Human Trafficking in [Canada] [other countries]Street Children in [Canada Child Prostitution in [Canada] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the early years of the 21st Century
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CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Toronto Squeegee Kids Dodge The Law For
Change Reuters, hpn.asu.edu/archives/Jul98/0015.html [accessed 22 April 2011] Dusty has been
living on the street in downtown Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News,
March 10, 2004 www.cbc.ca/fifth/main_nowayhome_life.html [accessed 22 April 2011] LIFE ON THE STREET - When youth become homeless, they don’t all automatically end up sleeping on street grates or in doorways. In fact, they end up staying in a variety of places. A 1999 survey found that: · 60% of street youth are staying in one of Toronto’s youth shelters · 25% staying in an apartment (92% were staying with friends and 'couch surfing') · 15% staying on the street of which 4% were living in squats, and 9% in parks, alleys, and doorways. Most experts agree that homeless shelters are a band-aid solution that offer little more than a bed and hot meal. Youth Homelessness – Sickness and Death Touchstone Youth Centre www.touchstoneyc.org/index.php?p=2_10 [accessed 22 April 2011] Street youth are more likely to get sick and even die on the streets. A recent study that examined the mortality rate among homeless youth was carried out in Montreal between 1995 and 2000 and looked at 1,013 young people between the ages of 14 and 25. Originally the study was designed to examine rates of HIV and Hepatitis infection among youth. But the researchers began to realize that some of their subjects were disappearing. They began checking the coroner’s records and discovered an alarming rate of deaths - mostly caused by suicide and drug overdose. By June 2001, 26 of the 1,013 participants - 22 boys and 4 girls had died, or a mortality rate of .89% per 100 person years. Note: the total figure is really 29 but three were not included in the above number because they had not been on the street for two years or more. The homeless youth mortality rate was 11 times higher than the rate of the general population of Quebec. ***
ARCHIVES *** Runaways
- Where To Turn For Help Before You Are Homeless Rebeccas Community www.homeless.org.au/runaways.htm [accessed 22 April 2011] Here are the best
phone numbers to call …They are Confidential - which means they won't tell
anyone about your call unless you want them to talk to somebody for you, or
you are in danger. They are open 24
Hours - it doesn't matter what time you call
In Canada, call 1-800-668-6868
How To Get Help - Street Helpline:
(416) 392-3777 Horizons for Youth www.horizonsforyouth.org/howToGetHelp.php [accessed 22 April 2011] If you are in
trouble, need a safe place to stay or just want help looking at your options
Horizons for Youth is committed to helping out in anyway we can. Horizons
for Youth: (416) 781-9898 Kids Help Phone: 1 800 668-6868 Kids Help Phone www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash.aspx [accessed 22 April 2011] Providing immediate
help and hope that young people need and deserve - 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. Every day, Kids Help Phone counsellors
answer calls and online questions from across Canada. No matter what the
problem or concern, our counsellors are there to
provide immediate and caring support, information and, if necessary, referral
to a local community or social service agency. Child Find Child Find www.childfind.ca/provoffice.php [accessed 22 April 2011] If your child is
missing or you see a missing child, call 1-800-387-7962 (24 hours a
day). Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61719.htm [accessed 27 January 2011] CHILDREN
- The
government demonstrated its commitment to children's rights and welfare
through its well-funded systems of public education and medical care.
Education is free through grade 13 and is compulsory nationwide through age
15 or 16, depending on the province. The UN Children's Fund reported that 100
percent of elementary-age children attended school; high school was the
highest level completed by most children. Concluding Observations of the Committee on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 3
October 2003 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/canada2003.html [accessed 27 January 2011] [52] The Committee
notes, however, concerns relating to the vulnerability of street children
and, in particular, Aboriginal children who, in disproportionate numbers, end
up in the sex trade as a means of survival.
The Committee is also concerned about the increase of foreign children
and women trafficked into [54] The Committee
regrets the lack of information on street children in the State party’s
report, although a certain number of children are living in the street. Its concern is accentuated by statistics
from major urban centers indicating that children represent a substantial
portion of [55] The Committee
recommends … Bruce Bell, The Bulletin - Downtown www.thebulletin.ca/cbulletin/content.jsp?sid=68135418916516757112147765291&ctid=1000011&cnid=1001842 [accessed 22 April 2011] After his death in
1901 and as a tribute to George Allan, the City of Toronto changed the name
of the Horticultural Gardens to Allan Gardens and has been known as such ever
since. But perhaps the greatest legacy
of George Allan, besides serving as Toronto’s 11th mayor in 1855, was his
benevolence shown to Toronto’s street children. In 19th-century Toronto it wasn’t uncommon
to walk the streets having to step over the sleeping bodies of abandoned
children, some as young as 3 and 4. In 1870 George
Allan donated land he owned on the east side of Fredrick Street just north of
Front (where the present Parcel Bus terminal stands) and built the Newsboys’
Home, an early health care and residential facility for young street children
nicknamed “newsboys” for selling newspapers on street corners. The Newsboy Home was the beginnings of
Toronto the Good and for almost 25 years the home that stood on the northeast
corner of Frederick and Front became a model for future charitable
institutions that would eventually lead to the founding of the Children’s Aid
Society of Toronto in 1891. Mtl. police says gangs
recruiting as young as 10 CTV.ca News Staff, Jun. 13 2007 www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20070613/mtl_gangs_070613/ [accessed 22 April 2011] Plante said police are
aware of about 20 major street gangs in the city, along with another 30 that
are trying to gain prominence. And they
are trying to expand their numbers by promising kids the same wealth as rap
stars. "They are now recruiting
starting at the age of 10 and 11 years old," said Plante. The 50 gangs are believed to have between
300 and 500 members. Ten of 17 murders
this year were connected to street gangs -- an increase of two from the same
time last year. While 97 per cent of
violent crime in Montreal last year was not associated with gangs, Plante said police are still focusing mainly on gang
members. Ex–street kids thrive in doc Pieta Woolley, straight.com, April 27, 2006 www.straight.com/article/ex-street-kids-thrive-in-doc-0 [accessed 22 April 2011] In an interview in Metamorphosis,
Homelessness www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/prbpubs/prb991-e.htm#COMPOSITION(10)txt [Last access date
unavailable] COMPOSITION OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION - SOME
GROUPS PREVIOUSLY UNDERREPRESENTED AMONG THE HOMELESS - B.
