STREET CHILDREN: Actual numbers on street unknown says UN report

Summary: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights submits her report on children living and / or working on the street ahead of the 19th session of the Human Rights Council.

Background

Further to a day of discussions on "Children living and / or working on the street", the theme for the 2011 Day on the Rights of the Child (read about the discussions), the Council adopted resolution (A/HRC/16/L.13/Rev.1), which strongly condemns the violations and abuses of the rights of children living and/or working on the street. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was tasked with compiling a report with input from civil society.

Number on the street unknown

The report analyses the circumstances of children working and/or living on the streets. It concludes that the actual number of children who depend on the streets for their survival and development is not known and that the number fluctuates according to socio-economic, political and cultural conditions, including growing inequalities and patterns of urbanisation.

In addition, the report analyses the causes that lead children to the street and the challenges they face in their everyday lives. It recognises that before reaching the streets, children will have experienced multiple deprivations and violations of their rights.

Recommendations

The report makes a number of recommendations to States and draws attention to this moment of opportunity when States are developing or strengthening comprehensive child protection systems; civil society organizations are consolidating promising specialized interventions; data collection is becoming more systematic and research more participatory.

Child participation

As requested by the Human Rights Council, children working and/or living on the street have been consulted in the preparation of the present report.


Further Information

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/A.HRC.19.35_en.pdf

Web: 
http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=27349

Countries

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