Zubair Qureshi
Street children are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in Pakistan, and there is no real or recent data on their numbers have grown.
This is shared in policy brief on “Street-Connected Children in Pakistan: Education and Protection Challenges” launched by the National Commission on the Rights of Child in partnership with Cities for Children Pakistan on Thursday.
The Commission’s policy brief touches upon two major focus areas: protection risks, including neglect, exploitation by urban gangs, physical, emotional and sexual violence, and exposure to substance abuse; and educational challenges – street-connected children are a part of the 22.8 million out-of-school-children demographic – which involves choosing between work and school, barriers to entry, and lack of accessibility and quality learning.
The policy brief explores the current situation of street-connected children in Pakistan with a child rights-based lens, reviews policies and legislations in the focus areas of education and protection, and recommends informed solutions acknowledging the unique challenges faced by children on the street.
Speaking at the launching of the policy brief, NCRC Chairperson, Afshan Tehseen Bajwa, spoke about the day-to-day marginalization faced by such children, “Street-connected children are one of the most vulnerable and ignored groups in Pakistan both by the State and the society – they face a multitude of problems and live in abject poverty, often exposed to deprivation and danger on the streets. NCRC calls upon the State to devise a national-level framework for decriminalization and de-stigmatization of street children.
In addition, the existing legal provisions about vagrancy in special and penal laws should be done away with. It is the duty of the State to ensure their proper rehabilitation and reintegration in the society.”
Co-author of the policy brief, Cities for Children Founder, Madeeha Ansari, said, “It’s wonderful seeing the discourse around street-connected children evolving in progressive ways. We need to hear from children and communities, to design the systems of support they need. After all every child has the right to a childhood.”
Susan Andrew, Child Protection Specialist UNICEF, said, “It is a call to action to the Government, the civil society organizations, and all partners involved working for the child right cause to focus on long-term, holistic child-rights centered approach to help children associated with the streets. Children are right holders, and should be given the dignity of education and protection, among others.”
According to the policy brief, ‘street-connected children’ is a wide-encompassing term, capturing the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities of children for whom the streets are a central reference point of their identities and a source of survival They can include, refugees, economic, displaced, ethnic and disaster-affected migrants. Some may be unaccompanied, but many also have homes and strong community ties.
The NCRC policy brief recommends holistic policy addressing the needs of the street-connected children, which centers on a child rights-based approach to ensure improved access to their rights, especially education and protection. In terms of legislative reforms, there is a need to revisit the relevant federal and provincial legislations – especially decriminalizing poverty, homelessness, and deprivation of shelter.
Further, the policy brief recommends addressing gaps in the child protection laws to include street-connected children, formulating rules of implementation, and harmonization of the age across the child-rights laws. But, these legislative reforms can only be implemented through a holistic governance mechanism with dedicated juvenile courts.
In order to address protection risks, the policy brief recommends actionable items across the entire continuum of care ranging from first responder protocols, safeguarding policies, and capacity building of welfare workers to working with families and communities to create the conditions that will help children stay off the streets.
The brief also recommends establishing ‘drop-in spaces’ for hygiene, learning, and recreation – where children can also receive adequate case management services like, counseling. Street-connected children are a social and community concern requiring meaningful and sustainable ways of rehabilitation, assimilation and mainstreaming of these children. The policy brief spells out a comprehensive and multi-sectoral model for responding to education and protection concerns of the street-connected children.
