Poverty breeds street children

The numbers of street children under the age of 14 is steadily rising in most of Malawi’s urban and semi-urban areas, a study to be released shortly by UNICEF has found. “The problem is there for everyone to notice on the streets of Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu,” the report says. “Poor economic circumstances of urban families force children to the streets.” The study reveals that over 2,000 children spend the bulk of their time on the streets with 800 of these in Lilongwe, 1,500 in Blantyre while 100 are in Mzuzu. “High urbanisation, the increasing cost of living in towns and the marginalisation of low income groups are contributing factors to this social problem,” the study says. Most of the figures were collected on children who operated in business centres of the cities, but “the numbers of street children could be higher if figures from townships and other residential areas were to be taken into consideration.” A 1991 survey by the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs identified over 400 street children under the age of 18 in Lilongwe city. Males constituted the majority of these children at 80 percent. Vending was identified as the main activity at 48 percent, while 18.4 percent of females were engaged in prostitution. For the new report, UNICEF researchers interviewed more than 700 street children and identified three distinct groups, namely: working children; children on the street and children of the street. Some “83 percent of the children were on the streets due to poverty, while 11 percent were on the streets as a means of recreation,” says the study, adding that the rest cited domestic violence and frustration as reason for being on the streets. Vending represented 70 percent of the main street activities and begging 14.7 percent. Of the income earned from these activities, says the study, 60 percent is contributed to the income of their families while 38 percent is kept for personal needs. The study further points out that up to 44 percent of the street children’s parents or guardians are employed and 34 percent are in small businesses like vending, while 22 percent “do nothing”. The street children, according to the study, are at greater risk of experiencing health problems. “Eating unsafe foods, little or no personal hygiene and other environmental factors exposes them to health risks.” The study says common ailments suffered by street children include malaria, abdominal complaints, upper respiratory tract infections and skin infections.