The Lived experiences of Street Children in Gondar town, the case of Arada Sub-City. Principal Investigator: Tinsae Berihun

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, the problem of children living on the street is prominent. Living on the street created interrelated and extended challenges worldwide.16 In Ethiopia, the problem became pandemic and more than 130,000 street children are living in different cities; out of which about 3500 are found in Amhara region.

Objective: This study was aimed at exploring the lived experiences of street children in Gondar town, Arada sub-city.

Methods: The Research was employed Qualitative, exploratory design. Using purposive and snowball sampling technique, data were collected, through in-depth interviews and field notes from 20 boys and 4 girls. FGD and key informant interview also conducted with community and concerned bodies. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data.

Results: The result indicated that children on the street are leading a transitory life subjected to life threatening hazardous situations by the community, security bodies and by themselves. This led to scared life; deprived of basic necessities and exploitations. The effect of these all turned their life to involve in addiction, criminal activities and become prisoner. Conclusion: Children living on the street are suffering from multi faceted problems resulting to hunger, instability, abuse, sickness and violence. Key words: Street children, lived experience, Gondar 2

Introduction It was in the 1980`s the term “street” child was developed to refer “ any girl or boy for whom the street has become his/her habitual abode and/or source of livelihood and who is inadequately protected or supervised by responsible adults.” 12

United Nation also reported that there are 270 million street children worldwide that is increasing everyday.16 In the same vein, as estimated by UNICEF, the number of children living and working on the streets is increasing rapidly worldwide. For instance, there are 11 million street children in India and 130,000 in Punjab. 16 A report on the data of street children also indicated that 40 million street children in south America, 25 million in Eastern and western Europe, 25 million in Asia and 10 million in Africa.(As cited in Abdullah et al, 2014).1 It is reported that there are about 250,000 children living on the streets of south Africa. 4

According to UNICEF “The exact number of street children is impossible to quantify, but the figure almost certainly runs in to tens of millions across the world. It is likely that the numbers are increasing.” 1

Children are the siblings to the wider human capital that any country demands. Even though there are conventions on the rights of children, many children are living in worst conditions of street life. This neglect worldwide weakened to prioritize proper implementation of efforts and interventions focusing on street children developmental policies. Street life paralyzes the whole development of a child from early ages as it is full of difficulties and risks. Besides to the deprivation of basic necessities, street children are vulnerable to the problems of lacking nutrition, hygiene and basic well being amenities. 17

The phenomenon of street children has become a major social problem with serious implications to development. It is estimated that about 1.4 million street children are leading their life on the streets of Pakistan. As social services are unbalanced with the demands of street children, the