Household and family characteristics of street children in Aracaju, Brazil

Abstract

Aims: To describe the family background of street children in Aracaju, Brazil, their parents' perception of street life, and the reasons for the high prevalence of males observed among street children. Methods: Cross sectional study using semi-structured interviews and qualitative focus group discussions with parents of purposively selected index street children. Results: Fifty eight families were enrolled. Most participants were single parent, female headed families living in slums or low cost housing, with high levels of illiteracy, drug use, unemployment, and a history of migration. Most parents reported receiving financial support from their children and were aware of the dangers of the street. Many parents had lived in the street, worked from an early age, and had been adolescent parents themselves. Parents perceived that the street was more dangerous for girls than for boys. Besides economic reasons, parents highlighted the role of peers and drug use in pulling their children to the street. A total of 187 siblings were identified. Siblings had poor school performance with high school drop out rates. Twenty per cent of the adolescent girl siblings were not living at home. Gender determined the type of work undertaken by children and adolescents. Males worked in the streets and females worked as housemaids, shop assistants, and in restaurants and bars. Conclusion: Family disintegration, poverty, drug use, adolescent pregnancy, peer pressure, and socially constructed gender roles determine the characteristics of children in the street. There is an urgent need for increased social support in this area.

Exposure to maltreatment and urban violence in children working on the streets in São Paulo, Brazil: factors associated with street work

“…5 Some data have shown that Brazilian children on the streets often come from a single-mother-headed family and that poverty, victimization, and a troubled family background are factors associated with working on the streets. 6,7 Consistent with this finding, international data have shown a similar pattern in other countries. In a 1993 UNICEF survey of 1,000 Ethiopian street children, only 23% of these children lived with both parents at home.…”

“…In addition, adolescents older than 14 do not appeal to passersby as much as younger children do. 2,6,11,28 The children on the streets in this sample had more years of education compared to their siblings; however, they also had more grade repetition, although the difference was only barely significant. In Brazil, the public school system does not retain students due to their grades, but rather due to school absences, and children have to stay in school for only one period of the day (either from early morning to noon or the entire afternoon).…”

Factors associated with parasitic infection amongst street children in orphanages across Lima, Peru

“…5 Qualitative studies in Brazil suggest that family breakdown combined with economic problems, peer pressure, and drug use are driving factors towards street life; these studies provide alarming insights into the risks these children face. 6,7 Reports in Peru are similar; a survey of 134 street children in Lima found that 81% admitted alcohol consumption and 92% admitted to using 'terokal', a volatile solvent. 8 These children often survive by working in the informal sector.…”

“…[4][5][6][7] A study in La Paz, Bolivia, reported that up to 85% were victims of physical abuse, with children also reporting experience of sexual abuse (20%), serious medical conditions (53%), use of alcohol (58%), and inhalation of volatile solvents (88%). 5 Qualitative studies in Brazil suggest that family breakdown combined with economic problems, peer pressure, and drug use are driving factors towards street life; these studies provide alarming insights into the risks these children face.…”

Desafios da etnografia com jovens em situação de rua: a entrada em campo

“…Por fim, diversos outros fatores explicavam parcialmente a presença de jovens nas ruas. Alguns estudos apontaram a pobreza como o fator de maior importância etiológica, juntamente com o tamanho das famílias e a grande proporção dessas famílias chefiadas por mulheres (Abdelgalil, Gurgel, Theobald, & Cuevas, 2004;Barros & Mendonça, 1996;Juárez, 1996;Lusk, 1992;Paludo & Koller, 2008;Rizzini & Lusk, 1995;Rosa et al, 1992).…”