49. Related link: War Child & Street Children
Why do children end up on the streets?Children end up on the streets for a mixture of reasons, though poverty is usually at the heart of the problem. In the countries where we work, conflict and poverty combine to force children onto the streets. In many cases a child's family can no longer afford to care for them properly or may need their help to supplement the family income and help put food on the table.
Or it could be that a child's parents have been killed by conflict or HIV/AIDS, or they may have become separated when they were forced to flee their homes. In parts of Congo and Uganda, families and communities sometimes accuse children of being witches and for bringing bad luck upon them.
In Afghanistan girls may end up on the streets after they have been forced to leave home for committing 'honour crimes' like adultery (i.e. being raped or sexually abused) or refusing an arranged marriage. Boys may end up on the street to help support their parent's opium addiction.
Some children spend the daytime on the streets (to beg or to work) but return to their families at night. For others, the streets are their home and they have nowhere else to go.
