Introduction - Child protection
According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs there are between 150,000–200,000 street children nationally, with a further one million vulnerable or at risk of being on the street. The root cause of the problem is typically reported to be widespread poverty, rapid population growth and displacement. An increasing number of street children have lost their parents to illnesses often associated with HIV/AIDS. The rising occurrence of children and mothers living on the streets of Addis Ababa is one of the city's most pressing social problems. Girls who work and live in the streets are faced with extremely harsh conditions including sexual abuse by adults, rape, unwanted pregnancy and early motherhood – sometimes as young as 12. These girls are likely to join the rank of child prostitutes or street mothers and continue the vicious cycle of street life and are highly at risk of being infected with HIV/AIDS, which they may pass on to their children.
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