Cities of lost children
Imagine yourself as a child: abandoned, alone, with no identification and no place to call home. No roof over your head. No guarantee of where your next meal’s coming from. And no parents to protect you against life’s uncertainties.
Now imagine reaching out to a policeman, a teacher, a doctor – the very individuals dedicated to providing a helping hand – and having a door slammed in your face.The local policeman shuns, beats or arrests you for begging for food; the school teacher forbids you from coming to class because you don’t have a permanent address; the doctor refuses to treat you because you don’t have a parent or guardian to vouch for you.
This is the plight of more than 100 million children worldwide who survive on the streets. Whether abandoned in war-torn conditions, victims of natural disasters, survivors of physical abuse, or sufferers of other socioeconomic issues, these street-connected children continue to be exposed to unnecessary mental and physical abuses, as well as basic human rights violations.