The plight of street children in Mafikeng

Abstract

This research was carried out in Mafikeng, the capital city of the North West Province of South Africa. The aim of the study was to investigate the plight of street children in Mafikeng and to come up with recommendations on possible solutions to the problem. The objectives were (i) to describe the plight of street children in Mafikeng., (ii) to determine the causes of the problem of street children in Mafikeng, (iii) to identify possible strategies of dealing with the street children problem in Mafikeng, and finally, (iv) to make recommendations as to how the problem can be dealt with. Survey methodology was employed and the snowball sampling method was used to obtain a sample of street children for face - to - face interviews. An interview schedule was used to collect the data, which were analysed. to give the social - economic profile of the street children. It was found that the street children in Mafikeng suffer terribly and are in a dire need of help. The major problems these street children are facing are the following: 1. Some members of the general public and the police harass them. The children are assaulted and commonly suffer from stab wounds. 2. The street children do not have a safe place to sleep at and they feel cold at night. 3. The street children do not eat enough food and do not have money to buy the basic necessities of life including blankets, clothes and shoes. 4. The street children do not have access to clean water for drinking and washing. They sometimes bath and wash in the Molopo River. It has also been found out that poverty is a major cause of the problem of street children in Mafikeng. Other causes are domestic violence, child abuse, corporal punishment, restrictions on children's freedom, single parenting, step-parenting, death of parents and peer group pressure. The majority (94%) of the street children in Mafikeng wish to go back home for various reasons including eating good food and sleeping in bed. According to the results obtained in this study, there must be both a short-term as well as a long-term solution to the problem of street children in Mafikeng. Since the lives of the street children are in danger, considering the fact that they are being beaten, assaulted or harassed by members of the general public and the police, and they do not sleep in ·safe places, as a short term solution to the problem, they should urgently be institutionalized. Government should build a care centre for them, where their needs will be adequately catered for. The needs should include: enough health food, taking them to school and providing them with other basic needs of life including blankets, clothes and shoes. The children should be institutionalized while suitable families are being sought to adopt them, so that they are brought up in communities just like other ordinary children. Alternatively, the existing day care centers such as Bethelehem and Kagontle, and the Mafikeng Crime Stop Project should be supported financially to look after these street children better.

For the long-term solution, the children should be given financial support while they are still at home (that is, before they are forced to move to the streets) - to address chronic poverty. If the poorest of the poor are supported financially and all children are sent to school, the problem of street children in Mafikeng will be minimized. In addition to this, for street children who have families, especially those who want to go back home, they should be helped to re-unite with their families. This re-unification should be encouraged but before it is done, the families have to be rehabilitated and they, together with the children, must be counseled. The parents or guardians must be educated on how children should be brought up. For those who do not have a job but are able to work, government should try to create jobs for them. People can be mobilized into community development organizations such as social clubs especially for women and youth organizations. Community development projects such as vegetable gardening, knitting and sewing can also be initiated for them. The street children rightly so, expect the government to help them. The business community should also come on board by contributing some money towards solving this · huge problem.