Street children in Pakistan

Most street children came from large families which had recently moved to the city in search of economic opportunities. Their parents had low education levels and were either unemployed or employed in unskilled occupations.... [ view full abstract ]

Most street children came from large families which had recently moved to the city in search of economic opportunities. Their parents had low education levels and were either unemployed or employed in unskilled occupations. Poverty clearly was an important factor. The majority of the children moved to the street to augment family income.

An estimated 1.5 million children are on the streets of Pakistan's major cities , constituting the country's largest and most ostracised social group. These include 'Runaway' children who live or work on the street, as well as the minority that return to their families at the end of the day with their meagre earnings.

These children beg and scavenge around rubbish dumps or industrial waste sites or take on menial jobs as cart pushers or dish washers, working 12-15 hours a day to earn around 100 rupees or US.1- enough to buy a meal if they are fortunate. Most survive by prostituting themselves, stealing or smuggling, making them vulnerable to contracting sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Jaundice and liver or kidney disorders. A large proportion sniffs cheap, readily available solvents to starve off hunger, loneliness and fear.

The problem is getting worse as more and more poor parents with large families are unable to make ends meet and their children end up in the streets of cities and towns.

Important issues were parental exploitation, police harassment, abuse, and the impact of other street peers in their lives.