Saving our street kids

A task force is being set up to action the recommendations made in the recently tabled Study of Children Working and Living on the Streets in Jamaica.

Seven recommendations were presented in the report, which includes stemming intergenerational inequality by implementing an aggressive income-generation programme for parents and guardians, addressing learning and psychological challenges among children, and urgently tackling the factors that push them on to the streets.

The report also recommended the development of an effective marketing programme that will advocate against child work on the streets and called for the implementation of tough child-labour legislation.

With an estimated 1,140 to 2,000 children living and working on the streets islandwide, the study’s aim was to determine predisposing factors and to identify gaps in the provision of care and social-protection services.

The report found that intergenerational inequality, chronic poverty, hasty expulsions, fractured families, and inadequate financial and other support for single-parent households were among the factors that push youngsters on the road.

At six years old, John* was already on the streets of Kingston begging until he learnt how to wipe windscreens.

“Mi deh out here long time. Some time mi feel fraid fi come pan di road, ‘cause di B-boy dem rob me and beat me up,” the now 11-year-old told The Gleaner on Tuesday afternoon.

‘B-boy’ is a gay slur.

Though he also fears being hit by vehicles, John, who is the youngest of three children, braves the road daily. John said that he is doing fairly well academically and will be collecting his school report next week.

Another youngster said that he often gets into fights with older boys who also wipe windscreens, as they have claimed turf at some traffic lights along the Three Miles thoroughfare.

“Mi haffi come out ya fi mek mi mother get sumn. She nah work and a me alone she have,” the teen said.

“When mi come home a evening time and give har di money, shi seh thanks and guh buy sumn fi wi eat.”

The 13-year-old said education remains a priority, so he hustles after school to ensure that he has lunch money.

“A nuh my responsibility fi put food pan di table, but me nuh feel nuh way, ‘cause nobody inna mi family nah work, so mi jus haffi do it,” he said.

EARNING BIG FROM HUSTLE

Jacob*, 14, pointed out that his father’s death, when he was only seven years old, and his mother’s illness played a part in his decision to work on the streets.

“Mi haffi hustle fi myself and mek mi mother tek care a mi likkle sister dem. Mi mek five grand and 10 grand. Nuff time mi mek all seven grand. Mi have whole heap a friend weh look out fi mi, once yuh out ya and yuh nuh disrespect nobody, wipe dem windscreen, all when dem nuh have nuh money, yuh good,” Jacob told The Gleaner.

Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) CEO Rosalee Gage-Grey said that the study has given the agency empirical data for assessment and action.

As part of its ongoing marketing and public education, CPFSA has targeted Positive Parenting as a major campaign for resocialisation.

SOCIAL-PROTECTION NEEDS

Gage-Grey said that preventing another wave of children from swarming the streets would require significant stakeholder collaboration, as the research has highlighted that the children who work and live on the streets have social-protection needs.

The majority of street children return home in the evenings, research has shown.

“Our efforts now is to get those who are on the streets now off, and to work with the communities to do the intervention with parents and families so that they won’t have the need to venture out,” the CPFSA chief executive said.

Meanwhile, the CPFSA is hoping to increase to 75 per cent the number of children in familial environments by 2023.

As at June 2021, there were 4,580 children in state care. A total of 2,917, or 64 per cent of, children in care are living in familial environments while the remainder reside in children’s homes and places of safety.

“As part of our gatekeeping strategy, we believe and we are following the international guidelines for alternative care, which speaks to the necessity and the suitability principles ... ,” Gage-Grey said.

“We have been remanding much less children in direct state care. Our investigators receive between 800 and 1,000 cases per month and they are remanding about two per cent of that figure, so the majority of the children are not coming to direct care.”

Children are mainly reached through a unit that provides support to families and children while they remain in their homes.

Further, Gage-Grey said that the CPFSA’s first priority is not to remove children from their families but to provide guidance that will enable parents or guardians to care for them.

* Real names withheld to protect the privacy of children.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com