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This document provides details from research conducted on street children in Pakistan. It discusses the daily struggles street children face, including having to work and beg from a young age to survive. They are often deprived of education and have minimal religious knowledge. Most do not attend school due to family inability to afford costs. The children expressed indifference to education, having become accustomed to their current lifestyle. They face poverty and lack proper accommodation, prioritizing short-term survival over long-term goals like education.
YO BABY YO
- 1. Abbas Raza;Asad Zahid;Hammad bin Noaman;Maryam Alavi;Moiz Zafar;Rimsha Farooq;Samad Hanif;Syed M. Ammar IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP(SOL) BORN TO THE STREETS
- 2. Table of Contents Type chapter title (level 1)..................................................................................................................1 Type chapter title (level 2)...............................................................................................................2 Type chapter title (level 3)...........................................................................................................3 Type chapter title (level 1)..................................................................................................................4 Type chapter title (level 2)...............................................................................................................5 Type chapter title (level 3)...........................................................................................................6
- 3. Chapter 1 Invisible Little Soldiers If you were toname a thingthat wasvisible,yetinvisible because we chose toignore it,tosuchan extentthattheywere basicallynon-existentforus,whatwouldthe title forsuchbeingsbe?Considering the situationof the world,howsolittle peoplegive themanyattention,botherwiththeirwell-being, the worldhas titledthem,streetchildren.Throughoutthe worldyouwill findinvariousregions, especially inthird worldcountries,abundanceof streetchildren.Somuchsothat, evenUNICEFcan onlygive an estimatedamountaboutthe numberof childrenthere are. If we take intoconsiderationthisissue fromaworldlyperspective,we wouldntbe able tograspthe numberof streetchildrenthere are inthe word,whetherabandoned,orphanedorsimplybornintothis particularlife,we canfathomthe magnitude of thiscurse thatis bestowedonthisplanet.Childrenwho begfor food,steal forsurvival orsimplycrawl throughlife daybyday,till theycanno longerclingon. We simplychoose toignore these childrenthroughoutthe world. The worldlyaspectisa rather large one to comprehend,andnotone we can eliminatebutwe canat the veryleasttry to playour role inour ownhometowns.Forexample,WE(the conductorsof the activity that will be mentionedlateron) canplaya minute role instartingupan activationorrather followingup on work many NGOshave initiated.WithassociationwithSOL,we have decidedtocarryout an activity to showthe childrenwhoreside onthe streetshow toenjoythemselves,onagranderlevel as comparedto theirdailylifestyle,andhow thislifestyleisevenattainable forthemif theytake the riskof optingforeducation,ratherthanroamingthe streetscarryingout the activitieswhichtheydo. Thisprojectwas conductedthroughbothprimaryandsecondaryresearchwhichwe will tryto convert to facts andfiguresonto thisreport.For our primaryresearch,we conductedinterviewsof street childrenandresearchtechniquessuchasparticipantobservationandfocusgroupdiscussionswere employedtocollectthe data.Forthe secondarydate we searchedthe internetforstudiesthathave beendone previouslyonthe streetchildren. Withthiswe aimprojectwe aimto come upwitha conclusionasto what mightmotivate these children to opt foreducation.Whatmighthelpthemtogive up the begginglifestyle andinsteadgotoschool.In a researchconductedinRawalpindi,itwasconcludedthatonlyabout27% streetchildrenactuallygoto school.Thoughthe samplingsize wassmall andthe percentage canvarydramatically,the resultsof the researchcan be seeninthe table below. Table 1 Numberof ChildrenAttendedSchool AttendedSchool Numberof Children % age Yes 23 27 No 61 73 Total 84 100 Whenquestionedaboutthe reasonsastowhytheydidnot attendschoolsthe mostpopularresponse was thattheirparentscouldnot affordit,the properreasonsand the resultscanbe observedinthe
- 4. table below. NotAttendedSchool Numberof Children % age Fear of Corporal Punishment 27 32 ParentsCantAfford 45 54 Dontlike study 12 14 Total 84 100 Thus we can getthe slightestideaof whatthe situationislike whenitcomestostreetchildrenand education.Buildingonthis,throughoutthe reportwe will trytoconclude whetherourtechnique of tryingto persuade kidstooptfor educationthroughfunfilledactivitieswouldhave anyeffectonthe childrenornot.
