Adapted from the CCALP website
Child neglect is the biggest crisis facing the world. It is even worse than corruption. Neglected children grow to become armed robbers or street children. Neglected children end up not going to school or dropping out early leading to future unskilled or semi-skilled labour force. They therefore, are potentially trapped in poverty circles since they are likely to attract very low pay wages that hardly cater for their individual basic needs as well as for their immediate families. Children are the sacrificial lambs when families breakdown. Because they have no political right to be heard and no vote, they are usually marginalized
More than 150 million children between the ages of five and 14 years work for a living in developing countries, with half of the number working full time. About 1.8 million children are also exploited in prostitution and pornography and 1.2 million others become victims of trafficking annually
It’s the work of CCALP to serve as an advocate for children to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and to enable them to become responsible adults. Beggars are no always homeless. They are working children. These children work on the streets everyday and their number is increasing. The street kids are everywhere, outside restaurants, outside malls and at traffic signals either begging or collecting scraps for selling.
Some reasons why children work on streets
The street children are not always homeless, but simply poor like the majority of other children. Their parents may be unemployed and send their kids to beg, collect and sell scraps because they know that children earn more money because people do not like to give to adults. People look more kindly on child street hawkers, and as a result the kids earn more money.
In Uganda children are seen as insurance policies. Hence the rush to get married early and have children so that they can be made to work and support the family. The parents who force the children to work have no shame because they are uneducated and have themselves done that for 12-15 years. So they think it is normal.
More than 150 million children between the ages of five and 14 years work for a living in developing countries, with half of the number working full time. About 1.8 million children are also exploited in prostitution and pornography and 1.2 million others become victims of trafficking annually
It’s the work of CCALP to serve as an advocate for children to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and to enable them to become responsible adults. Beggars are no always homeless. They are working children. These children work on the streets everyday and their number is increasing. The street kids are everywhere, outside restaurants, outside malls and at traffic signals either begging or collecting scraps for selling.
Some reasons why children work on streets
The street children are not always homeless, but simply poor like the majority of other children. Their parents may be unemployed and send their kids to beg, collect and sell scraps because they know that children earn more money because people do not like to give to adults. People look more kindly on child street hawkers, and as a result the kids earn more money.
In Uganda children are seen as insurance policies. Hence the rush to get married early and have children so that they can be made to work and support the family. The parents who force the children to work have no shame because they are uneducated and have themselves done that for 12-15 years. So they think it is normal.
