Street children: from voiceless to vocal

The Consortium for Street Children is currently advocating for the rights of street children at national and international levels by engaging with key political organisation within the UK and Russia, and the United Nations.

The CSC is co-ordinating the UN Human Rights Council discussion day focused on Street Children, which will take place on the 9th March 2011 in Geneva. The aims of this day are to create awareness about the lack of policy focus the UN gives to street children. For change to occur at a national level it is very important for the issues of street children to be recognised at a global level and as a global problem.

The CSC has been the co-ordinator of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children for the past year. This group is chaired by Baroness Millier of Chilthorne Domer and Russell Brown MP and they have successfully engaged a wide range of parliamentarians, NGOs and Ambassadors with the issues of street children. Over the past year the APPG on street children meetings have focused on issues including 'sharing research, street girls, child protection, and street children in the UK'. Through engaging political figures at a national level the CSC can directly influence national policy through linking grass roots level initiatives with the decision makers within government.  

The CSC has started a new project with Doctors for Children, who are based in Russia, to support the government and local NGOs to support street children with HIV/ AIDs by advocating for their rights at a national level and sharing best practice.