In 1989, UNICEF projected an estimated 100 million children worldwide could be classified as street children.
We’ve all seen Slumdog Millionaire. Ok, maybe not all of us, so for those that haven’t here’s a quick synopsis: Slumdog Millionaire is a fictional film about a poor Indian boy who makes it onto India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” and triumphs. Through a series of flashbacks, the boy’s harrowing life story is revealed and, in a particularly memorable (and horrifying) scene, viewers see him and his brother as “street children.” They beg for money on the streets, reporting back to men who take it from them and feed them in return. In order to get more money, these men sometimes disfigure or maim children; one little boy even has his eye removed with a hot spoon.
In case you’re wondering if Slumdog Millionaire and Indian street children relate to Ecuador, they do. Because sadly, Ecuador, like many other countries, has street children of its own. So what are street children exactly? While it’s hard to pin down one, simple definition, the Consortium for Street Children defines them as the following:
In case you’re wondering if Slumdog Millionaire and Indian street children relate to Ecuador, they do. Because sadly, Ecuador, like many other countries, has street children of its own. So what are street children exactly? While it’s hard to pin down one, simple definition, the Consortium for Street Children defines them as the following:
“Some children live on the streets all the time, others only occasionally or seasonally, while others move between home, the street and welfare shelters. Some retain strong links with their families; others have broken or lost all contact.”
In 1989, UNICEF projected an estimated 100 million children worldwide could be classified as street children. This ridiculous number persisted through the early 2000s. In more recent years, they have reported that the number runs into the tens of millions, but regardless of the exact figure (which is extremely hard to quantify) the number is too large. The existence of street children is a sad reality that needs to be fixed.
In Ecuador specifically, violence is a huge issue that street children face there. The UN Committee expressed concern about this in 2010, suggesting that intensive family support would help eradicate the presence of children on the street. The rest of life for a street child stems from and is affected by their experiences with violence. Their education, for example, can greatly suffer if they’ve been victim to a lot of violence. Such experiences can cause the children to act out and experience backlash from teachers, thus excluding them from education almost completely. The International Children’s Trust in combination with Junto con los Niños (JUCONI) provide training to teachers in order to better equip them to help the street children that might be in their classrooms, giving them teaching methods that are both inclusive and non-violent. Street children who may have been exposed to violence and/or sexual exploitation can react better to these methods, and thus grow as a student and as a person.
What’s important to understand about “street children” is that their title itself can be misleading. Many street children live with their families but work out on the streets everyday. As a result of extreme poverty, children are either asked by their parents to sell things on the street or beg, and many children even turn to this alternative on their own. Since this sad situation is all too often an unavoidable reality for some children in Ecuador, some organizations have even started supporting the street children with resources. Street Kids International has toolkits for the children that teach them how to develop business skills such as how to attract customers, creating a business plan, etc.
During my short time in Ecuador, by far the most joyous part was the time I spent with the children. The boys and girls who are learning and growing everyday are, as cliché as it is, truly the future of the villages and towns in Guayaquil and Ecuador as a whole. The best way to help the future of the country is to help the children always, and to help the street children get off the street and stay in school, in their homes with their families, and on the playgrounds where they belong.
To help the street children in Ecuador, visit JUCONI's website. To learn more about the issue, watch the videos below.
During my short time in Ecuador, by far the most joyous part was the time I spent with the children. The boys and girls who are learning and growing everyday are, as cliché as it is, truly the future of the villages and towns in Guayaquil and Ecuador as a whole. The best way to help the future of the country is to help the children always, and to help the street children get off the street and stay in school, in their homes with their families, and on the playgrounds where they belong.
To help the street children in Ecuador, visit JUCONI's website. To learn more about the issue, watch the videos below.