Protection of Children Living and/or Working on the Streets 2001–2005
Note: Pages in this section have been stored solely for archiving purposes. Information contained here refers to the 2001–2005 CPAP. Follow this link for current details about UNICEF programmes in Turkey.
A quick sandwich before going back to work collecting waste paper and packaging on the streets of Ankara.
Photograph by Rana Mullan
© UNICEF Turkey 2003
Background
The number of children living and working on the streets (or street children) has visibly increased in recent years. Some run away from abusive homes only to find themselves in an even more abusive environment. Many others who work or are forced to work on the streets live with their families. Exposure to disease, malnutrition, physical and sexual abuse is a major risk. The vast majority drop out of the education system and many are forced by circumstances to resort to criminal activities. Since children make up a significant part of the workforce and Turkish labour laws fail to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the health and education of many child labourers is put at risk.
Certain measures such as an effective social safety net would help prevent children from ending up on the streets and also help to prevent those who do end up on the streets from falling victim to the many risks of life there. Child labour laws, compliant with the CRC are necessary to protect the health, education and development of children in the workforce.
The project aims to:
- reduce the number of street children;
- provide a safe environment for street children and equip them with the skills necessary to re-integrate into society;
- achieve compliance of legislation on child labour and its implementation with the CRC.
The project will achieve this through:
- advocacy for changes to legislation and support to ensure its implementation;
- raising awareness of the problem among policy makers and all public services concerned;
- building the capacity of -- and communication between -- public and civil sectors in order to ensure a common approach and to improve the ability of frontline workers;
- complementary involvement in other child and family support initiatives;
- strengthening the referral system for children to find appropriate help and support services.
It is expected that:
- the numbers of street children will be reduced;
- the quality of life of children who continue to live and/or work on the street will be improved;
- the numbers of working children will be reduced;
- there will be an effective system for the protection and monitoring of working children.
Read the UNICEF Special Protections Commentary in the Progress of Nations, 1997. The UNICEF Factsheet on Children without Care-givers is available in pdf format. [PDF 813KB]
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