International Day for Street Children

About the event

The International Day for Street Children was launched on 12th April 2011. It aims to raise awareness of the millions of street children all around the world and support the vital recognition of their rights. All countries (except the US) ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and have a legal obligation to work towards ensuring that all children's rights are integrated into national law. However, the rights of street children are often overlooked.

The Consortium for Street Children (CSC) suggests 4 ‘steps to equality’ that we should make to support street children:

1. Commit to Equality
2. Protect Every Child
3. Provide Access to Services
4. Create Specialised Solutions

How to approach it

Help students understand what street children are, why they often go unprotected and what needs to be done about it. Street children are vulnerable children whose lives are inextricably connected with the street. They may live on the street or rely on them for survival such as through begging. Being in their situation often means local and national authorities cannot keep track of them or can safely ignore them without consequence. As CSC notes these children should have access to the same services, care and protection that every other child receives. Encourage empathy for these children with your students. Ask them to put themselves in a street child’s shoes. What would it be like to have no address or to not go to school? If you were in that situation how would you like to be treated, what help would you like to receive?