Prevalence,
Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the first decade of the 21st Century gvnet.com/streetchildren/Jamaica.htm
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CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking for
material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this
page and others to see which aspect(s) of street life are of particular
interest to you. You might be
interested in exploring how children got there, how they survive, and how
some manage to leave the street.
Perhaps your paper could focus on how some street children abuse the
public and how they are abused by the public … and how they abuse each
other. Would you like to write about
market children? homeless children? Sexual and labor exploitation? begging? violence? addiction? hunger? neglect? etc. There is a lot to the subject of Street
Children. Scan other countries as well
as this one. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Action needed on
street children - Boys being used as criminal pawns Fabian jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070729/lead/lead9.html [accessed 3 June
2011] old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070729/lead/lead9.html [accessed 19
December 2016] Speaking against
the background of recent criminal activities where police have identified street
children as the perpetrators of major crimes, Pious cites the cause as lack
of attention being given these youths. Officer in charge
of crime at the Half-Way Tree Police Station, Detective Sergeant Radcliffe
Levy, says: "It's a big business being conducted by this gang, where
they loot cameras, cellphones, and other items, and sell them at cheap prices
to others that sell them again." REHABILITATION -
"Rehabilitation is equipping these kids with a career skill such as barbering,
photography and cosmetology, so instead of becoming monsters, they have the
self-reliance and confidence to uplift themselves. In our preventative
measures, we go into the homes and communities where these streets kids are
coming from and try to empower the parents of kids with skills so they don't
push their children to street hustling," Pious added. ***
ARCHIVES *** The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on
the Worst Forms of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/jamaica.htm [accessed 15
February 2011] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - More than 2,800 children live on the streets, and
are engaged in work such as newspaper delivery, vending, and domestic
service. Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61733.htm [accessed 9 February
2020] CHILDREN
-
Public primary education was free, universal, and compulsory for students
between the ages of 6 and 11, and the Ministry of Education reported that 99
percent of children in that age group were enrolled in school. However,
economic circumstances obliged thousands of children to stay home to help
with housework and avoid school fees. As a result, attendance rates at
primary schools averaged 78 percent, although some rural areas reported
attendance as low as 50 percent. More than 70 percent of children between the
ages of 12 and 16 had access to secondary school. SECTION
6 WORKER RIGHTS
– [d] The Child Care and Protection Act provides that children under the age
of 12 shall not be employed except by parents or guardians, and that such
employment may be only in domestic, agricultural, or horticultural work. It
also prohibits children under the age of 15 from industrial employment. The
police are mandated with conducting child labor inspections, and the CDA is
charged with finding places of safety for children. However, according to CDA
officials, resources to investigate exploitative child labor were
insufficient. Children under the age of 12 peddled goods and services or
begged on city streets. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, 6 June 2003 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/jamaica2003.html [accessed 15
February 2011] [52] While noting
that the State party is aware that the number of street children is increasing,
the Committee remains concerned at the situation of street children and at
the lack of specific mechanisms and measures to address this situation, as
well as the lack of relevant data in this regard. [54] The Committee
is concerned at the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children,
including street children, and the lack of accurate data and adequate laws
and policies in this regard. Life On The Streets
- Student Unveils Study On Children At Risk Nadisha Hunter, The
Gleaner, October 23, 2010 www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20101023/news/news2.html
[accessed 24
September 2011] In providing a clearer
picture of the horrendous living conditions faced by the children who are
between the ages of seven and 18, the young researcher said cardboard boxes
or even the bare ground behind buildings were their resting place at night. According to Finch
20 per cent of respondents ask members of the public for money, another 20
per cent of respondents are engaged in stealing, 10 per cent peddle drugs, 10 per cent are involved in prostitution while the
remaining 40 per cent take part in other illegal activities. The majority of children interviewed said
they want to leave the streets while about five per cent expressed the view
that they had no problem with their current lifestyle. Finch pointed out that his study found
that most of the children ended up on the street as a result of physical and
emotional abuse, neglect, as well as poverty. Child vendors Kaydia King, Letter to the
Editor, jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090429/letters/letters4.html [accessed 3 June
2011] mobile.jamaicagleaner.com/20090429/letters/letters4.php [accessed 18
December 2016] The Editor,
Sir: It has been brought to my
attention that the number of children vending on the streets has reached an
alarming level. It is as if the number is doubling. What is even more
troubling is the fact that these children can be seen during school hours 'higglering'. Illiteracy - fuel
for crime in Clarendon Gareth Manning and
Mark jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20081102/news/news4.html [accessed 3 June
2011] old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20081102/news/news4.html [accessed 19
December 2016] STREET CHILDREN - Illiteracy is
probably most common among Clarendon's 175 street and working children who
have poor attendance records at school. Most are between the ages of 11 and
17 years old. The street children study of 2002 reported that most of them
worked in the vicinity of the May Pen Market and along the coast in Race
Course and Rocky Point. Marlon (not his
real name) was one of those boys. The Sunday Gleaner met him last year on a trip
to the Rocky Point fishing district, an area notorious for its robust gun-
and-drugs trade. At 13 years old,
Marlon could not read or write, although he was attending an all-age school.
