Root Causes

The reasons children are on the streets are many and complex.  If you ask children why they are on the streets, you'll likely hear stories of abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism, and poverty.  You might also hear that street life has distinct appeal over home life; there are opportunities to earn your own money and spend it as you wish, you don't have to go to school, and you can live according to your own rules.  All of these things are true for different children on the streets, but none provide the complete story.

Family disintegration is a major cause of children being on the street, and some aspects of street life are attractive to children, especially when compared with life in a broken and abusive home.  But family struggles are inextricably connected to larger issues like economic strife and unemployment, natural disasters, disease, war, civil unrest, displacement and rural to urban migration.  Ultimately, the roots of this problem run deep.  Change requires solutions on multiple levels and needs to address individuals, families, communities, and the larger world around them.