The Problem of Street Children in Developing Countries

The problem of street children greatly affects development. Poverty, food deficiencies, and unsafe water are responsible for the deaths of millions of children every year.Interestingly, MDGs have a human development aspect, yet there seems to be fewer attempts in directing their benefits towards children on streets. This study provides statistics of street children and analyses their causes and effects on development in relation to the MDGs. The report reveals that "pull" and "push" factors exacerbate the street children problem leading to increased illiteracy levels and rising mortality and morbidity levels. Government and community members should promote poverty alleviation programs, strengthen people's economic bases and should stop administering corporal punishments on children. The book is instrumental in showing how street children affect development, a fact ignored by studies. The findings are helpful to development partners and can be used by academicians for further studies.