The Street Children of Latin America Julia Jackson Alyssa Gill
Sheina Whitney Gerald Mattern
Slide 2
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
Slide 3
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
Slide 4
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/PMC 1113205/table/T2/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC 1113205/table/T2/
Slide 5
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 arent 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
Slide 6
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
Slide 7
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
Slide 8
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
Slide 9
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
Slide 10
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
Slide 11
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
Slide 12
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
Slide 13
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
Slide 14
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
Slide 15
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
Slide 16
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
AiresBuenos Aires -Crdoba -Rosario
Slide 17
Argentina: State of Children Major Issues Poverty Violence in
Education Right to Education Health Native Children Child
Labor
Slide 18
Chile One of the most stable countries in Latin America Major
Cities: Santiago Puente Alto
Slide 19
Children of Chile Major Issues Poverty Healthy Education Child
Labor Child Abuse Street Children
Slide 20
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?
Slide 21
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://isw.sagepub.com/content/40/1/89.full.pdf+html
http://www.lasco.ie/ http://www.lasco.ie/ http://www.casa-
alianza.org.uk/northsouth/CasaWeb.nsf/Street-
Children/Street_Children_Facts?OpenDocument 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.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.streetchildrenresources.org/wp-
content/uploads/2013/02/children-in-the-streets-latin- america.pdf
http://www.humanium.org/en/