He was only attending school for three days of the week - Monday to
Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were spent on the fishing beach selling juices
to hot, thirsty fisher folk. "Mi parents dem no response fi
mi," he told us then. His words were few, but very profound. He was one
of 14 children for his mother. The man he said is his father has never
claimed paternity. With neither of his parents taking responsibility for him,
he lives with his grandmother. No night out for
street kids www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/121358_No-night-out-for-street-kids [accessed 24
September 2011] Government,
grappling with the growing problem of children roaming the streets,
especially at nights, plans to use retired policemen to keep them off and
warned parents that they would face prosecution. The Child
Development Agency (CDA), said the minister, would be seeking to find a
location to house the children where they would be cared for until their
parents are located. "We haven't really worked out the logistic, but we
are going to also find the parents and prosecute the parents," the
minister added. Street kids dilemma www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/111037_Street-kids-dilemma [accessed 3 June
2011] The practice of putting
street-wise kids in foster care or children's homes is futile and will end in
rebellion, a clinical psychologist is warning Golding urges
action to rescue street children from violence, sexual abuse At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June
2011] "At the rate
that the Possibility Programme is going, children
are going to be coming on the streets faster than you are able to accommodate
them in this programme. We really need to first of all
get hold of them and just rescue them," Golding insisted "The kind of
things they are exposed to on the streets, the violence and the sexual abuse,
we just need to get hold of them and put them under some sort of care and
guidance." And, Davies insisted: "As well as to get to the root
causes." Child Prostitution
Widespread in Jamaica Jamaica Observer,
July 21, 2002 www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/29195_Child-prostitution-widespread-in-Jamaica [accessed 27 January
2015] Children, Some As
Young As 10 And 11 Years Old, Are Engaged In Prostitution. Study listed nine
categories of children engaging in sex for gain and said they were pushed
basically by lack of economic support, love and affection. The first of
the nine categories listed was children living and working on the streets,
mostly boys between ages 12 and 18 Violence Against
Children in Dr. Joan Lesser, Dr.
Marlene Cooper, and Yunena Morales, 30 minute Paper
Presentation in English at the Third International Conference On New
Directions In Humanities, Humanities
Conference 2005, h05.cgpublisher.com/proposals/549/index_html [accessed 3 June
2011] Within the last
decade 22,000 youth were labeled "street children" who lived and
worked in the streets doing jobs such as machinery, welding, domestic work, care giving and newspaper delivery. Many turn to or are
forced into child prostitution and/or the drug trade in order to survive. Prostitution
In Paul Andrew Bourne,
able2know, 2 Sep, 2005 [accessed 3 June
2011] COMMERCIAL SEX
WORKERS - Street
and working children are a particularly vulnerable group to prostitution.
These children lack family and social support. (Dunn, 2001) posits that small
boys between the ages of 6 and 17 years were most exploited. They did not
have the protection of adult family members or institutional environment for
support and as such were exposed to extreme economic deprivation and abuse.
Those involved in sexual activity were between 12 and 18 years. The
majorities were from very poor backgrounds and were out of school; although a
few attended school regularly Dunn, (2001). "Nobody's
Children" Jamaican Children in Police Detention and Government
Institutions Human Rights Watch
Report, 1999 -- ISBN: 1-56432-230-0 www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1999/jamaica/Jam995-01.htm#P212_9176 [accessed 3 June
2011] SUMMARY - In the island
nation of Launch of
Possibility Program Address By Prime
Minister Rt. Hon. P.J. Patterson, Q.C., M.P. At Launch Of Possibility Programme At The Hilton Kingston Hotel On Thursday,
August 2, 2001 At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June
2011] The Possibility
Program is a national program aimed at improving the lot of street children
and youths across the nation, by providing them with the resources, support
and tools for maximizing their human potential. It should enhance
connectedness with family, community and the larger society. The ultimate goal of the Program is to
eliminate the need for children and youths to be on the streets, thereby
breaking the cycle of poverty. St Andrew Rotary
Club to build hostel for street boys John Myers Jr., jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040716/news/news1.html [accessed 3 June
2011] old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040716/news/news1.html [accessed 19
December 2016] THE ROTARY Club of
St. Andrew this week announced plans to construct a US$250,000 hostel to
accommodate street boys in the Corporate Area as the main component of its
centennial project. The hostel will
provide temporary shelter for boys aged 10 to 18 years old who are registered
under the Possibility Program. National
Consultation on Juvenile Justice Address By Rt. Hon.
