The International Day for Street Children is celebrated every year on 12 April. The day provides a platform for the millions of street children around the world - and their champions - to speak out so that their rights cannot be ignored.
The International Day for Street Children is led by CSC, the leading international network dedicated to realising the rights of street children worldwide and supported by Aviva through its Street to School programme. Since the launch of the International Day for Street Children in 2011 the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights commissioned a report into street children to better protect and promote their rights. CSC was employed as lead consultant and gathered the views of over 120 children in six countries about their circumstances, experiences and aspirations. The report was sponsored by Aviva and concluded that:
Sally Shire, CEO of CSC said: “Across the globe there are large numbers of children surviving on the streets. Whether they are a runaway from Derby or a street child in Delhi the factors that drive children to the streets are similar. Being a street child is not a crime; we want governments and society to recognise this. On 12th April we are encouragingpeople to sign our pledge at www.streetchildrenday.org/take-action and stand up for the rights of street children all over the world. We will share the public’s support at a meeting with the UN in June, to ensure that street
children’s rights are not ignored.”
Last year the International Day for Street Children was celebrated in over 33 locations across the globe by street children, NGO’s, policy makers, celebrities, businesses and individuals. In 2012 there are celebrations in nearly 50 locations in 28 different countries. As part of its support in 2012, Aviva has also commissioned a new film that brings the voices of street children all over the world to life, which can be viewed at www.streetchildrenday.org.uk/the-day/film on 12th April.
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Detailed research into street children allows a more thorough understanding of their needs and requirements so that the most appropriate programmes and interventions can be developed. In late 2011 CSC published a research report into street children which recommended the creation of an online hub that would become a 'one stop shop' for anyone working in the field.
This hub is now in development and will be available to over 70 organisations that work with street children. It will enable access to a wealth of available research and guidance on setting up and running projects and will have a direct impact on programme development for the millions of street children around the world.
Representatives from Caretakers of the Environment Tanzania attended an expert consultation at the UN in Geneva on the subject of street children, where they had the opportunity to share real life stories of street children in Tanzania. Planning work is now also underway for a National football challenge to take place in Tanzania. As well as football tournaments, there will be side events such as street dance competitions. The tournament will help select a team of street children to represent Tanzania at the Street Child World Cup taking place in Brazil in 2014.
Finally, a small group of children in Tanzania are taking part in a project where children across five continents are filmed talking about the issues that affect them. The film will become part of a short documentary, due to be screened in support of the International Day for Street Children on 12th April 2012.
