Streetism: A serious issue faced by Ghanaians

Streetism is described to be the act in which people leave and work on the street, they have no homes, no families to turn to, or are stuck in a manipulative relationship where kids especially are being sent on the street to earn a day’s meal.

In our various cities like Accra, Kumasi, and all the busy streets in Ghana, people are stuck on the street 24/7 trying to hustle, we see kids aged 5-17 on the street, just because they have to put something on the dinner table. Some are on the street because of irresponsible parenthood from some parents and lack of security.

Welcome to the street where young children who are to be in school, stay not in classrooms but on the street. These are the same kids that grow up and if God doesn’t help, they may end up being gangsters, drug addicts, prostitutes, and pickpockets

Various issues influence the growth of streetism, the most prevalent causes of streetism are: domestic violence, low income of families, family-related problems, physical and sexual abuse, and various sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, (United Nations, 1990).

Effects of streets

Streetism exposes children to a lot of health problems and other hazards. The children work in unconducive environments and they are vulnerable to defilement. Major diseases affecting street children include malaria, fever, cold, rashes, cholera, headache, and other infections.

How to Prevent Streetism

families should be strengthened to prevent streetism, sound peer support can prevent streetism, schools can be used to prevent streetism, having access to social services can prevent streetism, churches can prevent streetism, a supportive community can prevent streetism and help grow a peaceful society

What do street children need?

Street children go through the struggle of providing themselves with basic things such as food, shelter, health, and clothing. Providing targeted interventions that meet the needs of street children requires an understanding of who they are, what they need, what they do, and how they can be identified.

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