Children on the street

Being a street child however, is not an easy task. Anyone who is going to be a street child is being influenced by its sub culture. As we realized, many children in slums would become children of the street.

By Asanka Bulathwatta

(October 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Child is considered as the most innocent and peerless creature of the world even she/he is from home environment or outwards. As we know, street children are known as children who spend their time on streets in terms of selling and helping adults to do business in an irregular manner. Most of them are helpless, poor and misplaced due to lack of attention paid by the guardian and parents. But most of them have a house. Unfortunately those houses are not as good as ideal homes that we think. Immensely, they are staying in slums.

When we started a research with NCPA Kandy branch, we were unable to identify even a single child who can be considered as a street child. Most of them were being institutionalized and others are to be institutionalized, according to the Authority. Then we went to slum areas where they stay during the daytime.

Situation that emerged from the slum areas cannot be ignored. We were being highly criticized by them due to their earlier experiences. Actually slum life is quite familiar to them. Even children who are going to be a street child in his/her future life had no idea about the world where he or she could get good education and affluent lifestyle. The only thing they knew was the material goods they were forced to find.

Being a street child however, is not an easy task. Anyone who is going to be a street child is being influenced by its sub culture. As we realized, many children in slums would become children of the street. But they are schooling. Unfortunately schools that they attend are not as pleasant as schools that are high in demand.

Ramesh, a middle child of a family said that he doesn't have an idea about going to school further due to the indifference shown by teachers and friends coming from middle class families. Some children had an inner desire to attend school. But their environment does not encourage them.

Pavithra an innocent girl who was carrying some basket of clothes at the moment we met her. She told a cruel story that can't be ignored. She doesn't have a birth certificate and the mother has abandoned her. Her innocent face and age of adolescence might be sufficient for the offenders to harass her sexually.

Most of children who are being forced to be street children show persistence in his or her work style due to the environment that they are exposed to.

Some of them have set up their goals that can be achieved only in a street setting. Therefore we have to take action to safeguard street children from the social threats they face.

-Sri Lanka Guardian