Every day we come across children who are forced to become street sellers or beggars. The phenomenon of “child labour” is to be found not only in the backstreets of war-torn Afghanistan but also on the bright avenues of New York.
Childhood is vital for the development of one’s character and the nurturing of the individual before adulthood. Childhood traumas and social problems can affect children more than anyone else and could hinder their natural, healthy development.
“Working children” and street children are the most vulnerable individuals. They are obliged to work because of poverty and they have to survive in a very dangerous environment because essentially the street becomes their home. Girls are at an even graver danger because they are susceptible to sexual exploitation. “Working children” are denied basic rights, such as protection, a healthy diet, schooling, basic hygiene and they live far away from their family, loved ones or guardians. These children usually end up on the streets because of parental divorce, poverty, or as a result of immigration. Reality forces them to work. “Street children” usually join a gang, which replaces the family. There is always a gang leader who tends to be one of the stronger and cleverer gang members. In some cases, children are forced to carry out illegal jobs such as drug dealing and illicit trade, even trade in human organs. They also shine shoes, sell tissues, flowers etc. It is really sad that these children are belittled and humiliated in this way. So, who is responsible for all this?
Children should go to school; they should be close to their loved ones and enjoy the gentle care of their family. So why are they out on the streets, indulging in petty theft and selling drugs… These children go out onto the streets by day and return home at night. They leave their childhood behind and quickly turn into street youths, exposed to all kinds of risks and dangers.
This problem needs to be addressed as soon as possible. The point is that today’s philanthropists feel sorry for these children and try to help them financially, but what they need to do is to remove them from the situation they find themselves in. They should support their studies, for example, so that they can become useful members of society in the future.
Those children have lost their childhood in busy streets and at traffic lights, where even the wait for the light to turn red offers them a glimmer of hope.
I really wish that no child would ever have to work on the streets.
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