Education, key factor to address the problem of street children

Preventing school drop-out of boys particularly while ensuring that all children complete their education and achieve further qualifications and become autonomous responsible citizens is one of the key recommendations of the draft report of the Comprehensive Strategy on Street Children, developed by the University of Mauritius for the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare.

The highlights of the draft report were commented upon by the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, on Thursday at the National Women Development Centre in Phoenix at the opening ceremony of a one-day Validation workshop on the development of a comprehensive strategy on street children in Mauritius.

The workshop brought together representatives of several Ministries; the Working Together Committee comprising various stakeholders dealing with issues relating to the protection, development and welfare of children, non-governmental organisations, civil societies, and the private sector. The objectives were to apprise participants of the main recommendations, collect their views and comments, and validate the strategy document before its presentation to the Ministry.

According to Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo, the phenomenon of street children in Mauritius relates to children whose parents do not know that their wards are roaming the streets, children who are left on their own after school hours, and those who work after school hours. These situations are detrimental to the welfare of the children who can become involved in illegal activities and are vulnerable to all sorts of abuses and social ills, cautioned the Minister.

“The dislocation of family units and lack of parental presence result in many children growing up in a state of neglect and without the appropriate guidance and values,” said Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo. This situation calls for aggressive sensitisation campaigns to raise awareness of parents as well as legal guardians on their responsibilities in bringing up children and consider what is best for their safe and sound development, she said.

With respect to the recommendation on the necessity for children to know their rights, the Minister underlined the importance of providing children with relevant information on emotional, legal or other support so that they know where to get help. Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo also made an appeal for regular visits and inspections to children living with guardians and kinship, rather than their parents.

The Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare has enlisted the consultancy services of the University of Mauritius since July 2016 for the development of a Comprehensive Strategy on Street Children. The objectives are to assess the nature and magnitude of the problem of street children in Mauritius, examine their situation and make recommendations in the form of an action plan. A consultative workshop to gather data and views and propositions of representatives of ministries, the private sector, and the civil society on street children was held in August last year.