By Guest Writer David Lony Majak
July 21, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — There are estimated street children to be around 2,000 (thousands) living on the streets in the Republic of south Sudan and before the ongoing crisis erupted, there are often victims of all kinds of abuse, hard situations, and these children still have rights to anything in their life time.
Briefly, When I carry out a reasonable comprehensive research regarding children living on the street. I initially found one, a little bit dated article for this topic need to be titled the “the power of street children in this country”, but it interested me quite a lot and so I started searching for more recent and related areas around main markets of South Sudan (Juba business centers). Unfortunately these were not easy to find and my Internet perusing began to lose its focus since much detail (s) are always been ignored by few of readers in some links websites. As I looked through the most recent slew of child suffering, an incredibly moving speech about the unjust street children system in the south Sudan, through their words, I began to recognize meaningful connections between their ideas and become a friend to them, there I became a writer of their problems.
What is a street child? Some of the readers may ask this question that, who is street child? Street children are minors who live and survive on the streets conditionally in his/her daily life. They often grow up in public landfills, train stations, under the bridges of the world’s major cities. Because of conflicts with their family, these children do not want to or cannot return home base on touchiest situations forcing them to join streets here in south Sudan or around the world.
In a normal culture around African Proverbs, an event to see our children living on streets makes me understand how my body moves and shows the wonderful work of God”. Street Child: “I prefer the topic since it enables me know how my body works especially how the food we eat is broken down while others are suffering because of feeding issue, what makes us grow, how we react when there is something harmful to the body in life. The body is just like a machine” that can generate any thing before it depreciates that is how street children are; at the moment they are still young, it is not danger to the country’s’ security, but leaving them to grow like that is major disaster to rich and poor in future but give a big question to the society.
Some causes for children ‘streetism’ (Genuine causes of joining streets);
In South Sudan today, most of the children may be forced to the streets due to a number of reasons (s) in around the globe, some of which are mentioned here;
- Overcrowding: (Lack of living space, poor house ventilation, etc.) under which children are forced to live in slum areas, without food, and other basic amenities has forced numerous children to the streets of cities.
- Negative attitudes toward children is the abusive work in homes where domestic workers are forced to run away as a result of being overworked underpaid or even subjected to other forms of abuse. They end up on the streets trying to earn a living.
- The growing HIV/AIDS scrooge in Africa has left many children orphaned or abandoned by their parents. Such children often end as street children. With one third of Africans now living in towns and cities, coupled with rapid urban population growth rates, the streets have become the workplace and playground for millions of street children where their lives is at risk.
- Generally the poverty level in urban areas is on the increase and children have no choice but togo out and look for their daily bread to assist their younger siblings. In the case of single femaleheaded households a child may feel the need to go out and assist his/her mother in bringingsome income.
- Family crisis: poverty and other associated life events may result in dysfunctional parenting styles. These weaken family bonds and result in an environment where parents become physically andemotionally abusive to their children or towards each other.
General Recommendation:
Therefore; on how to handle cases relating to street children in south Sudan; to enhance the capacity of local authorities to deal with the problem of street children, the government of republic of south Sudan should clearly design a policy of helping needy or marginalizes communities in order to reduce high streetism or what we called streetwise in the country.
In the recent of difficult situation pertaining around the Nation, there are various ways of preventing high rates of streetism in the country if put in place,the Local authorities work at the local level of ten (s) states of newly born country the republic of south Sudan which obtain its independence on 9th-july 2011.
The community participation and involvement, Transparency of all stakeholders and local capacity building as well as some opportunities to support them, Political support from the central government. Community based institutions which would have make a thoroughly recognition is Goddmanti.
Consistent follow up and collaboration with other stakeholders, building mechanical schools like garages, carpenter stations for training them, orphanages schools, support from church leaders especially the most contributed Bishops in South Sudan, Decentralization of policy implementation, Continuous training, and facilitating formation of community based institutions, networking.
Prioritizing marginalized communities leaving the issue of tribalism these outline points above can really reduce joining of streets by south Sudanese infants who have got no support from their parents.
Children living on the street in Nimule border are better than those living in Juba, why? , they have got many works to do like selling empty contains, collecting garbage , selling juice, green mango, lemon, etc. that help them survive in their daily life-style. When I asked some of the street children that where did you get food both lunch and super, they told me a very unique reply that we had got nowhere to get food, shelters, housing for lodging, they sleeping at corners of buildings in markets using cottons, they used the already wear cloth for covering themselves if it became cold.
The author Live in Juba South Sudan and can be reached on this Email; delonymajak@yahoo.com
