Street Children Essay

369 Words2 Pages
The average age of street children in Egypt is 13 years old with a quarter of the population believed to be less than 12 years old two thirds between 13 and 16 and only 10 percent over the age of 17 according to the social defence department at ministry of social solidarity. This statistic shows how unwisely we treat such young children who need care rather than considering them criminals. Even though street children phenomenon is a hazardous one, it can be effectively solved. Street children phenomenon cause serious problems to the society. They are children whose families and communities are unable to fulfil their basic needs and spend most of their time wondering in the street. Owing to many causes, street children phenomenon takes place. Family breakdown and poverty are two main causes of this phenomenon .Sohein Milik director of the institute for children at risk ,says that the driving factors behind the phenomenon of street children is the breakdown of family in the context of widespread poverty. On the other hand, the consequences of this phenomenon are terrifying and affect the children and the community as whole. The major effect on the society is the increase in the rate of crimes and the main threat for street children is that they are subjected to physical and sexual abuse. The problem of the street children should be solved as soon as possible. The main solution is to put rehabilitation programmes which street children go through to recover from negative physical and psychological effects of the period they spent on the streets. Since these programmes are very costly, the government can’t afford them alone, In order to overcome the problem of funding, people assembly should set a new law to oblige each family with a high income to afford the rehabilitation of at least one of the street children. On doing so, people are not wasting their
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