Young Survivors on the Street
Working with Street Children in Nepal: An experience of CWIN

By Gauri Pradhan

1.0 Introduction:

1.1 The problem of street children is universal.

1.2 There are over 100 million children in the world.

1.3 They are the reflection of a growing social tragedies in the world.

1.4 The problem of street children is comparatively very high in those countries where there is rapid growth of urbanisation trend. Cities like Bombay, Calcutta, Manila, Rio de Zenario, Mexico City, Bangkok, Johannesburg and Nairobi are some of the burning examples of street children problem in the world. The number of street children has grown in recent decades because of widespread recessions, political turmoil, civil unrest, increasing family disintegration, natural disasters and growing urbanisation.

1.5 Kathmandu is also among those cities where urbanisation growth is very high in last 30 years. Kathmandu, the "living legends" has been converting into a " city of garbage" and "city of loosing beauty". On the contrary, Kathmandu has become a home for thousands of street children and working children.

2.0 Defining

Street Children

Street children can be defined in various categories on the basis of the amount of time spent on the street, the job they take up for a living and their personal and family background. However, broadly speaking, CWIN has recognised the street children as those children who are completely street based, working and living in the streets. They could be orphaned or abandoned children or simply neglected or runaways. They could be with or without family. They could be both local children of the urban areas or migrated one from the villages. They could have little or no contact with their respective families. But they invariably spend all their time in the streets for livelihood and shelter.

3.0 An Estimation of Street Children

Even though there has been no official record of street child population as yet, CWIN has ventured the survey, studies and observation from time to time. In 1992, CWIN estimated the number of street children in Nepal to be around 5000. Street Children in Kathmandu:

On the Street: 1200 (Those who are working and living on the street)

Of the Street: 0300 (Those who have nowhere to go and nobody to take care and are the street survivors.

4.0 Bases of Street Children

Street children are normally mobile population. They roam from one part of the city to another. But generally, they have made certain areas their base when they do their business and sleep at night.

4.1 Kathmandu 4.2 Lalitpur 4.3 Narayangarh

4.4 Butwol 4.5 Pokhara, 4.6 Biratnagar,

4.7 Dharan 4.8 Birgunj 4.9 Nepalgunj etc.

Kathmandu, A Home of Many Street Children

Kalanki, Kalimati, New Road, Bir Hospital,

Bag bazaar, Annapurna, Thamel, Balaju,

Maharajgunj, Gausala, Boudha, Airport,

Baneshwor, Maitedevi Gyaneshwor, Lagankhel,

Koteshwor, Swoyembhu, Teku Sundhara etc.

5.0 Means of Survival of Street Children

Street children take up a number of jobs available in the streets. A street child may have a varied working experiences. CWIN studies has identified as much as 20 different types of job street children have taken in different stages of their lives, but at the end they have taken up the street based jobs such as rag picking, begging, tempo conducting, porting, flower selling, newspaper selling, street vending, shoe shining etc. . While doing these jobs, they are concentrating themselves mainly in the areas like junk yards, temples, market centres, cinema hall, airport, bus terminals, hard ware shops, tourists centres, etc.

6.0 Background of Street Children in Kathmandu

6.1 Gender & Age group

Out of 1876 registered children in the CWIN programme, only 56 (4%) were girls. Several social values and traditions such as discriminatory and sheltered upbringing for the girls, restriction of freedom, confinement, early marriage, women trafficking, sexual abuse etc. are the reasons there are so many fewer girls on the streets of Kathmandu as compared to boys. There are street children as young as 7-8, however the average age the children is 13.

6.2 Ethnicity

The number of street children corresponds to the percentage of different ethnic groups in the total population of the country. While the largest percentage are from Brahmin/Chetri groups, followed by Tamang, Gurung, Limbu, Sherpa, Newar, Tharu. About 07.23% children from the so called scheduled and untouchable castes and minorities are also found on the street.

6.3 Family background & parental condition

Most of the street children come from the poor farmers or agriculture workers. The rest of the children's parents are involved in several low-income jobs such as construction labour, driving, small business, carpets and tailoring. Only a very few children belong to the middle class families. Regarding parental condition, most children have both or single parents. Some have step parent/s while a number of them are orphans.

