Street Children

It is important to note that in using the term street children one is referring to a composite group of individuals with very different characteristics and needs. The very first reference to street children was made in the early 1980s in a report prepared by the Inter-NGO Programme for Street Children and Street Youth. The report—“Street Children: From Individual Care to the Introduction of Social Policies”—drew attention to the distinction between, on the one hand, children of the streets and, on the other, children on the streets. The first category refers to children who live on the streets permanently and normally, without contact with family elders acting as guardians. The second group, children on the streets, refers to groups who spend a part or all ...