P.J. Patterson, Q.C., P.C. Prime Minister On National Consultation On
Juvenile Justice Jamaica Conference Centre Thursday, August 16, 2001 At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June
2011] Although it is
still a minority of young people that fall into these categories, it is
nevertheless a significant minority which could increase, if we do not put
proper measures in place, to rescue them and ensure that they are given every
opportunity to fulfill their God-given talents. Just recently, I
launched the Possibility Programme, a comprehensive
plan to address the problem of street children. Under this programme we intend to rescue these children and re-socialise them to become better-adjusted and productive
members of the society. Ultimately, the
problem of street children can only be solved when there is greater societal
concern and awareness, and when parents are more responsible in their care of
children. My Casual
Observations and Questions [DOC] Kiyoshi Abe,
Professor of International Economics, Chiba University Study Tour of Jamaica,
Thursday, September 5 to Monday, September 9, 2002 At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June
2011] (3) SCHOOL AND
STREET CHILDREN
- Literacy is high in BBC News, 13
September, 2003 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3097882.stm [accessed 3 June
2011] "The majority of
these women that we work with in prison were the main caregivers - for both
the mothers and grandmothers, and the junior members - they were the main
providers for the household," she stated. "Therefore once they are taken out of
that, the situation is that the elderly mothers end up with extended
families, the children are all over the streets and become street children
because there's no-one there to care for them." USAID/Jamaica -
Success Stories United States Agency
for International Development USAID At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 June
2011] [scroll down] EDUCATION – HARRY
-
An
estimated 7,500 children currently live on the streets of Street
Children Hooked On Ganja Erica jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020324/lead/lead4.html [accessed 3 June
2011] old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020324/lead/lead4.html [accessed 19
December 2016] She admitted that
it will be hard to keep them off the streets where they can make between $500
and $2,000 a day begging, borrowing and threatening people. Caring For Street
Children Dorothy Smith,
Letter to the Editor, jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20011106/letters/letters3.html [accessed 3 June
2011] old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20011106/letters/letters3.html [accessed 19
December 2016] I had an experience
sometime in July of this year when two street children without the driver's
permission wiped the windscreen of the vehicle I was in and when told that
there was no money to pay them the picture was not a pretty one. It is my belief that legislation should be
enacted whereby the parents of street children should be compelled to get
these children off the street. Children First Children First www.jamaica-kidz.com/childrenfirst/ [accessed 24
September 2011] childrenfirst.org.jm/html/?page_id=54 [accessed 18 December
2016] Children First is a newly
transformed independent non-governmental agency. The original project began
in 1989 with the support of Save the Children Fund (UK), with 50 street
children. The Mission of Children First is to work with street,
working and vulnerable children to improve their life opportunities and
enable their contribution to society, through active engagement with children
and young people, their families, communities and institutions which affect
their lives. In The Midst Of Gang
Violence, Jamaican NGO Makes A Difference Michael Mogensen, Children and Youth in Organised
Armed Violencee COAV, March 25, 2004 www.coav.org.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?UserActiveTemplate=_en&sid=42&infoid=660 [accessed 3 June
2011] Authorities
estimate that there are hundreds of street children living on or off the
street in Human Rights
Education for Street and Working Children: Principles and Practice Tracey Holland,
Human Rights Quarterly 20:1 Human Rights Quarterly 20.1 (1998) 173-193 muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/human_rights_quarterly/v020/20.1holland.html [partially accessed
3 June 2011 - access restricted] www.jstor.org/stable/762700?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents [partially accessed
18 December 2016 - access restricted] Human rights can be
used as tools to help street and working children deal effectively with those
difficult, and often confrontational, situations that they must face on a
daily basis. Throughout their
lives, these children are marginalized and forced to live through experiences
that seem to have no relationship whatsoever to such a concept as human
rights. 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 - |
