state of the world's street children: violence report

ISPCAN 2008

DR. SARAH THOMAS DE BENÍTEZ Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion

(CASE)London School of Economics and Political

Science S.Thomas-de-Benitez@lse.ac.uk

STATE OF THE WORLD’S STREET CHILDREN: VIOLENCE

• ‘STREET’ CHILDREN - Understandings…• STATE OF THE WORLD’S STREET CHILDREN

REPORT– Resource for action– Reflection of networking and cooperation

• FINDINGS• MAIN MESSAGES • RECOMMENDATIONS

OVERVIEW

WHO ARE ‘STREET’ CHILDREN?© P

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NOT ‘JUST A THIRD WORLD’ PROBLEM’...

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1. FIRST GLOBAL REPORT2. PRO-ACTIVE – OFFERS

WAYS FORWARD3. FROM CHILD TO POLICY

25 YEARS AFTER STREET CHILDREN FIRST MADE THE HEADLINES, GOVERNMENTS STILL USE VIOLENT TACTICS

WITH STREET CHILDREN, CONTRAVENING THEIR

RIGHTS, SCAPEGOATING THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES

STATE OF THE WORLD’S STREET CHILDREN REPORT

A MATURING CIVIL SOCIETY– CONSORTIUM – 50 + MEMBERS– ‘VIOLENCE’ WORKING GROUP– EVIDENCE – 70 COUNTRIES– 16 CSO CASE STUDIES

CIVIL SOCIETY AND ACADEMIA– EXPERT TASK FORCE & REVIEWERS– DRAWING ‘PSYCHO’ AND ‘SOCIAL’

TOGETHER

STATE OF THE WORLD’S STREET CHILDREN: VIOLENCE

WHY NOW?

1.CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

2. EXCLUSION AND AGENCY

4. MULTIPLE ACTORS

STATE OF THE WORLD’S STREET

CHILDREN WHY FOCUS ON VIOLENCE?

STREET CHILDREN ACCUMULATE EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCE FROM AN EARLY AGE. THESE FUNDAMENTALLY AFFECT CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT

BUT ARE RARELY ADDRESSED BY POLICIES OR SERVICES

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HOW’S OUR THINKING MOVING FORWARD? THINKING ECOLOGICALLY

Source: WHO (2002) World Report on Violence and Health. Geneva, World Health Organization

ECOLOGICAL MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS OF VIOLENCE

TYPOLOGY OF VIOLENCE

DIMENSIONS OF VIOLENCESTREET CHILDREN

Source: WHO-ISPCAN (2006) Preventing Child Maltreatment: A guide to taking action and generating evidence

FINDINGS - CHILDREN AND FAMILIES...© M

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onCHILDREN – IN PERSISTENT EXCLUSION DEMONSTRATEAGENCY

FAMILIES – BLAMED BUT LACK SUPPORT

STREET CHILDREN AND FAMILIES RETAIN LINKS

FINDINGS – CIVIL SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENTS...

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CIVIL SOCIETY – MORE CONNECTED, BETTER RESOURCED, EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

AUTHORITIES – VIOLENCE SOMETIMES ENTRENCHED, BUT EXAMPLES OF INCLUSION & PROTECTION

© Donna DeCesare

STREET CHILDRENARE BELOW THE STATISTICALRADAR

‘NUMBERS’ AREA DISTRACTION

PSYCHOLOGICALAND SOCIALRESEARCH NOTINTEGRATED

POOR RESEARCHFOR POLICY-MAKING

FINDINGS – ABOUT RESEARCH© D

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• ‘STREET’ CHILDREN ARE BOMBARDED OVER TIME BY ABUSE FROM A RANGE OF SOURCES AND OF VARYING NATURES

• PREVENTION MEANS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTING AND FAMILIES, INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES WORKING TO REDUCE LOCAL VIOLENCE

• PROTECTION MEANS: ENFORCEMENT OF RESPECT FOR CHILDREN, SAFE CARE SYSTEMS AND INVESTMENT IN EACH CHILD

MAIN MESSAGES

• CHILD-CENTRED SOCIAL PROTECTION – EQUIP ‘STREET’ CHILDREN WITH STRATEGIES TO PROTECT THEMSELVES

• SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES – PARENTING, UNIVERSAL CHILD BENEFIT

• CONNECTED COMMUNITIES – LINKING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES INTO SERVICES

• STATE PROTECTION – MAKE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND WELFARE SYSTEMS SAFE

• STRENGTHEN RESEARCH – HOW TO PREVENT AND PROTECT CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SPACES

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

• JOIN FORCES WITH CONSORTIUM www.streetchildren.org.uk – ADVOCATE AND MOTIVATE GOVERNMENTS TO PROTECT STREET CHILDREN

• SPREAD GOOD PRACTICE – INFORM PRACTITIONERS WORKING IN PREVENTION AND PROTECTION OF ‘STREET’ CHILDREN

• RESEARCH – ENCOURAGE PSYCHO-SOCIAL RESEARCH, AND RESEARCH FOR POLICY IMPROVEMENT

HOW CAN WE USE THIS REPORT?

CONSORTIUM FOR STREET CHILDREN

WWW.STREETCHILDREN.ORG.UK

THANK YOU