The Street Children of Latin America Julia Jackson Alyssa Gill Sheina Whitney Gerald Mattern

Who Are Street Children? Children who live primarily on the streets of a major city They are apart of the subcatergory: “thrown away children” They are more likely to come from single parent homes, or from impoverished families Usually in the densely populated areas of the developing nations in Latin America There are two major types: home-based and street-based

Home-Based vs. Street-Based Home-based are those who at some point have the opportunity to return home either after working all day in the streets or after a few days of making a little money Street-based are the children who spend all their time on the streets and do not have homes or any contact to family. Because some street children are home-based, it is sometimes difficult to determine just how many children are considered “street children”

A Few Characteristics There is an estimated 40 million children living on the streets, or about 45% of the children in Latin America Most come from shantytowns and the slums Mostly males aged 10-15, most girls are able to work in homes They sleep under bridges, abandoned buildings, or in public parks Most leave their families because they are abused by relatives, extreme poverty Most become sexually active at a very early age, and engage in “survival sex” Some girls are involve in prostitution http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1113205/table/T2/

Main Causes Most try to either support themselves, or supplement their families income Most are forced on the streets because of economic necessities Some families send their children to find work as street vendors, street workers, street entertainers. Those who aren’t with the family most steal and are beggars as well Some go out with older siblings, then go into their own work Inadequate government support to families High birth rates leads to more children, which leads to more children ending up in poverty Natural disasters, like hurricanes can displace families and children from one another, like in Haiti The death of a parent Mental and emotional abuse Intentions of reaching America

Types of street children There are three main subgroups of street youth in third world and developing countries. The largest group is children who work in the streets part time. The second group consists of children who run away usually for domestic abuse issues and survive by scavenging, begging and stealing The third group consists of impoverished families who live in public areas

Outcomes: Abduction Many children are abducted because they are orphans Other children are convinced to be sold by their parents in hopes of providing better job opportunities or for quick profit

Outcomes: organ trade Popular for homeless families to sell children and or organs for amounts ranging from tens to thousands of us dollars Organs are sold all over the world through the black market

Outcome: Prostitution Boys are exploited more often than young girls Increased number of infected children with HIV In sao paulo brazil, 4/5 of prison population is comprised of former street children Red- illegal, blue- legal but not regulated, green- legal and regulated

Outcomes: Gangs Gangs view children valuable resources The majority of recruits are tricked into joining . Gangs offer protection, food, shelter, education, money ; essentials. It is also common for children to be drugged and threatened for services Constantly decreasing age of recruitment

Solutions to the Problem of Street Children There are numerous solutions to the issue of the increasing number of street children The issue of street children has been traditionally tackled with four methods: Institutionalization Rehabilitation Outreach Prevention

Institutionalization (Government) The institutionalization of street children was implemented with the goal of correcting behavior Focused on correctional education instead of support and care These programs were ineffective and expensive Polarized street children by treating them as criminals

Rehabilitation (Community) The most widespread community organizations are churches and local orphanages These institutions deal with the issue of street children by providing housing, food, education, clothing and medical care Community organizations focus on rehabilitation instead of institutionalization There are issues with the process of rehabilitation as it is expensive and requires a long-term commitment Children learn few skills and are not motivated to seek employment

Outreach (NGOs and Community Groups) Emphasizes practical skills and employment Deployment of “ecuadores de rua” (“street teachers”) who meet and educate children in their own communities Some deem these programs a failure because they do not focus on preventing the creation of street children in the first place

Prevention (NGOs and Governments) Focuses on economic problems and human rights issues Utilizes self-help initiatives and educates families/children Other initiatives include vocational training for parents and welfare programs for poor families The main issue is that they are expensive

Examples of Nations with Street Children Argentina Once a prosperous country Seen today as a developing country Economic globalization  Wedge between classes Major Cities: -Buenos Aires -Córdoba -Rosario Argentina, once a prosperous country, is seen today as a developing country. Economic globalization has driven a wedge between the rich and poor. Poor children are discriminated against and some of their rights are violated. Realization of Children’s Rights Index :
8.27 / 10
Orange level : Noticeable problems Population: 41.7 million
Pop. ages 0-14: 25.6 % Life expectancy: 76 years
Under-5 mortality rate: 14 ‰