- 5. Chapter 2 Bleeding Street Bhai,hamari majboori hai,humaur kia kar saktayhain?Translated:thisisour burden;we cantreallydo anythingaboutit.Have we everponderedwhatthe lifeof astreetchildmightbe like?Didwe ever considerwhere theyresideandhowtheygetthroughthe day?Majority of mankindis,simplystated, selfishandrightfullyso.We tendtoworryabout ourfamilyandourselvesandundoubtedlythere is nothingwronginthat, or at leastthat iswhateveryman or womanwill agree to.Intodaysworldthere are onlyveryfewpeople ororganizationswhodevotethemselvestootherwitha pure heart,without any badintentions,andthoughtheymayhelpthe poorandunprivileged,eventhese peoplecannot understandthe dailystrugglesthe streetchildrengothrough. As a part of ourproject,we tookoff to the fieldtofigure outwhatstrugglesastreetchildgoesthrough everyday.Thoughmostrefusedtoanswerindetail infrontof the camera,we didget few tinybitsof detailsoutof themand extractedthe restfromwhatwe observed.The general opinionamongthe childrenwe talkedtowasthat theyare forcedto do thiswork,theyhave to earnto feedtheirfamilies and to survive ona dailybasis.The poorkidshave to live inslumsandbegformoneyeverydayand thoughwe couldnot reach toany conclusionwhethertheyare forcedintobeggingbya certainmafiaor whatnot, we didconclude thatwhatevertheyearned,theycertainlydidnotgettokeep- whetheritwas takenawayby theirparentsor some otherparty,whichat thispointwe are obliviousof,we can conclude theirearningwere nottheirstokeep. Whenquestionedabouteducation,oracademicbasedgeneral questionsyoudexpectan8 yearoldto know,majorityof themcouldntanswerandwhywouldtheyevenbe able to?Theywere throughand throughdeprivedof education,be itfora certainreasonor another,theyjustdidntattendschoolsand were deprivedof eventhe mostbasicof knowledge. Thoughtheymay not be booksmart, theydefinitelyadaptedtothe streetsandwere alotmore street smart than majorityof middle classkids.Havingtogetthroughthe dayon the streets itsonlynatural theywouldadaptsome sort of shortcutto get thingsdone.Thoughthisisonlya conclusionwe derived fromtheiranswers,fromourperspective thisisafact. We maybe blessedwithall the luxuriesof lifeandyetwe choose toundermine themandbe ungrateful, whereasthese childrenrejoice atgettingafree meal orearninga bitmore moneythantheyregularly get.Theytrulyknowhow tocherishwhatwe wouldclaimthe smallerjoysinlife.Comparedtothe life theyhave to leadonthe streets,andif we compare itto middle classkidsof the same age group, we shouldbe ashamedasto howgreedywe reallyare.We argue or shoothese childrenawaywhenthey begfor 5 rupees,butyetwe buythe middle classkidscompletelyuselessthings.If asa societywe could evendonate rupees20to a childperday,it wouldcostus just600 permonthbut the kidwouldbe able to eat at leastsomething,evenif justaroti everyday,andthere can be nogreater happenedthan knowingyoumade a difference insome oneslife.
- 6. Chapter 3 Sole escape A typical dayof a childlivingand/orworkingonthe streetsrevolvesaroundhimgettingupearly morningandgoingabout hischoresand income-earningactivities.He maythenspendsome time playingandinteractingwithhisfriendsonthe streets,andatnight,returnsto hishome,knowingthathe has aheadof him a seriesof similardays. Whenquestionedabouttheireducationandreligious affiliation,itwasobservedthatthe childrenhadminimal knowledgeregardingthese,andshowedlittle or no interestinacquiringit. From a groupof at leasta dozeninterviewees,onlyone childclaimedtogoto a Madarasa, and even thenhisschedule wasveryirregular. He wouldvisitwhenhe could,andif there came a needforhimto insteadearnor workfor hisfamily,he wouldchoose thatovereducation.The restof the children showednominal interestinbeingschooled.Whenaskedaboutthe founderof ournationQuaid-e-Azam, the questionwasmetwithblankstaresandconfusedlooks. Onbeingaskedif theyrecognizedthe man whose picture isonthe Rs.10 note,one of the