6.4 Literacy status

About 50% of the street children were admitted joined school at one point, but most had dropped out before they learnt their alphabets and number. As a result, out of 1876 children, only 37 % were literate which means they could recognise Nepali alphabets and numbers and write their own names.

6.5 Area of origin

The street children of Kathmandu seem to be a homogenous mixture of all places in Nepal. In fact, the street children in Kathmandu represented 62 of the 75 districts of Nepal. There were children from all five geographical division of Nepal - east, middle, midwest, west and far west. Out of 1876 children (1997), only 16.19% were from the Kathmandu valley with only 11.45% from the Kathmandu city itself. Rest came from other districts, with 44, 16% coming from the surrounding districts of Kathmandu.

In the year 1996, CWIN has rescued 332 street children, 16 working children from carpet factories, 136 migrant working children, 5 children living in jail with their detained parents, 32 forced prostitutes, 18 abandoned and abused children, 35 domestic working children in servitude, and 22 tempo conductors, from different difficult circumstances and supported for their care, education, counseling, treatment, family reunion and rehabilitation.

7.0 Misery Behind the Stories of Street Children

7.1 Attraction of city 7.2 Socio-Economic reasons

7.3 Urban migration 7.4 Family problems

7.5 Orphaned, abandoned and disability 7.6 Child Delinquency:

7.7 Child Labour Exploitation 7.8 Growing Slums/Squatters

7.9 Garbage and Rag Picking 7.10 Begging Habits:

8.0 Problems Being Faced by Street Children

8.1 Survival 8.2 Abuse and exploitation

8.3 Social hypocrisy 8.4 Exploitation and risk

8.5 Police harassment 8.6 Psychological problem

8.7 Influence of crime 8.8 Accidents

8.9 Emotional insecurity 8.10 Street Pollution

9.0 Psycho-Social

Behaviours of Street children

9.1 Very little span of concentration 9.2 Aggressive

9.3 Short tempered and reactive personality 9.4 Bear grudge and hatred towards their homes and police

9.5 Inclined to violence 9.6 Have care-a-damn attitude

9.7 Irresponsible about future and many more 9.8 Hard working and mature

9.9 Street Addiction 9.10 Street Smart, Enterprising and Loyal

9.11 Conceal their true identity 9.12 Use of drugs and substances

9.13 Culture of silence 9.14 Sexually Exposed

9.15 Mobile and change their base

10.0 Some Recent Observations about Street Children

10.1 Drop in number of street children 10.2 More facilities for street children:

10.3 Influence by sex tourism 10.4 Debt bondage

10.5 Child delinquency 10.6 Reduction of police harassment

10.7 Increasing social awareness 10.8 Progressive change in social attitude

10.9 Growing child participation 10.10 Some inspiring outcomes

11.0 The CWIN approaches for Intervention

11.1 Field Experiences 11.2 Socialisation Process

11.3 Education and Training for Capacity Building 11.3 Participation in Action

11.5 Advocacy in Action 11.4 Co-opeartives in Action

11.7 Family Reunionisation and Community Linkage 11.5 Networking and Alliance

12.0 Working With Street Children: CWIN's Experiences

Established in 1987, CWIN, as an advocate organisation on the rights of the child, has continuously working for the rights, welfare and dignity of street children for last 9 year. The first support centre for street children was established in 1989 following CWIN's field visits and studies which revealed the tragic problems of street children. The opening of CWIN Common room for the support and socialisation centre for street children was CWIN's first step in the relief, welfare and support action or children at risk. Since then, CWIN has expanded its socialisation, welfare and rehabilitation programmes for street children.

CWIN recognises the Child as an inherent component of society deserving the best that it has to offer. CWIN believes that every child has an inherent right to justice, peace and freedom, and deserves access to all fundamental human rights including education, health care, love, respect, security and protection. Development for children is not merely a technical matter; it should be a basis for national development. Therefore, all action concerning the child should take into account his or her best interest.

