How street children view the family

Dar es Salaam. Although many street children are forced into the degrading life by the violence and abuse they suffer at home, there are some, like 10-year old Emmanuel Mtandati, who claims they were drawn into the practice by their own families.

Whether Emmanuel’s claim is true or not, the fact remains that the rising number of such children in the country is alarming and something needs to be done quickly about it.

The lifestyle is not only inhuman, but also exposes the children to daily abuse by some unfaiful law enforcers, sex tourists, crooks and even each other.

The children are denied a decent life since they are deprived of basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing as well as essential services, especially healthcare and education. Unofficial estimates put the number of the children at nearly 500,000 in the country.

Emmanuel told The Citizen on Saturday in a recent interview in Dar es Salaam that he totally loathes the lifestyle but has no other means of survival and a better way to support his impoverished family. If wishes were horses, he says, he would like to be going to school instead of begging in the streets.

Initially, life was painful, and he always felt ashamed of begging and thought of quitting but his mother would hear none of it. Furthermore, he said abandoning the business would mean letting his family starve.

Emmanuel, who can neither read nor write, said he does not remember when exactly he went into the streets, and he doesn’t know how much he earns a day from the begging enterprise since he cannot count.

“I was born in Dodoma, and subsequently joined my mother at Kigamboni in Dar es Salaam. After a few days, she told me to join my age mates in the streets as a beggar, to raise income that would help the family,” he narrates.

The boy who knows neither his father nor that of his two younger sisters, the older one who is also a beggar, narrates further: “Initially, I felt ashamed because begging was undignified. As time passed, however, I got used to it. I spend a tiny portion of the money I get on food, and surrender the rest to my mother.”

Emmanuel laments that his mother is never bothered when the children spend nights away from ‘home’. He reveals that she had enrolled him in school, but withdrew him after her friends mocked her. They said it was pointless for her son to waste time in school while the family lacked food.

The boy says family is the most important thing that street children wish to have, but they need friendly families that do not humiliate them and that can provide for their necessities.

He is more comfortable sleeping in streets than at home, where he sleeps for a day or two per week,

“I wish I had a family that could provide for me because sometimes I get tired of begging, and sometimes I starve if I don’t collect enough money, apart from many other challenges I meet. However, my family is not friendly, my mother makes no effort to provide for us, and is instead largely dependent on me and my sister,” he says.

Emmanuel says there had been many attempts to adopt him but his mother always blocked them, arguing that, the presumed good Samaritans were only interested in exploiting him.

He remarks: “Streets are not safe for us given that there are people of different age groups and habits. We have suffered from sexual harassment to physical violence.

For example, I have had my own friends defiled and some of our sisters raped and sometimes we are beaten by city askaris. I am always heartbroken when I hear or witness such incidents.”

From the way things are, he sees no lasting solution to the debacle of street children which activists say is turning into a crisis. The view is shared by many social welfare experts who say little is being done by the authorities and society to deal with the matter and create conditions to stop the children from resorting to street life.

According to Mr Sabas Masawe, the project co-ordinator of Dogo Dogo Centre Street Children Trust, the safest place for a child’s upbringing and survival is in the society, and the family, in particular.

He says the type of family does not matter, whether it is parents or guardians who are taking care of the children, provided they do not grow up in the streets or in children’s care institutions.

Mr Masawe says the Head of State and Prime Minister have categorically stressed the need to eradicate the problem but their subordinates have not been doing enough. He dismisses the notion that the problem was totally an issue of poverty because some street children come from rich families.

To him, other factors contributing to the problem include unfavourable environment at family level, schools and peer pressures. He says ways to deal with it include encouraging adoptions through revising and revisiting laws dealing with the practice.

“Adoption may work to reduce the number of street children and it should now be encouraged. The government should be careful so that our children do not end up being enslaved and bureaucracy should also be minimised. Currently the process of adoption in the country is complicated and many people willing to adopt children are discouraged by the long process involved.”

He says the problem of street children was a time bomb and a big contributor to lawlessness in the country.

Kiota for Women’s Health and Development director Justa Mwaituka, says street life exposes innocent children to torture and violence and affects them physically and psychologically.

“The society has a duty to protect children against violence; however, some members have moved to humiliating them and practising child labour. The consequences of these practices are serious, because the more they go through all those hardships, the more they become heartless and ready for anything either for themselves or persons around them,” sas Ms Mwaituka.

Emphasising that dealing with the problem was both an obligation of society and the government, she stresses the need to give parents children upbringing skills and sensitising people on the extent of the problem.

Unicef child protection specialist Mbelwa Gabagambi called for strengthening the social welfare department. He said its units were currently understaffed, underequipped and underfunded to adequately execute their duties.

“It will be a missed opportunity if there is not enough investment made to prevent children from joining street life or withdrawing those currently living and working in streets. Because many of these children seem to be intelligent and innovative, if this opportunity is well exploited, it is likely to bring changes to the nation,” says Mr Gabagambi.

Community Development, Gender and Children shadow minister Conchesta Rwamlaza says time has come for the government to conduct a survey to establish the exact number of children living and working in streets.

To her, that is a prerequisite and key aspect of efforts and attempts to address the problem, which requires adequate financing and appropriate personnel to deal with.