MAKING GLOBAL CONNECTIONS: CHILDREN, THE STREETS AND US

Sarah Thomas de Benitez1 November 2011

START WITH CHILDREN Listen, observe, discuss, reflect

Stories of multiple deprivations - before touching urban streets‘My stepmother used to say she and my father quarreled

because of me – she did not want to take me in with her other children. But my father wanted to take me. After big arguments my stepmother used to beat me – even when it was not any fault of mine. My father never used to defend me or stopped my stepmother.’ Geeta, a girl aged 11 or 12,

India‘I am always asking myself about the things that happened

to me, did I do something wrong to pay for it every day? All the things that I faced with my father and the persons who I worked with and all the abuse that I faced on a daily basis must be punishment for a thing that I didn’t do…’ a

15-year old boy in Alexandria, Egypt’

CHILDREN AND CONNECTIONS

DEVELOPING STREET CONNECTIONS ‘Push’ factors – Deprivations

The fewer/weaker connections a child has with home, extended family, school, neighbourhood clubs and activities… the stronger the urge to develop significant connections in other environments. Whether alongside or instead of…

‘Pull’ factors – Choice / Tactical Agency

‘Street-connectedness’ suggests that children start to develop or strengthen their connections with and within the street when other connections are weakened, temporarily fractured, chronically damaged or broken…

‘STREET-CONNECTEDNESS’A PARADIGM SHIFT

On the street: Child as social actor developing relationships with

people and places (in everyday lives) Focus on children’s emotional and cognitive

associations with public spaces as well as physical presence on the street (children can be street-connected even when in a shelter or home)

Child who spends time working, hanging out or living on the street forms attachments there (not dependent on categorization such as in/of street)

Recognises that street-based experiences make particular contributions to identity development

CHILDREN WITH STREET CONNECTIONS

‘’Children for whom the street is a central reference point – one which plays a significant role in their everyday lives and identities’

USEFUL FOR RESEARCH: TYPOLOGY OF STREET-CONNECTEDNESS

USEFUL FOR INTERVENTIONS Connections with

street (nature/type & intensity)

Connections with family, neighbourhood, school, services

Understanding rights deprivations in a holistic context

Restoring, building on existing, and developing new connections to rights

SYSTEMIC SUPPORT - Gill & Jack (2008) Poverty 129

USEFUL FOR CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS Strengthen healthy connections Prevent multiple deprivations Partnerships – with NGOs and private

sector Data collection around connections

Connected children who trust adults and know their rights are better able to defend them

STREET-CONNECTIONS, POLICIES AND GOVERNANCE… AND US. MUST INCLUDE:

Law Enforcement for children (+ sanctions)

Budgets for childhood Data Collection with

children Economic Policies for

child development Social protection policies

for child inclusion (social connections)

International support for children