YOUTH
- Mistreatment is often cited as a factor in youth homelessness. A number of studies have confirmed that many homeless young people have been victims of sexual, physical or psychological abuse. A 1992 study by social service agencies in the Ottawa-Carleton region indicated that 75% of the street children interviewed had left home because of sexual assaults or physical and/or psycho-emotional abuse. Reuters, hpn.asu.edu/archives/Jul98/0015.html [accessed 22 April 2011] Dusty has been
living on the street in downtown Dans La Rue - An
Organization Serving Youth on the Street [accessed 22 April 2011] Thousands of young
people in Construction begins on new youth shelter Canadian Children's Rights www.canadiancrc.com/Newspaper_Articles/CNW_New_Youth_Shelter_03JUL03.aspx [accessed 22 April 2011] Construction of
this shelter demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to providing
housing for at-risk and homeless youth.
This new shelter will not only provide a safe, stable Tough Kids and
Substance Abuse www.peacefactory.com/tough_kids/about.htm [accessed 22 April 2011] Heavily involved in
the street culture of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News,
March 10, 2004 www.cbc.ca/fifth/main_nowayhome_life.html [accessed 22 April 2011] LIFE ON THE STREET - When youth
become homeless, they don’t all automatically end up sleeping on street
grates or in doorways. In fact, they end up staying in a variety of
places. A 1999 survey found that: 60% of street youth are staying in one of
Toronto’s youth shelters 25% staying in an apartment (92% were staying
with friends and 'couch surfing')
15% staying on the street of which 4% were living in squats, and 9% in parks,
alleys, and doorways. Most experts agree
that homeless shelters are a band-aid solution that offer little more than a
bed and hot meal. Report on Youth Homelessness - Facts and
Stats on Youth Homelessness Covenant House www.covenanthouse.ca/Public/Facts-and-Stats [accessed 22 April 2011] On any given night some 33,000 Canadians
are homeless of which as many as 11,000 are youth. Today in Toronto, there are 12 shelters for
youth, offering up to 522 beds. In 1979, there were only two youth shelters
in the city, with a total of 95 beds. In the past 25 years there has been a
450% increase in youth shelter beds. In Toronto, a good estimate suggests there
are at least 10,000 different youth who are homeless at one point on any
given year - and anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 on a given night. Youth Homelessness – Sickness and Death Touchstone Youth Centre www.touchstoneyc.org/index.php?p=2_10 [accessed 22 April 2011] Street youth are
more likely to get sick and even die on the streets. A recent study that
examined the mortality rate among homeless youth was carried out in Montreal
between 1995 and 2000 and looked at 1,013 young people between the ages of 14
and 25. Originally the study was designed to examine rates of HIV and
Hepatitis infection among youth. But the researchers began to realize
that some of their subjects were disappearing. They began checking the
coroner’s records and discovered an alarming rate of deaths - mostly caused
by suicide and drug overdose. By June 2001, 26 of
the 1,013 participants - 22 boys and 4 girls had died, or a mortality rate of
.89% per 100 person years. Note: the total figure is really 29 but three were
not included in the above number because they had not been on the street for
two years or more. The homeless youth mortality rate was 11 times higher than
the rate of the general population of Quebec. Success Stories Eva's Initiatives At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 22 April 2011] [scroll down] FAMILY RECONNECT
HELPS A YOUTH RETURN HOME - A 16-year-old woman arrived at Family Reconnect with
her parents; she had been on the streets for months, having left home at 15
….. A 20-year-old female arrived at Eva’s Place in early December after
arriving in Canada as a refugee only 2 days earlier ….. When Matt first came
to Eva's Satellite he was an alcoholic and heavy substance user with medical
and mental health issues. He'd been to many of Toronto's youth shelters and been
asked to leave some of them because of violent behavior. A Web Site for and about Street Youth The Rideau Street Youth Enterprises (RSYE)
Web site project At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 22 April 2011] The Rideau Street
Youth Enterprises (RSYE) Web site project profiles street youth in All
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ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Patt,
Prof. Martin, "Street Children - |
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