Ethiopia's Children - 4

Street Children
There are around 150,000 to 200,000 street children in Ethiopia. A further 1 million children are currently at risk of ending up on the streets as well.

Girls who work on the streets face sexual abuse, rape, unwanted pregnancy, and early motherhood (sometimes as young as the age of 12). They are most likely to go on to become child prostitutes. 2c

Many young boys who live on the streets are beaten, forced into a life of crime, and abused by thugs, local authorities, and other street children. Some boys are also sexually abused, raped, or sodomized.

There are many reasons why children end up on the streets in Ethiopia. One of the main ones is because children’s parents die of HIV/AIDS and the children have nowhere left to go.

Another reason is the sheer number of children in the country. There is an average of 7 to 8 children in each Ethiopian family, many of whom aren’t able to go to school because their families can’t afford it. They are then put into child labour. Feeling trapped and exploited, these children often run away, ending up on the streets.

Many of these children have nothing to eat, have to sleep under plastic shelters, and live in dirty, unhygienic areas of town. Garbage and waste disposal units contain most of their food, and they are regarded as outcasts by the majority of people in the community. Worst of all, these children do not experience what it is like to be loved unconditionally. 3

Deserving More
Millions of children in Ethiopia are fighting for the chance to become fully functioning, normal members of society, but they are being denied even the most basic things, such as adequate food, education, and love. Abused, exploited, and malnourished, these children deserve so much more that what the world is currently giving them.

Sources
1 – 1a. The International Labour Organisation http://www.ilo.org/
2 – 2c. UNICEF http://www.unicef.org
3. Win Souls for God Evangelical Ministries http://www.wsg-street.org/main.html

page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4