. · Tailored education programmes which can assimilate vulnerable children into formal education systems need to be up-scaled and financially supported. Equally, wage earning schemes such as rubbish collection should also be formally invested in. 2. Street Children: 2.1 The term 'street children' is hotly debated. Some say it is negative - that it labels and stigmatises children. Others say it gives them an identity and a sense of belonging. It can include a very wide range of children who are homeless; work on the streets but sleep at home; either do or do not have family contact; work in open-air markets; live on the streets with their families; live in day or night shelters; spend a lot of time in institutions (e.g. prison). The term 'street children' is used because it is short and widely understood. However, we must acknowledge the problems and wherever possible we should ask the children what they think themselves. In reality, street children defy such convenient generalisations because each child is unique. 2.2 Street children live transitory lifestyles, unsupervised by adults, and have little, if any, access to health, education or social services. As a result of society's neglect, they are exposed to a great variety of diseases and abuses, including sexual abuse, prostitution and intravenous drug use, and are more likely to be sexually active at a younger age. 2.3 Due to the complex and varied circumstances of children living and working on the street, it is very difficult to estimate the number of street children that exist worldwide. In 1989, UNICEF estimated that 100 million children were growing up on urban streets around the world, and in its 2005 report it stated that the figure runs into tens of millions across the world, but recognised the difficulty in quantifying the precise number. It further noted that it thought it likely that the number of street children was increasing. Despite the difficulties of estimating a precise figure, it is an undeniable fact that street children are particularly vulnerable group with complex characteristics and specific needs. 2.4 The
Canadian Development Agency[1]
has estimated that by 2025, six out of ten urban dwellers are expected to be
under 18 years of age. And according to the UN HABITAT publication, State of the World's Cities, out of 1.1 billion young people aged
15-24, less than 4% are employed, yet there is another statistic showing that
in 3. How effectively are developing country governments and donors, particular DFID, addressing the challenges presented by urban poverty?: 3.1 Street children are a complex phenomenon and are certainly one of the challenges presented by urban poverty. As one of the major international donors on the world stage DfID plays a significant role in tackling poverty and deprivation worldwide. However, CSC and its network continues to be concerned by the lack of attention and real solutions given to the 'street children phenomenon' by DfID and other world players such as the World Bank, UNESCO, and most importantly UNICEF. CSC believes that DfID is, as one of the major donors to UNICEF, ideally placed to support, guide and evaluate UNICEF's work with children around the world, with a particular emphasis on the world's most excluded and vulnerable children, often living in extreme poverty in and around urban slums. 3.2 There is an assumption amongst many donors, including DfID, that funding to UNICEF benefits street children. However, as has been documented through the years DfID does not record expenditure to particular groups and are therefore unable to evidence their assumption that the funding given to UNICEF benefit street children. For example, "DfID links the classification of its expenditure to the MDGs, not to expenditure on particular groups. It is therefore not possible at present to identify the total amount spent on programmes for the direct benefit of orphans and street children"[3] and "We do not record or report expenditure specifically on street children[4]". 3.3 UNICEF state in their medium term strategic plan (MTSP) that "UNICEF also pays particular attention to the circumstances of children who lack parental care"[5], and that street children fall under their theme of 'Child Protection', although street children are only mentioned twice in that strategy[6]. Our members working on the ground has extensive experience of trying to engage with UNICEF at a country level. Below is an excerpt of comments made to CSC from its network for input into our recent written submission for DfID's consultation on "Working in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): New DFID institutional strategy 2009/10 - 2011/12":
· "We have had extremely limited interaction with UNICEF"; · "UNICEF is simply impenetrable"; · "It seemed to us that the work we do with children still living on the streets did not seem to be one of their priorities. We did not receive any support or feedback"; · "In the case of South Africa there has been poor interaction with UNICEF over their responses to the issue, ranging from a total lack of engagement with grassroots initiatives, to emails from the Pretoria office stating that street children are not currently a strategic priority"; · "Networking forums/coalitions are exclusively chaired by government ministries and UNICEF are rarely present, giving the sense that consultation with (I)NGOs outside predetermined policy boxes is rarely done"; · "As experts on the ground working with upwards of 2,500 street children & CSW/CSEC, we have rarely been consulted and almost never visited by UNICEF". 3.4 In its consultation response to DfID's enquiry into its Institutional Strategy with UNICEF CSC recommended that DfID adopted indicators in its revised institutional approach which specifically mentioned street children. CSC believes that this is the only way for DfID to ensure that the funding that is given to UNICEF actually benefit street children, as a particular challenge of urban poverty. 4. DfID's contribution to meeting the MDG 7 target which seeks to improve the lives of slum dwellers: 4.1 Some
of the biggest slums of the world, with people living in extreme poverty, are
in middle income countries, such as
4.2 As well as developing strategies to deal with poor sanitation, housing and education, development agencies such as DfID need to recognise and consult with the different populations that constitute an urban slum of which street children are a significant proportion. For street children, factors such as mobility, gender, disability, public discrimination and denial, can prevent them access to any new initiative designed to improve the lives of urban poor.
