Human Trafficking in [Canada] [other countries]Street Children in [Canada Child Prostitution in [Canada] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the
first ten years of the 21st
Century - 2000 to 2009
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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 Dusty has been living on the street in downtown Toronto for five years, away from parents she says are drug addicts. Originally from Vancouver, the 21-year-old is part a swelling army of street kids who dodge police while trying to make ends meet by cleaning the windshields 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 – Sickness and Death 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 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 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 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 Canada - Provincial Offices If your child is missing or you
see a missing child, call 1-800-387-7962 (24 hours a day). Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 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) - 2003 [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 … Old
Town patriarch endured horrid misfortunes www.thebulletin.ca/cbulletin/content.jsp?sid=68135418916516757112147765291&ctid=1000011&cnid=1001842
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 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. In an interview in Metamorphosis,
Vancouver police Const. Dave Dixon, known for his work in the Downtown
Eastside, said the government makes it very difficult for youth to get help.
Vancouver East MP Libby Davies echoed those comments in the film too. And Mervyn, who does not appear in the film, can tell story
after story about the twisted way local bureaucracy engages with
street-involved youth. Homelessness www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/prbpubs/prb991-e.htm#COMPOSITION%2810%29txt 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. Toronto Squeegee Kids Dodge The Law For Change Dusty has been living on the
street in downtown Toronto for five years, away from parents she says are
drug addicts. Originally from Dans La Rue - An Organization Serving Youth on the Street www.danslarue.com/en Thousands of young people in Construction begins on new youth shelter 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 Heavily involved in the street
culture of 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
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. Report on Youth Homelessness – Sickness and Death 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 www.evasinitiatives.com/success.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[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 collections.ic.gc.ca/rideau/rsye/englishabs.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] The Rideau
Street Youth Enterprises (RSYE) Web site project profiles street youth in All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin,
"Street Children - |
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