Street children, whose responsibility.

Byline: HAFSA NADEEM - Islamabad

The poor or homeless children and youth who live on the streets of a city, town or a village are called street kids or street children. There are two types of street children in Pakistan. Those who start and end their day on the streets while the latter live with their families but are sent to the streets to make money.

Working and begging on Pakistan's streets has been growing despite efforts to provide basic education and aid. According to a survey, 1.5 million children live on the streets in Pakistan. These children, ostracized from society, are easy prey for those operating at its fringes with potentially disastrous consequences for the mainstream. Whilst reports that street children often engage in petty crimes are unsurprising, many of these children are also opted into more systemized forms of criminal activity including recruitment into criminal and terrorist gangs. They are often looked upon as delinquents, so nobody is willing to employ them in their homes and workplaces.

This rejection from the society has an effect on the society. They develop anti-social behaviour, become criminal abusers, addicts, molesters, robbers or drug traffickers just at the age of 16 to 18 years. They have no faith in humanity, no obligation. They know no law, no education, no system, no future and no life. We can take action in a multitude of ways e.g. commit to equality, protect every child, provide access to services, and create specialized solutions.