Children of Egypt[/caption]
Michell Spoden---Children live in poverty and on the streets throughout the world, but in areas of serious and ongoing conflict, the problems they bring to themselves and others, as they suffer as victims of violence, become increasingly grave with time. This article is distilled from the Ministry of Affairs, where the information is in Arabic. With translation and reference, these are some of the issues related about these hopeless children.
The Information Center and Decision Support of the Council of Ministers recognizes there are no exact numbers on how many street children there are in Egypt; however the Organization "UNICEF Egypt" estimated in a previous report that the number of street children in Egyptian cities approximates one million. The organization further noted that many "look at these children widely as a source of inconvenience or criminal potential," pointing out the disintegration of their welfare that forces them to become prisoners, suffer ill-treatment in schools. Poverty is a root cause that drives children to the streets, where they are exposed to violence, abuse, ill health. Street girls are highly vulnerable to sexual abuse, and rape.
Dr. Nagwa Khalil, Minister of Insurance and Social Affairs, announced that the community is now facing the third generation of street children, a generation more dangerous because it is characterized by aggressiveness and lack of belonging to the community.
Sawsan Fayed, who is responsible for the National Center for Research on social and criminal patterns in Egypt, observes the phenomenon of "street children" turned into "families of the streets.” The Ministry of Social Affairs is interested in prevention of problems through an integrated system for poor families nationwide. There are, however, financial constraints in doing so.
Violence in any society can be linked to social and economic conditions that arise from the frustrations of poverty, political instability, ethnic conflicts, and conflicts that are either religious or social. Street children are particularly vulnerable to these conditions and to violence and abuse of all kinds. They live on the edge of society and are dependent on marginal activities to earn a living. These activities include begging, cleaning and petty theft, which puts them in contact continuously with members of the police. It also increases the proportion of exposure to violence.
Children who live on the streets are exposed to police and internal violence of various types. On the streets is that “law of the jungle” assault on the weakest, and sexual assault is prevalent.
Mr. Nasser, Secretary-General of the Organization of Motherhood and Childhood, points out the number of children on the streets varies continuously. He also observes 80% of the street children have homes and families who cannot or refuse to help. Nasser also rejects the notion of “street children” as a label launched by sociologists for foundlings of Latin America, while the children in the streets of Egypt have families they know and many spend the night at the home of their families. The children are on the streets in the morning and in public parking lots, trained to bag, pickpocket or sell goods..
The growing tragedy is for girls, as they often end up raped or involved in prostitution. As some have observed, in the secret world of these children, some girls put razor blades at the top of their mouths to be used in attacks on others.
Nasser goes on to say that the street children are divided into three categories, according to UNICEF. First there are those fleeing from their families and living on the streets. Then there are those who work on the streets and return to their families. The third category are those children who work on the streets and their families either support or encourage them.
Ahmed Majdoub, professor of sociology, states that poverty and family disintegration are conditions facilitating spreading the numbers of street children, who are either poor or come from broken families. behind the spread of this
Radwa Almnssa, representing Save the Children, maintains the economic crisis is a major cause in creating the phenomenon of homeless children
According to Yasser Ali , the phenomenon is linked to the existence of three key indicators: poverty, at 25% and unemployment, which amounted to 13% and illiteracy ranging from 30 to 40%, which affect the rates of growth and the achievement of economic and social growth in the country
According to a study conducted by the National Center for Social and Criminological Research, the city of Cairo is one of those cities that spreads out the displaced and a large proportion of them children, with larger populations of them living on the city streets in greater numbers than in the southern and upper regions where people live in large families and sponsor each other, while living with high moral values. These values include limited divorce, no relationships outside marriage and virtually no cases of divorce. Many of these families are Christians.
In an interview with the researcher Egyptian Rizvi Farghali , Reuters reports that many of the children on the streets are not criminals but instead are reacting to the violence against them. Radwa Farghali also see the term street children as cruel and inhumane. She adds that to stay in the street, children assume risks that include non-enrollment in school or dropping out altogether, abuse by police and the denial of basic services. Some of them are deported to other cities under the pretext of danger to security in addition to sexual exploitation. Many don't report these events because of either embarrassment or through mutual consent with each other, so they lose their sensitivity towards experiments that are harmful and offensive. Their tenure on the streets varies, but the longer they are there, the more they develop defenses to survive.
Dr. Hassan Beblawy, representative of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, explains the most striking features of the phenomenon of street children, is that they hide their real names during raids and at criminal outposts. They will provide a false address so families can't be reached.
Maj. Gen. Abdul Hakim Hammouda, Project Manager for the Development of the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs, maintains that street children have a negative impact on society and the economy and the security of the country.
Minister Nagwa Khalil, Minister of Insurance and Social Affairs, believes the best solution for dealing with street children lies in the development of social welfare institutions and rehabilitation, as well as nationwide reform activities.,,
A student representative of UNICEF in Cairo outlines the need to allocate budgets in the general budget for Egypt to support the strategy of rescuing street children, confirming the presence of several complications found in this population not only in Egypt but in most parts of the world.
Yasser Ali, Chairman of the Information Center and Decision Support of the Council of Ministers, tells us the Government, through the administrative apparatus, should rethink the issues referencing street children, and the elimination of the phenomenon through a partnership with developing partners, four of which are: Egyptian society, "State", civil society, the private sector and civil institutions, and through the adoption of a broad strategy to keep these children.
It may be the adoption of some of these children can offer practical and realistic solutions for many of them, but existing laws prohibits this, resulting in the indictment of many Christians who have tried to help in this way. In fact a number of them have been indicted as trafficking in children, including an American couple, whose case is still pending before the courts.
The Egyptian government estimates one million children living or working or both on the streets. Perhaps to underline the problem there should be a million man march so the world understands the importance of the issues with reference to these children, as a symbol of support and help to raise awareness and consequently help with funding to support programs that offer hope.
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Michell Spoden conducted the research for this article by doing much of what would be considered intensive work by taking information directly from the Ministry of Affairs website of Egypt, having it translated, then wrote and offered for editing, the material within this article. This information is of the type that sometimes does not reach English-speaking countries and therefore has remarkable value for those who read it. Michell Spoden is a regular contributor to this Journal and has done interviews with outstanding and unique people all over the world. She is the author of Stricken Yet Crowned and is also pursuing a transitional housing project for woman with an agricultural aspect. She has a degree in Business Science Administration and is finishing her bachelor’s in Project Management.