childrenmeeklyrepliedpaisewale aadmi(the man withthe money).Infact,some of themwere quite unaware of whatthe word countrymeant,and that theylive inacountry calledPakistan. Thisdeprivationof basicknowledge caneasilybe attributedtotheirlackof educationandformal schooling.Ashardlyanyof themhave attendedschool,theyhave beenleftinthe darkaboutwhatone wouldconsidertobe basicinformationthattheylearnatan earlyage. Theyhave beenbroughtupin such a way thattheydo not regardeducationasanythingof significance,seeingitasan optional and often, anunnecessaryaspecttheyhave learnedtodowithout;anadditional burdenontheiralready difficultlives.Whenaskedif theywishtogoto school like all the otherkidstheysee dressedinuniforms everyday,a fewof themvoicedtheiragreement,but the majorityshowedindifference andreluctance towardsthe idea.Theyhad,it seemed,made themselvesquitecontentwiththeireducational deprivation,notrealizingtheirownpotential andthe wonderseducationcoulddotooneslife.The problem,then, liesnotonlyintheirinaccessibilityof propereducation,butalsointheirattitude towards obtainingit. However,itisan undeniable factthatthe majorityof the streetchildrenare devoidof education because theirparentsare unable toaffordit. Asshownin the documentary,amotherof five young childrengave anaccount of why she andher offspringhave takentothe streetsandmade ittheir permanentmeansof occupation.Fearof beingframedforthieveryandotherdomesticcrimesbythe inhabitantsof the upperclasshasmade her spendnearlyall herlife asa beggar,insteadof workingasa maidin somebodyshouse,andherchildrenfollow inherfootsteps.She admittedthatwhile she would like tosee herchildrengoto school,the costsof textbooksandtuitionfeesisfargreaterthanwhat the familycanafford,evenfora governmentschool,andthusshe hasno choice butto letthe kidsstay at home and/orworkon the streetswithher.Furthermore,gettingenrolledinaschool alsorequiresthem to submitofficial documentssuchasbayformsand copiesof theirNICs,whichagainisa costly procedure,therebyhinderingtheirpathtowardseducation.
- 7. The childrenalsoexpressedtheirlackof religiousknowledgewhenquestionedaboutit.The intervieweeswereamixedgroupof HindusandMuslims,the latterformingthe majority.However, althoughtheyclaimedtobelongtoa certainreligion,theywere hardlyaware of itsbasicbeliefsand teachings.Whenaskedif theycouldrecite the Qalma-e-Shahadat,the childrenwereonce again uncertainof whatto say, displayingtheirignorance of the firstpillarof Islam.Similarly,theyhadlittle conceptof the prayers(Namaaz),andwere unable todescribe the methodof offeringthem.The Hindu childrentoo were notverywell informedabouttheirreligiousbeliefs,atraittheysharedwiththeir Muslimcounterparts. Once againthe lack of schoolingcanbe attributedtowardstheirlimitedreligiousknowledge.In mainstreamculturesincludingourown,the school isseenasa keyinstitutionforthe socializationof children.Inmostschools,religiouseducationisofferedwhichenablesthe childrentolearnthe basicset of valuesandbeliefsearlyon,andformsthe foundationof theirreligiousknowledge.Asthe street childrenare deprivedof properformal schooling,theydonotinternalizethesereligiousbeliefsthe way school-goingchildrendo,andsoreligionisanotherchapterof theirlivesthathasremainedlargely ignored. Of course,itsnotentirelybecauseof the lackof schoolingthattheydo nothave strong religious affiliations.Crippledunderpovertyandfacingamultitude of problems,these childrenhave grown rather cynical aboutthe existence of aSupreme Being,anattitude theymayhave pickedupfromtheir parentsat home.Theyclaimto believe inGod/sandcall themselvesthe followersof acertainreligion, but inmostcases these are justwordstheyhave heardfrom theirfamiliesandthose aroundthemover and overagain,and have come to repeat.Youngas theyare,withouthavingbeenexposedtoproper religiousscholarsorpeople whocouldguidetheminthe matter,theydonotfullyunderstandthe