Objectives

In this research we reviews the existing studies for the definition and classification of street children. Changing conditions are compared across time and between Hanoi and HCMC. Also, a new typology of street children based on causes and situations is proposed.  

News & Workshops

-- Street Children in Hanoi and HCMC (Duong Kim Hong), 13/11/2004. SlidesE (PDF311KB)
-- Causes of Children Coming onto Streets (Duong Kim Hong) 11/08/2004, 15/06/2004. SlidesE (PDF322KB)
-- Vocational Training for Street Children (Dao Hoai Nam) 15/12/2004.

Selected documents

• Street Children in Vietnam: Interactions of Old and New Causes in a Growing economy (Duong Kim Hong and Kenichi Ohno) Jul.05. PaperE (PDF217KB), PapeV (PDF458KB).
• Vocational Training for Street Children (Dao Hoai Nam) Dec.04.

• Between nurturing and nurtured childhood children working on the streets of Hanoi. PaperE (PDF232KB)

The problem of street children in Vietnam, a country rapidly growing and integrating with the world, arises from the interaction of traditional causes such as the loss or divorce of parents and new causes such as economic incentive. In Vietnam, the street children issue in Hanoi and HCMC are most serious with about 1,500 and 9,000 ones in each city respectively. However, street children are not a homogeneous group. It is necessary to clearly distinguish them for deeper analysis and proper design of intervention. 

1. Street Children: Who Are They?

Street children are children under 18 years of age who regularly earn money through casual, street-based activities.

2. Comparing Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Past and Present

a. Where are they from?

Hometowns of HCMC Street Children in 1992

Hometowns of HCMC Street Children in 2000

Hometowns of Hanoi Street Children in 1995

Hometowns of Hanoi Street Children in 2004

b. What do they do?

Occupations of HCMC Children in 1992

Occupations of HCMC Children in 2000  

Occupations of Hanoi Street Children in 1992 and 2003

3. New Typology Based on Causes and Situations 

It is necessary to separately discuss current deprivation (poverty, health problems, emotional crisis, and so on) and the lack of future investment (education, training, job prospects, and so on).

a. Causes

The causes of driving school-age children to the street can be divided into three main groups which we shall call broken family, mindset problem, and economic migration.

Group I: broken family
This group includes children with extremely difficult family situations such as being orphaned or abandoned as a result of the death, divorce or separation of the parents, becoming a victim of domestic violence or sexual abuse, and the like. This is the traditional cause of street children which exists in any developing country with or without economic growth.

Group II: mindset problem
This is a case where the family enjoys relatively unbroken relations and an average—or at least not so destitute—standard of living but still sends children to work in the street due to the wrong attitude of the parents or the children themselves.

Group III: economic migration
Children who are forced by dire poverty to migrate to urban areas to earn a living belong to this group. Here, the main cause of migration is economic. The important feature of this group is that the parents do not want their sons or daughters to drop out of school and take to the street, but they feel there is no other choice given their economic situation. The children themselves often want to continue schooling as well. What is important in identifying this group is not whether the child has both parents or only one parent, but whether or not family bond and consideration for children’s future exist. With proper love, even children raised by only one parent or grandparents will retain the right attitude toward education.

b. Situations 

• Current protection and

• Investment for future

Current Protection 

Current protection refers to whether or not the child is protected physically and mentally against various risks now so that his or her daily life is not excessively miserable or threatened. This further breaks down into several contributing factors such as:

1.  Physical health (injury, sickness, malnutrition, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, physical disability, etc)

2.  Mental health (fear, lack of love, trauma, lack of concentration or discipline, mental disability, etc)

3.  Assault risk (bullied, beaten, tortured, raped, detained, sold, etc)

4.  Job hazard (engaged in an “at risk” job—see Table 1 above)

5.  Financial shocks (family needs medicine, being cheated, money is stolen, fined by police, etc.)

6.  Shelter (sleep under a roof or outside)

7.  Adult protection and guidance (parent, guardian, NGO, etc.)

8.  Group protection (work and live in group or alone)

Future Investment

• Returning to formal schooling (at least up to 12th grade)

• Private tutoring by volunteer teachers and classes offered by NGOs)

• Vocational training (short duration and must link to actual jobs)

• English and computer skills

• Guidance and assistance in job search

c. Correlation and dynamism between causes and situations

While Group I children are stuck at the lower left corner of Figure 10, Group II children (with their parents) attempt to climb upward, and Group III children want to move closer to the bliss point in the upper right corner where current protection and future investment are both available. But these movements are frequently interrupted by uncontrollable negative shocks which tend to pull the children back to where they started, or worse. These setbacks are indicated in dashed arrows in Figure 10.

Accidental setbacks occur at two levels: individual shocks and macro (or societal) shocks.

4. How to guide street children towards the right paths

• A proper mix of current protection and future investment

• Proper external intervention to each group of street children

• Analysis and planning based on an effective classification of street children