1 STREET CHILDREN IN BRAZIL Intermediate Modern Studies Brazil – Human Rights Issues

2 FACTS Estimates on the numbers of Brazilian street children vary from 200,000 – 8 million. Each year around 40,000 children disappear. 27% of youngsters attend neither school nor work. Approximately 2.5 million children aged have been forced into prostitution.

3 What are street children? Have no adults to look after them. Survive by themselves. Need to find own shelter and food. To survive they form groups or gangs for protection. Often found in large numbers in big cities with favelas – eg. Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

4 Why so many street children in Brazil? Urbanisation – many end up in favelas where social problems exist – families split up – many children are abandoned or run away.

5 Poverty/high unemployment – cannot afford to look after kids so abandon them or make them work – often job far from home and cannot afford transport – therefore sleep on streets weekdays and go home at weekends.

6 Government – cutbacks in public expenditure and lack of social services – means that if parents cannot look after children, then there is no alternative.

7 PROBLEMS FACING STREET CHILDREN REMEMBER: Drugs and sex, Arrests, Violence, Income and Education. DAVIE

8 Drugs and Sex – Adults exploit children by making them sell sex or drugs and then take the money. To escape problems – many children become drug addicts – eg. sniff glue. Arrests – Regarded as vermin – police arrest them – tortured or sexually abused by police or while in prison.

9 Violence – Death squads hired to kill them by businessmen who see them as a threat to their business – eg. Baixada Fluminense massacre (2005). Poor area outside Rio de Janeiro – 30 people murdered by state police force.

10 Income – Child labour is a growing problem in Brazil. Do anything to make money – eg. wash cars or clean shoes. Education – Need a permanent address to go to school. Unable to get a decent job in future with no education.

11 Help for Street Children Government: New laws to protect rights of street children – eg. 2006, a law was introduced which stated that street children could only be arrested if they had committed a crime. In 2005, the BOLSA FAMILIA scheme was introduced to encourage children to go back to school – parents given money for every child sent back.

12 Voluntary Organisations: Task Brazil – Charity that helps children in Rio. Runs shelters for young children, pregnant teenagers and their babies. Offers basic medical care to street children.

13 Pastoral Do Menor – Charity in Rio that offers street children training to find work. Also tries to reintegrate children with family and then visit home to make sure children being looked after properly. Streets Ahead Project – Run by BMS in Sao Paulo. Provides education and training.

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