Argentina: State of Children Major Issues Poverty Violence in Education Right to Education Health Native Children Child Labor In Argentina, around 30% of the population lives below the poverty line. Low income families have difficulty raising their children who are sometimes victims of abuse. Poverty mainly affects rural families where children often live in poor health and have little chance to receive higher education. Violence in Education: Children who don’t obey their teachers can be spanked. This bodily punishment, though not something new, can still disturb the child. The child can then develop behavioral problems and think that violence is the norm. Right to Education:Education in primary and secondary schools has considerably improved. However, there are indications that there is a high rate of children who are held back or who drop out. After the collapse of the Argentinian economy, funding for education was reduced. Children from poor families were the first to be affected. For financial reasons, many children had to drop out of school. The violation of the fundamental right of access to education is contrary to the Convention relating to the Rights of the Child which requires public and free education. Health: Despite the reduction of infant mortality in the past few years, the rate remains high. The problem mainly concerns children living in rural areas and poor children in the North of Argentina. A 2006 law enacted by the government mandates the creation of health services as well as assistance and family information campaigns on the rights of children. This legislative progress is necessary so that all children are permitted access to care and medication. Native Children: Some native Argentinian communities see their rights violated and unrecognized. In fact, they don’t benefit from any effective protective measures or mechanisms permitting them to safely assert their rights. For example, in the province of Tucumán, native families live in abject poverty and miserable living conditions. They are constantly harassed by authorities who try to remove them. After numerous attempts, the authorities succeeded in expelling them. Children must therefore live in extreme poverty with very little available food. Children who defend their land with their families are often attacked or killed. These people and their children find themselves deprived of fundamental rights such as security, health, food, education, and protection. Child Labor: Because of the economic crisis, this problem is particularly serious in rural areas. Children from poor families are sometimes forced to drop out of school to work. Around 7% of children ages 5 to 14 work in order to help their families provide for their food and health needs. These children face many types of work such as performing housework for the richest families. The economic exploitation of children also leads to sexual exploitation. In fact, some of them will be forced to prostitute themselves in order to earn money. Adopting many laws and national plans such as the one against sexual exploitation, Argentina hopes to end this troubling situation.

Chile One of the most stable countries in Latin America Major Cities: Children of Chile Realizing Children’s Rights in Chile Despite past economic catastrophes, Chile is today considered one of the most stable countries in Latin America. Much has been done so that the country might be able to open its markets to the entire world; however, more progress is necessary. Realization of Children’s Rights Index :
8.91 / 10
Green level : Good situation Population: 16.9 millions
Pop. ages 0-14: 23,2 % Life expectancy: 79 years
Under-5 mortality rate: 9 ‰ Major Cities: Santiago Puente Alto

Children of Chile Major Issues Poverty Healthy Education Child Labor Child Abuse Street Children The phenomenon of street children remains a problem in Chile. Often the victims of familial violence, they flee their homes and end up homeless. Many of them live on the streets of Santiago where they struggle each day to obtain food and drinkable water.

Discussion Questions What do you think is the best solution method for helping street children (Institutionalization, Rehabilitation, Outreach or Prevention) ? Why do you think the age of gang members being recruited continues being decreased? Which other Latin American countries do you think would have a larger street child population?

Resources Rizzini, Irene, and Mark Lusk. "Children in the Streets: Latin America's Lost Generation." Street Children Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://www.streetchildrenresources.org/ wp- content/uploads/2013/02/children-in-the-streets- latin- america.pdf>. http://isw.sagepub.com/content/40/1/89.full.pdf+html http://www.lasco.ie/ http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/northsouth/CasaWeb.nsf/Street-Children/Street_Children_Facts?OpenDocument http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1113205/ http://www.streetchildrenresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/children-in-the-streets-latin-america.pdf http://www.humanium.org/en/