conceptof religionanddonotdeemitof muchimportance. Povertyhasmostdefinitelyplayeditspartinthe developmentof these younghumanbeings.Livingin the conditionstheydowithnoproperaccommodationandsanitationamongstotherthings,theyhave had theirprioritieslaidoutverydifferentlythanthe childrenbelongingtothe middle/upperclass. Havingbeenmade responsible forearningatsucha youngage,educationandreligiousbeliefsplaya veryminorpart intheirlives.Forthem,itismore about survivingthe presentdayandearningenoughto keepthemfromstarving.Whethertheyare forcedtoworkfor theirliving,orwhethertheyspendtheir day idly,theyhave beenlivinginpovertyforfartoo longto have toomany hopesfortheirfuture.Thisis one reasonwhytheydo not realize whattheyhave beenmissingon,and have grownaccustomedto theirpatterns.Althoughsome doseemwillingtogoto school if providedwiththe opportunity,mostof the streetchildrenhave become hesitant,evenindifferenttowardsthe idea,preferringtocontinue livingtheirlivesthe way theyalreadyare. Childrenenduponthe streetsfora numberof reasons,manyof whichare rootedinfamilyinstability and poverty. Inthe regionwhere we work,childrenmostoftenleave homebecause theyare fleeing instabilityorhave beenrejectedandabandonedbytheirfamiliesforvariousreasons(disabilities, disease ordisobedience). Manyof the childrenwe have workedwithhave lefttheirhomestoflee domesticviolence,abusiverelativesorneglectfulfamilies. Othershave done sobecause theirfamilies live insevere economicdistress,eitherinrural villagesorcityslums,andare unable to care forthem. It isnot uncommonthat parentsinextreme povertywillencourage olderchildrentoleave home tofind work,whichmayinclude begging,sellingscrapmaterialsforrecyclingorprostitution. Manywhoflee
- 8. extreme povertytojoinstreetlife oftendosounderthe impressionthatitwill provide themwithmore opportunityandeconomicadvantagesthantheirhome livescouldoffer. Life onthe streetsprovestobe treacherousforchildrenwhofindthemselveswithoutanywhere elseto call home and childrenbecome extraordinarilyresilientinordertosurvive. Manyare adoptedby gangs,who formand functiontosatisfyamuch neededsense of belongingforchildrenwithout familiesorothersupportsystems,andare accordinglytrappedincyclesof criminal activityandviolence. At one pointor another,mostturnto substance or drug abuse inorderto endure the harshnessof the streets, whetherthatbe threatof violence orhazardousweatherconditions(extremecold,rainstorms, etc.). Overlookedbysociety,theyare atbestdisregardedandatworst dehumanized. Because theylack identificationdocuments,streetchildrenare oftentargetedinwaysthatperpetuate grossabusesof humanrights. Most streetchildrenare subjectedto,orat a minimumhave witnessed,unreported police brutality(shootings,chainwhippings,sexual violence andsoforth). Othershave beenforcibly removedfromthe streetsbypolice officersinround-upsandtakentoyouthdetentioncentersthat fail to meetinternational humanrightsstandards. Inorderto feedthemselves,manychildrenwill work inunsafe andexploitative environmentsthatexposethemto the dangersof childlabour,sex slavery and humantrafficking. InUganda,the prevalence of witchcraftalsomakesstreetchildrentargetsfor kidnappingsandchildsacrifice rituals. Forunregisteredchildren(those lackingproof of birthor identity),all are susceptible toabductioninone formoranotherbecause there isnoproof of the childs existence beforetheirdisappearance. All streetchildrenlackaccesstobasicnecessitiesandrights. Perhapsmore importantly,theylacka healthyenvironmentinwhichtheirworthanddignitycanbe affirmed. Overtime,moststreetchildren become sodesensitizedtotheirenvironmenttheyare content if not determined to remainonthe streets. Withoutexternal support,manywillgrow upto become homelessadultswhohave primarily beenexposedtolifestylesof poverty,violence andaddictionwithoutthe opportunitytodiscovertheir individualvalue orpotential.