4.3 Educating communities that street children should not be defined as social 'problems' whilst at the same time identifying that street children often have very different needs and realities from other urban poor children. Thus, programmes such as educational support to slum dwellers need to encompass children living out of families and communities. Much programming is also single issue based so again can exclude street children experiencing overlapping complex needs (i.e. Disabled and homeless; HIV positive and in prostitution). 5. The provision of basic services and infrastructure in slums, including energy, housing, transport, sanitation, water, health and education: 5.1 Slums dwellers often have only one room, with no privacy for parents (a factor influencing the early age which some children become engaged in sexual activity). Also, lack of privacy can lead more often to exposure to domestic violence - a factor which drives many of the world's children to the streets[7]. In addition, children do not have light and quiet space to do their homework. Slums also do not allow for adequate space for education facilities, forcing children to travel a long way (at a cost of time and money) and/or being educated in severely cramped and unhygienic facilities. Lack of space for sanitation facilities in schools is a particular issue related to the attendance rates of girls in education, and causes problems for boys also who are expected to just put up with lack of privacy. 5.2 CSC
has recently been working in partnership with the Tanzanian government to
develop a national street children strategy to deal with the 'street children
phenomenon' in a positive and pro-active way. As part of this initiative CSC,
together with its network and local partners operating in 5.3 It is crucial that any new initiative designed to improve the lives of urban poor involves the (most vulnerable) children as well as the adults in identifying and designed appropriate interventions. Tailored education programs that assimilate vulnerable children working and living on the streets into the formal education systems are crucial. NGOs working on the ground are ideally placed to support these initiatives but are as always poorly funded. 6. Supporting opportunities for employment and livelihoods for the urban poor: 6.1 Besides recognising the importance of tailored education for street children, it is also vital that schemes such as rubbish collection and recycling to benefit young slum dwellers and street children as wage earners are formally invested in. It will also have the added value of benefitting their environment and recognise them as contributors to their communities. Several street children charities also run successful 'street children banks' where the children can deposit their day's earnings, and save money for a more sustainable future. 7. The role of property rights in improving the lives of slum dwellers: 7.1 Some
street youth and children can group together to rent rooms in slum dwellings;
however, there is often no security of tenure as property registration
processes are inefficient, complicated, expensive and often illiterate
landlords are excluded from municipal processes that could help address the gap
between formally 'recognised' properties
and informal/'illegal' settlements. This creates uncertainty, inability to plan
for the future and vulnerability to eviction. There must be a call for further
research and co-operation between local government and young people to
determine their property needs for the future. 6. The implications of the current global financial downturn for urbanisation in developing countries. 6.1 The slums themselves may not increase as the economic crisis unfolds, but its effect is likely to be found specifically in the urban slums as this has been the main area of growth in recent years. 6.2 The consequences of the economic downturn can be manifold for children. Lack of income for parents may provide renewed or increased incentive to put children out to work, to the street or in places that expose them to risks relating to their physical health and emotional well-being. Recent research[8] shows that in times of economic crises domestic violence tends to increase given the increased pressures the household faces. Children that are faced with such violence, either as a victim or as a witness can suffer from the effects of such trauma throughout their lives, affecting their ability to sustain regular attendance at school and/or find employment. Often, violence in the home is a deciding factor in children deciding to run away from home and take to the street for survival. Once on the street these children are faced with even more violence in the hands of police, the public and other street children, traumatising them and complicating their reintegration back into society. [1] http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/REN-218125542-Q3B [2] http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_008014/index.htm#N_1_ [3] Written answers, Baroness Amos, 18 January 2005, on 'Orphans and Street Children'. [4] Written answers, Gareth Thomas, 7 December 2006 on 'Street Children'. [5] The UNICEF medium-term strategic plan, 2006-2009, p.12 para. 23 and 24. [6] UNICEF Child Protection Strategy 20 May 2008, p. 2 (4), and p.14 (48). [7] Consortium for Street Children, State of the World Street Children: Violence report, November 2007 [8] ODI Background Note, 'Children in times of economic crisis: Past lessons, future policies', March 2009. |