The document discusses the health concerns of street children globally and nationally. It estimates that globally there are 120 million street children, with 30 million each in Africa and Asia, and 60 million in South America. In Nepal, there are estimated to be around 5,000 street children, with 1,200-1,500 in the Kathmandu valley. The main factors that lead children to live on the streets are poverty, family loss, conflicts, natural disasters, civil war, and the pursuit of freedom. Street children face major physical health problems like malnutrition, injuries, infectious diseases, and sexual/reproductive issues. They also experience social, psychological, and mental health problems such as substance abuse, stress, depression, and suicidal tendencies

1. Health Concern of
Street Children
Nabin BishT

2. Contents :
•Introduction
•Magnitude of the problem
•Global
•National
•Factors associated with the problem
•Consequences of the problem
•Preventive measures and management
•References

3. •According to the UNICEF, “Street child is any girl
or boy who has not reached adulthood (<18 year of
Age ), for whom the street has become her or his
habitual sources of livelihood, and who is
inadequately protected, supervised or directed by
responsible adults.”
Introduction

4. UNICEF has defined three types of street
children
•Street Living Children: children who ran away from
their families and live alone on the streets.
•Street Working Children: children who spend most
of their time on the streets, fending for themselves,
but returning home on a regular basis.
•Children from Street Families: children who live on
the streets with their families.

5. GLOBAL SCENARIO
 There are estimated to be around 120 million children living on the
streets in the world (30 million in Africa, 30 million in Asia, and 60 million
in South America)
According to UN sources there are up to 150 million street children in
the world today.
Source: An Article of UNESCO 2017 www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-
sciences/...children.../street-children/
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6. NATIONAL SCENARIO
According to a report, there are around 5,000 street children all over Nepal.
It is estimated that the number of street children is approximately 1,200-
1,500 in the Kathmandu valley alone.
Around 15 % of the children in the streets are from Sunsari in eastern Terai.
86% of rag pickers work round-the-clock.
Similarly, 75% street boys in Kathmandu are victims of sexual abuse at the
hands of foreigners, locals and their peers.
Source: The Himalayan Times, Published on: April 20, 2017 4:58 am
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7. Reasons that
lead children to get into the street are
•Poverty,
•Family loss,
•Family conflicts,
•Natural disasters,
•Civil war, and
•The pursuit of freedom

8. HEALTH PROBLEMS OF STREET CHILDREN
Physical problems:
• Lack of adequate Nutrition: street children can usually get some
amount of food to eat, they do not have nutritious or balanced
diets. This deficiency thus manifests itself in the form of anemia,
malnutrition, and vitamin deficiencies).
• Homelessness: The children who choose the streets as their home
face the most acute problems related to shelter. They are
vulnerable to all ranges of weather conditions be it the burning
heat of summer, the rainstorms or the chilly winter nights.
• Injuries: Due to accidents, falls and violence.
• Sexual and reproductive health problems: HIV/AIDS, STDs, etc.
• Infectious diseases: Like typhoid, dysentery,cholera,malaria,worm
etc.
• Sexual abuse and violence.
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9. HEALTH PROBLEMS (CONTINUED)
Social problems:
• Poverty and illiteracy.
• Discrimination and lack of accessible resources: The varied
needs of street children are rarely met. They frequently go
hungry; wear torn, tattered and dirty clothes or sometimes,
no clothes at all. They have no permanent place to stay, no
educational facilities, no facilities for hygiene and in brief,
no facilities at all.
• Stigmatization.
• Exploitation: Children on the street have to work to survive.
Since they have no skills with which to bargain for fair pay
or to fight for their rights, they are very vulnerable to
employers who look to make a profit on them.
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10. HEALTH PROBLEMS (CONTINUED)
Psychological/mental problems:
•Substance abuse: Many street children resort to
using psychoactive substances (such as alcohol,
drugs and glue) in an attempt to escape from the
overwhelming pressure of their traumatic past
and their daily problems.
•A Stressful past.
•A Transitory Lifestyle.
•Mental health: Stress, depression, suicidal
tendency, etc.
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11. Public approaches to street children
There are four categories of how societies deal with street children:
i. Correctional model,
ii. Rehabilitative model,
iii. Outreach strategies, and
iv. Preventive approach.
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12. Public approaches ( continued)
1) The Correctional model is primarily used by
governments and the police.(The Act Relating to
Children, 2075)
Objective of this model would be to protect the public
and help keep the kids away from a life of crime.
2) Rehabilitative model is supported by NGOs.
Objective of this model is to rehabilitate children into
mainstream society.
The methods used to keep children from going back to
the streets are education, drug detoxification
programs, and providing children with a safe family-like
environment.
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13. Public approaches ( continued)
3) Outreach strategy is supported by street teachers,
NGOs, and church organizations
Objective of the Outreach strategy is to empower the
street children by providing outreach education and
training to support children.
4) Preventive approach is supported by NGOs, the
coalition of street children, and lobbying governments.
This approach focuses on the problems that cause
children to leave their homes for the street by targeting
parent’s unemployment, poor housing campaign for
children’s rights. 13

14. Programmes launched for street children in
Nepal
•Street Child Nepal
•Association For The Protection Of Children
• Khushi Nepal
•Association for the Protection of Children (APC) Nepal
•Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN)
•Voice Of Children
•Nepal Youth Foundation
• Education & Development for the Underprivileged
Children of Nepal (EDUC)
•Children Workers in Nepal (CWIN)
•Helen Keller International Nepal 14

15. REFERENCES
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) “Difficulties and
Problems of Street Children” 2013, Pratibha, A. Mathur, Ansu. Retrieved
on: 12 August, 2018
The Street Children of Nepal “Anthropo-sociological Study of Social, Cultural
and Communicational Practices”. 2012. Child Protection Centers and
Services; Retrieved on: 12 August, 2018
An Article of UNESCO 2017 www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-
human-sciences/...children.../street-children/
The Himalayan Times, Published on: April 20, 2017 4:58 am
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