- 9. Chapter 4 Undercurrents Psychosocial adjustment refers to the outcome of the social, psychological, environmental, and relational issues encountered during the development of an individual. Throughout life, various social and psychological issues are dealt with which produce an impact on the mental/emotional well being of an individual. Theoretically, if these issues are dealt with positively, in a healthy, supportive, nourishing environment, they result in a well- adjusted individual. On the other hand, if these issues are not adequately handled, or dealt with in a negative, unsupportive, impoverished environment, the mental/emotional well being of the individual is compromised. Therefore, many factors influence these issues and how they are experienced, which in turn determines the resulting level of psychosocial adjustment. Many street children demonstrate notable psychological and physical resilience and adaptability issues. The necessity of their daily existence may even drive development of some cognitive functions, such that they outperform children from more conventional backgrounds. They are exposed to violence and abuse and are frequently exploited. The lives of the so called street children, cry out for attention from psychologists. The levels of potentially psychologically toxic factors that such children are exposed to is shocking. One of the most common observations is precocious and pernicious substance abuse by street-connected children. When children were first asked through the FGDs to describe their health statuses, most of them stressed their health to be fine and better than their peers. Such findings correlate with previous research made on street children in Egypt. Street children often view the types of illnesses or diseases they experience as minor or normal as long as they can move, work, and run. Sickness to them often means inability to move or work.2 Discussions on the health/nutrition issue indicate that street children do, in fact, suffer from various health problems. When queried in depth about their health conditions they began to complain of respiratory problems due to glue sniffing, cigarette smoking, and skeletal problems due to violence. Most of the sample of street children complained of the following health problems, which are often viewed by them as minor health problems: Headaches, Heart pain, Chest pain, Abdominal colic, Renal colic, Back pain, Blood in the urine, Shortening breath on running, Cough, Wounds and bruises, Diarrhea,
- 10. Dental problems, Fever, and Discharge from the ear. In one study of 124 abandoned children (mean age 14) who lived and worked on the streets of La Paz, Bolivia, 58 per cent reported alcohol use, 40 per cent reported glue sniffing and 88 per cent reported the abuse of paint thinner. Similarly, in Ecuador, a study of homeless children who were in contact with neither families nor care agencies (also mean age 14) reported even higher levels: 98 per cent reported cocaine use and 98 per cent reported solvent abuse. In Medellin, Colombia, a study following DSM-IV criteria estimated that 58 per cent of the street connected children (mean age 15) they surveyed met criteria for substance dependence Havingto go throughthe rigorouspath of life,the mentalityof these childreninPakistandevelopsina mannerthat a middle classchildof the same age couldhardlyinterpret.Inmostcases high levels of hopelessness, depression, self-harm and suicide among groups of street children in Pakistan and different parts of the world can be observed, though here we only focused on Pakistan, Karachi to be precise. A child was asked, why do you beg for money, doesnt your dad do work? His response was that his father only gets high and the son needs to bring in money for his drugs or else the father abuses his mother and him. Due to this fear he not only stays on the street all day, he claims that if he had the guts to kill himself, he would. It would be easier than this current lifestyle. Having to live in the streets has caused these kids to adapt in various ways and adopt a mindset which would be unexpected of children of the middle of higher class. Psychologists have deduced a few details according to which these kids who adopt the need for day to day survival, street smartness to get around, of course this excludes of course the need to avoid the physical abuse they face and the hardness of daily life. Due to lack of supported psychological reports about the children, we decided to compare a child from the lower class/ street children from a child from middle class. The middle class child does not have to worry about where his next income is coming from, he knows that his father will earn the money for him so he can stay home all day and not have anything to do, where as a child from the lower class has to wake up in the morning where they are dropped off to the location allocated to them by a system setup by mafia where they usually either sell something on signals or go car to car begging for money. If you were even to ask a middle class child if he could go car to car even to ask a simple question, in most instances theyd say that it would hurt their pride if they were to do that. The street children have to resort to stealing if nothing else for survival, be it simply pickpocketing or larger scale home robberies with accordance to groups, they mentality from a middle class kid is completely different. According to psychologists who have studied street children in other parts of the world have concluded that the street children have positives, mentality wise, by living on the streets. These positives are such that if you were to ask them to give alternative uses to items, they would be more likely to come up with alternate uses than children who are compared to them, spoon fed. In one study, 36 boys (mean age 14) who had spent at least six months living on the streets of La Paz or its neighboring city Al Alto, Bolivia, were compared with a similarly poor group (but without experience of street living) on a battery of cognitive tests. It was found that the homeless group were not significantly impaired on any measures, and on one measure performed significantly better than the comparison sample (Dahlman et al., 2013).
- 11. Psychologists and others working with or studying the lives of street children must resist dual temptations on the one hand seeing everything as victimization, demanding sympathy, and on the other hand romanticizing their lifestyles. But how can we reconcile these observations, of multiple and complex problems, exploitation, violence, trauma and drug abuse with notable strengths, resilience and adaptability? One of the reasons for this contrast is the inappropriate use of the term street child. It is simply used to categorize too many different life contexts under one convenient expression. The lives of poor children in Latin American and other low- and middle-income countries often differ markedly from many of those in the richer, more developed countries. In a globalised 21st century, psychologists must stop focusing solely on their local contexts and consider the psychological lives of adults and children around the world. It is not enough for the study of child development in poor countries to be left to the psychologists in those countries.