While not denying the necessity of part-time work for children under given socio-economic conditions, in general, CWIN recognises child labour as a form of socio-economic exploitation of children covering the denial of basic education, long working hours, under or no payment, forced labour, and health hazardous working conditions. In the Nepali reality, the exploitation of children exists mostly in the form of child labour, trafficking of children, child marriage, street children, and bonded child labour. The abolition of such child servitude is the ultimate goal of CWIN; thus, CWIN believes in action through advocacy.

12.1 CWIN Socialisation Centre/Kathmandu and Pokhara

12.2 CWIN Children's Home ( a Children's Transit Centre)

12.3 CWIN Centre for Children at Risk

12.4 CWIN Balika Home (Home for Girl Children at Risk)

12.5 CWIN Clinic & Sick Room

12.6 CWIN Education Support Programme (CWIN ESP)

12.7 Skill Education & Training Programme (CWIN SKILL)

12.8 CWIN Help-line

12.9 Street Children's Forum/The Child Rights Forum

12.10 Street Children's Theatre

13.0 An Evaluation of CWIN programmes for street children

Achievements

1. Over the last seven years (1989-1997), altogether 1876 children at risk have been brought into the different relief, welfare and rehabilitation activities of CWIN. Among them 679 were rehabilitated through family reunions, child care home referral, school sponsorship, skill training and job placement, etc. causing a considerable and visible decline of children in the streets of Kathmandu.

2. CWIN has been able to reach 62 districts of Nepal with the message of child's rights during family reunions and community connection. This has provided a solid background and base for CWIN to enter the different communities to develop and strengthen child's rights movement in Nepal.

3. There has been a visible positive changes in the socio-psychology and behaviour of street children coming in contact of CWIN centres and going through different socialisation processes. This is visible in the different qualities they have developed such as self respect, leadership, self esteem, dignity, emotional stability, ability to think of future, skill, good relations with people, responsibility, awareness, inclination for health and hygiene, less violence, dislike for street life and interest for more secure lifestyle.

4. Over the last seven years, CWIN has been able to generate concern and goodwill of local people, community and society. There has been considerable change in the outlook, attitude and response of different government bodies such as police, INGOs and NGOs in the issue of children.

5. Inspired by the model programmes of CWIN for the socialisation, welfare and rehabilitation of street children, many newly formed and well established NGOs have put street children in their main agenda and have initiated drop-in-centres and other support activities.

Constraints & Challenges

1. Lack of enough infrastructure for street children

2. Lack of professional counseling

3. Negative Attitude of the Society

4. Challenges in family reunion and community rehabilitation

5. Lack of clear policy and co-ordination by HMG/Nepal

14.0 The way ahead

Street children is an avoidable phenomenon in the country like Nepal where unplanned urbanisation is a growing trend. In this country, there is a huge gap between villages and cities and rich and poor. Most of the cities have been painted by so called new development models where as villages are deprived from even a basic facilities like food, health care, drinking water, education and employment. This has also caused a growing number of street children in the major cities in Nepal due to various social, economical and emotional reasons. However, if such trend increases ahead without any preventive and control measure, this will be a serious threat to the society in future.

Therefore, before it becomes chronic, all responsible and concern authority and people should seriously think for the protection of these children at risk. If these children, who are deprived of love, care, education, health care and other fundamental children's rights and are compelled to live a struggling life in the streets, are treated with compassion and understanding, there are a lot of possibilities of reforming and developing them into able citizens .

15.0 Conclusion

Street children are among the high risk and insecured groups and vulnerable to various forms of exploitation and abuses. They are deprived children, denied not only their rights as children but also their childhood. Without guidance, education and security, they are heading for an obscure future. They are miserable and need support. Most importantly, they need to be steered back to the mainstream of social life through proper education opportunities, reformation, care and rehabilitation.

Working for street children is a challenge - there are no hard and fast rules that would apply to all situations. Each country has to come up with a series of down-to-earth practical approaches and indigenous solutions most like to address the typical problems of street children in that locality.

Do not undermine them. They have enough potentiality and talent. If they are brought into a better environment, they are a real hope for future.