THE PROBLEM OF STREET CHILDREN AND HOW TO SOLVE IT.

In article 28 (1) (a) of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana indicates that “every child has the right to the same measure of special care, assistance and maintenance as is necessary for its development from its natural parents, except where those parents have effectively surrendered their rights and responsibilities in respect of the child in accordance with the law”.
If every child has the right to the same measure of special care, assistance and maintenance, how then the street is now full of a certain category of people called street children. A street child is one who is homeless and depends on the street for his daily bread. In Accra, there are over two hundred thousand (200,000) street children according to Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS). The incidence of street children is caused by many factors.
The first cause of street children is urbanization. For decades of years children have migrated from Ghana’s rural regions to the cities in search for education, vocational training and jobs only to realize that life in the urban areas is equally difficult. Since they cannot cope with hustle and bustle of the big towns and cities they resort to the streets. The government should disburse enough funds to the District Assemblies to help set up small scale industries which under efficient management and entrepreneurship would boom into large scale industries as to curb the unfortunate phenomenon of urbanization.
Family disintegration is also a major cause of street children. About 70% of marriages do not last. Due to the fact that, most people do not understand the true purpose of the institution of marriage. As a result, most marriages end up in a divorce and children if not well catered for, find themselves on the street fending for themselves. To control this causal factor of street children, couples preparing for this sacred institution should take counseling seriously before they go into wedlock. They must do their best to endure each other at least for the sake of their children. According to Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS) findings, 86% of children who find themselves permanently on the street are product of family disintegration and most of them are within the age range of seven (7) to fifteen (15) years.
Lastly, teenage pregnancy is also a factor which causes street children. Most teenagers are now obsessed with sexual activities so much that they refuse to take precautions. When these teens deliver, they hardly take very good care of their children. At certain instances, the children have to fend for themselves because the house is not supportive. The possibility that this child would turn into a street child is very high. Sex education should be put on school timetables and parents should advise their children on early sex and its consequences. Also the media should introduce sex educative programs.
In the nutshell, if the solutions given as to how to solve the problem of urbanization, family disintegration and teenage pregnancy are taken into consideration. I believe all our streets would be free of street children. Also, those who would have ended up in the streets will become useful citizens. And this will be beneficial to the nation as a whole.
Regina Asamoah
Ghana Institute of Journalism