Government tackles street kids problem

by J. Soso-Vincent 25.JULY.08

The topic of ‘street children’ is always a melancholy one. By world standards the term refers to children who permanently reside on the streets with no respite. In Vincentian terms, it refers to children who spend the vast majority of their time roaming the streets but have homes to go to.{{more}} However, this does not make their story any less depressing. A recent scientific survey on the prevalence of street children in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, coordinated by the Ministry of Social Development and other stakeholders, has revealed that their numbers are reasonably low. However, it is the Ministry’s aim to reduce these numbers as much as possible and prevent other children from reaching that state or worse.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, July 22nd, Minister of Social Development Mike Browne, along with his ‘top management’ team, presented the findings of the survey, which was conducted during the months of February – May 2008. This survey spanned the regions of Diamond Estate to Layou. As well as identifying known street children, the survey, more disturbingly, pinpointed the broader problem of ‘at risk’ children in jeopardy of ending up on the streets – something that could potentially triple current street children figures.

Acting Permanent Secretary Rosita Alexander-Snagg presented the findings to the media, not forgetting to acknowledge the great contributions of Lead Consultant Monica Thomas-Woodley and Joel Warren. Snagg related that there are 32 street children in the survey regions – 25 of them being boys and seven girls. The majority of these children reside in Layou and Sion Hill and 50% of them are aged 14 – 17 years old. Due to poor parental supervision, the vast majority do not attend school at all, but rather are earning a living on the streets running errands or pushing carts. It is no surprise that many of the children are from single parent families where the father is absent. Similarly, it is no surprise that all the children come from poverty-ridden families who mostly cannot afford to educate them. The survey further indicated that most of a street child’s day is spent roaming the streets, playing with friends, playing games at the arcade, going fishing or loitering in rum shops. It was also noted that all the children were prone to aggression and some of them had even perpetrated acts of violence and petty theft.