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From Ankara to Alexandria, Bali to Boston and Copenhagen to Calcutta, there is increasing evidence that children around the developed and developing world are taking to living on the streets, some temporarily and others on a more permanent basis. In either case, the presenting problem is that these children are essentially living on the streets, away from their immediate family members or guardians and vulnerable to the risks that street life presents. Who are these children? Why are they leaving home? What can be done about this problem? What can be done to prevent this problem?
Muslim families are not immune to the challenges faced by families of other faiths, specifically those challenges presented to parents and guardians by children in their teenage years. The ideal situation exists when both parents and children are actively involved in addressing and resolving those challenges to the mutual satisfaction of both. However, the painful reality is that these challenges are often left unaddressed and considered resolved only to the unilateral satisfaction of the parents - quite often with little input or regard for the child's point of view. Even in such a difficult situation, there is hope, that at some point the challenges will be addressed; addressed that is, as long as the child in question is present in the home. What if the child leaves home? Runs away? Forsakes his or her parents? What then?
Regardless of why Muslim children end up on the streets, what is troubling and ironic is that Qu'ranic and Prophetic teachings are unequivocal in the importance that is placed on caring for and nurturing physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually healthy children. This obligation to do so is not limited only to the immediate parents of the child but in fact extends itself to the relatives, the neighbors and the community at large. The much tossed about proverb “it takes a village to raise a child,” expresses an Islamic injunction. So when a child is living on the street, it is not just the problem of the mother and the father but rather of all of the child's relatives, neighbors and the community at large. The Qur'an addresses the person of the street as a “wayfarer,” an “ ibn sabeel ” although there is no exact reference to children per se or even to the temporary or permanent nature of the person's presence on the street. (1)However, there are numerous references to the right that the wayfarer has to receive assistance, most often in terms of meeting needs such as food, clothing and shelter but there is no limit to extending these needs to include psychosocial interventions such as counseling. An oft quoted teaching of the Prophet Muhammad places great honor upon the person who cares for an orphan for example; Sahl bin Sa'd narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this,"(2) putting his index and middle fingers together. With all these reminders to care for our children, why then do children still end up on the street?
| The much tossed about proverb “it takes a village to raise a child,” expresses an Islamic injunction. |
The sad reality is that there are any number of reasons why a child temporarily or permanently leaves home and essentially lives on the street. A child could end up in the asphalt jungle due to a breakdown in family relations. A child could run away if he or she is a victim of physical or sexual abuse or intentional emotional abuse. A child could fall in with the wrong crowd and be seduced into living on the street as a sign of rebelling against parental authority, as a means to achieve greater freedom, or as a part of an initiation process to get into a gang. A child might have no choice but to live on the street if the family's financial condition warrants that the whole family lives on the street (homelessness) or that he or she seeks some means of earning an income to support the family. In some instances, a child might end up on the street because of severe neglect at home or worse as an orphan without a guardian. According to the Consortium for Street Children notes that children street children “are homeless; work on the streets but sleep at home; either do or do not have family contact; work in open-air markets; live on the streets with their families; live in day or night shelters; spend a lot of time in institutions (e.g. prison).” (3)
Addressing at length measures to correct this problem of children on the streets is beyond the scope of this essay. The problem is itself not beyond resolution but urgent and complex enough that it demands the attention of parents, community leaders and health and human service professionals. As mentioned above, where available, the heaviest burden of responsibility must be shouldered by the parents. There can be no ultimatums issued which give the child a choice to either change or leave home. That cannot be an option. Patience, frank communication and most importantly, a loving attitude in dealing with the children sends a strong message that no matter what the issues are, the family will resolve them as a team, together. In a loving, nurturing home environment, the children are not likely to feel suffocated to the extent that they choose the street over the home. In addition, school officials and community leaders need to have enough involvement in the socialization of these children such that the latter know where, when and how to seek help should they be victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. There are often subtle and sometimes overt warning signs reflective in the children's behavior that must be heeded. Ignoring those warning signs is at the peril of the children and really, the whole family and community.
| There can be no ultimatums issued which give the child a choice to either change or leave home. That cannot be an option. |
Where children are on the streets not because of a breakdown in the family, school and community leaders must do their share. The right to an education is inherently part of Islamic teachings and yet the stark irony is that millions of children all over the world spend most of their days and nights as well in the asphalt jungle not in the classroom. Among several recommendations aimed at creating child friendly cities, “a real difference can be made when efforts are focused on achieving three key outcomes that have the greatest potential for change and impact on the lives of children and adolescents: 1) The best possible start for children in their early years; 2) A quality basic education for every child; and 3) Support and guidance for adolescents in navigating the sensitive transition to adulthood.” (4)
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Finally, throughout the Muslim world, there needs to be awareness that life on the streets is not and cannot be an option for children. There can be no justification for the children to navigate their childhood in the asphalt jungle. All indicators point to a greater than ever percentage of children as a portion of the total world population. (5) What is to become of these children if parents, the school officials and community leaders do not now put into place strategies to prevent entirely the phenomenon of life on the streets and to assist those who are on the streets to re-unite with their families or guardians? It does take a village to raise a child and since we speak now of the global village, the responsibility to address the issue of life on the streets is not just yours or mine but all of ours!
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