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One of us: Street children in SL and the struggle to provide them safe haven

02 Oct 2021

  • Street children in Sri Lanka and the ongoing struggle to provide them safe haven 
Sri Lanka has a street child problem that has prevailed for years. We often see children on the streets, imploring us to give them money or a bite to eat; many of these children are seen alone, only sometimes with their mothers. These children are vulnerable, often abused and manipulated, and are sometimes pawns in a scam run by adults to make easy money.  To understand the dangers these children face, and what needs to be done to offer them a better life, Brunch spoke to Razni Razick about what she has studied in her line of work. Razick is the Founder/Director of Care Station, a nongovernmental organisation, and an activist/advocate for vulnerable families. With over 17 years of experience in working with children and families, Razni is also the holder of the prestigious Desha Abhimani title, and was presented with the coveted “Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) of Sri Lanka” award by Junior Chamber International in recognition of her contribution towards the wellbeing of children, world peace, and human rights.  [caption id="attachment_165046" align="alignright" width="300"] Razni Razick[/caption] How do we define street children in Sri Lanka? There is a vast spectrum of street children living in different conditions. It is estimated that there are 15,000 street children in Sri Lanka. However, the exact count is unknown, as it is challenging to keep track of children on the streets, especially since they are not included in surveys and censuses. These approximate numbers vary by city, meaning that counting street-connected children can be difficult due to their lack of permanent location as well as differences in opinion on how to define and, therefore, identify them. Street children in Sri Lanka can be categorised into four groups based on their life status:
  • Those who lack a home and family and live on the streets
  • Those who possess a home and family but have become estranged from their family and live in small groups
  • Those who are kept in specific centres but have previously been homeless and are at risk of being homeless again
  • Children who are living with their family but, for various reasons – mainly poverty – spend several days and nights on the streets. This group is also divided into two subgroups: Those who engage in activities such as selling flowers, newspapers, polishing shoes on the street, i.e. constituting labour, and street children. The next subgroup consists of those who, either by themselves or accompanying their parents, indulge in begging. Some of them, at a very young age, are abused as an instrument of mendicity (the condition or activities of a beggar)
All these children possess the following common feature, although they differ in some ways: They spend most of their time in the streets. They are deprived of their basic rights, namely education, hygiene, nutrition, and security. Is there a process for the institutionalisation of street children in Sri Lanka, and if so, what are the issues within it? The provision of services for street children in Sri Lanka raises several issues that require attention. For instance, institutionalisation of street children is a common practice. The laws imposed by the government on begging have led to a higher number of children being institutionalised. The National Alternative Care Discourse (NACD) needs to see this as requiring special attention. Furthermore, children of incarcerated mothers grow up in prisons with their mothers in extremely poor conditions till the age of five, and are often institutionalised thereafter, often falling to the streets after leaving the care homes. The NACD also needs to recognise them, as requiring special attention as well. Child and youth participation in decision-making is severely limited in the entire alternative care process including adoption, institutional living, and transition to independence, and should be made a practice through building systemic capacity and an enabling environment. A reassessment and refocus on care standards and a commitment to their stringent monitoring must be a state priority. Children growing up in care institutions in Sri Lanka are compelled by the country’s law to leave their care homes by age 18. There are currently over 14,000 children in over 400 child care institutions in the country. But what happens to these youths once they leave? Unfortunately, there is no proper mechanism in the country to support this vulnerable group of youths who become invisible once they leave the care system; thus children who were off the streets and put in care institutions fall back to the streets.  You mentioned that there are no surveys or censuses to estimate how many children are on the streets accurately. Does this pose a challenge in outreach efforts?  The absence of updated information on children in alternative care and care leavers, data gathering mechanisms, and tracking systems, restrict impact measurement; this is also while the established machinery for monitoring care standards is not adequately functional, thus preventing the identification of gaps, and improvements in systems and standards. I believe that care homes do not offer a long-term sustainable response to the situation of vulnerable children. By investing in families and communities, we can lay the foundation for better conditions for children. Care homes should be a last resort. If children are to be placed temporarily in a care home, how can it ensure that it works in the best interest of the child? The child’s welfare must be paramount in any decision relating to custody, and their voices must be heard.  What are the challenges, in your opinion, that hinder these children getting the help they need?  I cannot ever forget the face of a child living on the streets. I cannot say whether they are asleep or have been drugged, and unless adopted by an orphanage, these children will be used as a means to encourage people to reach into their pockets. I have found that most individuals posing as parents are in fact not the parents, and they use these children for begging. Some of these children are unfortunately manipulated and used as pawns by different women. It is sad that mothers are willfully lending their children to paupers on street corners. These women then go out for the day with the child and get money, and when they return the child, they give a portion of this money to the child’s mother.  These women do not want our help, as they make more money from begging than they would from having a job. They also prefer begging because there is no one they need to report to and can control their own lives on the streets. I advise people to not give money to these adults, and tell them to give food or a drink to the child instead. Giving these individuals money keeps them coming back, and worse, keeps the syndicate going.  Helping street children is a difficult, long-term project. The kids are often ignored by the authorities. You will eventually be warned to keep out of street children’s issues. The laws governing street children are in need of a complete overhaul or major changes, as it is the responsibility of our leaders to protect the dignity of children being used as a tool for begging. What reforms would you suggest as required? As is the case with other development challenges, there is too much rhetoric around the problem of street children. Four years ago, Sri Lanka banned begging in Colombo. However, if the laws are not implemented, the government needs to recognise this as a serious issue, making way for better services and legislation for these children. There has been no country-wide research on street children and vulnerable children, curbing the possibility of identifying and developing a comprehensive, long-term, sustainable plan to address the situation for both social workers and policymakers. It would be ideal if the government devises a system where some of the children on the streets can be traced to their families and allowed to rejoin them, and ensure that they are being taken care of within their families by conducting routine, follow-up home visits. Many children who are on the streets without parental supervision face harassment by municipal authorities and the Police, which needs to be addressed.  [caption id="attachment_165044" align="alignleft" width="446"] Razni Razick being awarded by Junior Chamber International – Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Sri Lanka for- Contribution towards Children, World peace and Human rights[/caption] The Government, working with other stakeholders, could come up with sustainable and workable ways to provide family empowerment programmes and work with the child’s family, teaching parents/guardians about small income-generating projects to support their families and to keep children off the streets. We could also offer counselling, encouragement, and support to help them grow emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Setting up a proper foster home process for children, where they will be adopted, and then maintaining follow-ups to ensure their safety, is yet another feasible approach.  Granted, all these proposals are not easy to implement. But we have seen that where the government is determined to deal with a problem, positive results have been seen. For instance, there has been immense infrastructure development in Kandy, where street vending was cleared and conditions were improved, murals came up, etc. However, even then, the families and children living on the streets were not offered a solution.  Our leaders can make our streets free of homeless adults and children. I am also aware that such initiatives have been put in place, especially by NGOs. However, the initiatives are largely of a small scale, when compared to the number of children on the streets. We need to focus on getting these children off the streets and into the arms of hope.  We have a home to go back to each day, but they do not. We have a safe place in which to isolate ourselves during these pandemic-ridden times, but they do not. While we enjoy a delicious dinner and are able to work towards our goals, these children fight to survive and see the light of tomorrow. We may not be able to help them in big ways, but our approach towards them, our willingness to reach out and ask them how we can help, or alert authorities if we feel that a child is in danger, can go a long way. After all, we must remember, they are our own. Each of them is one of us.

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