‘Street children a developmental challenge’

Director for Child Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare McKnight Kalanda has said the presence of children on the streets is a developmental challenge for Malawi.

Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe on Monday ahead of the commemoration of the International Day for Street Children which falls on April 12, Kalanda said children raised on the streets get conditioned to street life and regard it as normal.

“Let me point out that children who live on the streets are at high risk of drug or alcohol addiction, sexual and physical abuse, health problems and being drawn into street gangs,” he explained.

Kalanda said 60 percent of street children do not go to school and do not appreciate developmental efforts.

He advised people in the country to view street children as a welfare issue and not as criminals, beggars and children without a future because of their vulnerability.

“You are aware that children often end up on the street not by choice but because of the negative circumstances in which they unwillingly find themselves [in],” said Kalanda.

Chisomo Children’s Club programmes director Clement Silungwe said over 150 million children worldwide live on the street.

In Malawi, he said, despite efforts by government and other partners to end street life-cycle, the number of street children keeps rising.