Transcript Perception of Children living or working on the Street in Mwanza, Tanzania The survey and call for action “Promoting and Protecting the Rights of the.

Perception of Children
living or working on the
Street in Mwanza,
Tanzania
The survey and call for action
“Promoting and Protecting the Rights of the Children
Working or Living on the Streets”
Presentation made to the
EXPERT CONSULTATION MEETING
1st to 2nd November 2011,
United Nations, OHCHR
By Mutani Yangwe , Founder & Director
CARETAKERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT TANZANIA
Kuleana Street Children Centre & Tanzania Street Children Sports Project
What about in Mwanza, Tanzania?
In1991, Mwanza City saw the first child arrive to live / work on the street.
Since then, Mwanza has witnessed a visible increase in the number of
children living or working on the street.
A census conducted by Railway Children &
Adilisha in 2008 identified 443 children
living full time on the streets in Mwanza
city.
COET is believe that to date (2011) there is about 625 800 full and part time children living or
working in the streets of Mwanza city, and about
1720 in Mwanza Region, approximately 64,000
vulnerable children in the Mwanza Region.
Every day Mwanza city sees about
1-3 new children arriving on the
streets and about 1-2 children
leaving Mwanza to go to other
cities / towns.
There is a lack of knowledge in
Mwanza city of how street children
come into existence and how to
help them.
What is your perception:
To the child you see loitering on
the pavement? This child could be
yours.
To the child who you see living,
sleeping, eating and working on
the streets without adult care?
To the child who you see
spending his / her part of each
day on the streets, begging,
playing or working and then
returning home at night?
To the child who you see being
beaten by police for sleeping on
the pavement or on the streets?
To the child who lives in
extreme poverty or is a victim
of family breakdown and is at
risk of coming to live on the
street full or part-time?
To the child you see being
physically, sexually or verbally
abused by local people, gangs or
police? This child could be
yours.
Initiative to Protect Tanzanian Children
Domestic initiatives to protect children in Tanzania
became more meaningful in 2009 after enactment of
the Law of the Child Act, 2009.657
“Tanzania enacted the child law years after the CRC was adopted and the eighteen
years after the ACHRWC was adopted. Tanzania has failed even to guarantee
children protection under the constitutions.’’ 658
Children’s rights were proclaimed in various polices
such as Child Development Policy (2008); the Health
Policy (1990/2002) which aimed at protecting mothers
And children through reducing infant and maternal
mortality rates; the Employment Policy (2004) which
addresses child labour issues in compliance with the
ILO terms; and the Agricultural Policy (2006) which
aims to ensure food stability for children.659
TANZANIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTS 2010
Violations of Children’s Rights
In 2010
children remained victims of torture, rape, assaults, cruelty and
killings. The LHRC’s 2010 survey, gathered information from
various regions of the country indicating that children in
Tanzania were unprotected in number of ways
According to Tanzania Legal and Human Rights Centre reports.
a. Sexual Abuse and Indecent Assault to Children
According to Tanzanian laws, sexual abuse and indecent
assault to both children male and female are punishable. For
example section 156(1) of the Penal Code, provide that; “Any
person who unlawfully and indecently assault a boy under the age of 14 years is
guilt of an offence and is liable to imprisonment for life.’’660
Even where the law seem to prohibit sexual abuse and
grievous Indecent assault to children has been critical.
Consider the case study of Child X,
CHILD X
‘‘ In May, 2011, Child X was sodomized for 3 days in a row by a
51-year old man, who own a retail shop in Ilemela, Mwanza. The
tragedy happened when this old man promised to buy food for
Child X at around 9:00 p.m one night on a condition that Child X
should go with him to the Guest X. On that night the accessed
threatened to kill Child X by using a knife if he refuses to have
anal sex with him. Child X felt severe pain and sustained anal
injuries when he was sodomized and sadly enough on the next
day he was locked in the room for the whole day. These act was
repeatedly for three days consecutively, when the Guest owner
suspected something was going on as the accused locked the
room and did not leave the key for the room to be cleaned. The
incident was reported on July 2011 to Pansiasi Police Station, the
accused was arrested, but was later granted police bond. Sadly
enough Child X was not given Police Form No. 3 (PF3) to undergo
treatment.’’ COET has taken the case to court.
b. Cruelty Against Children
COET understands that domestic violence and brutality shocked
many people in 2010 -2011, the record shows that more than 30
children in Mwanza and other areas in Tanzania have been
brutally killed by their biological and step parents. In mwanza
only between April – September about 4 Street children have been
reported brutally killed by local people accused of stealing.
See the table bellow:
Victims
Date
Area affected
Perpetrator
Type of violations
A 5 yrs girl
13/1/2010
Mwanza city
Her mother
Beaten to death
Child L (girl)
March,
2010
MwanzaIlemela
Her mother
Her private part was were burnt
using knife
Child X
27/3/2010
Mwanza –
Nansio
Biological
mother
Beaten and burnt
A girl 7 years old
8/01/2011
Mwanza –
Ilemela
Her mother
Her beaten and burnt her head
15 yrs boy
September
2011
Uhuru StreetMwanza
Local people
Stoned to death
12 yrs old boy
Janury
2009
Mwanza city
centre
Unkown
person with
HIV AIDS
Sexually abused
15 yrs boys
October
2010
Police station XMwanza
Police officer
Beaten severely by police after
being accused of steal
“Perception Survey”
Local community members, police, government actors, street children,
local business community, families, schools and religious communities
about their perception of children who are living or working on the
streets of Mwanza City
How street children see
themselves in their community:
Feel hated in their community
Feel like an outsider
Sometimes feel like an outsider
Feel accepted in their community
Other
How street children think the
community sees them:
Criminals / trouble makers
Drug addicts
Disadvantaged / poor children
Like other children
0%
5%
10.5%
10.5%
28%
42%
62%
32%
10%
Figures based on a survey carried out by Caretakers of the Environment, Tanzania, who interviewed 30 children living
or working on the streets in Mwanza in October 2011.
Children’s
perception toward
police: ‘‘YES the police think
we are thieves or conduct
crime s while living on the
streets, but we are not .
Sometimes police come at
night looking for us, when
we get caught , we get
beaten badly ’’
Do you think the police should protect you while
living, sleeping, or working on the streets?
‘‘I never steal anything
from anyone, I only beg
for some money or food to
eat, that’s all.’’
‘‘Yes we need protection because there are many
dangers, but I don’t think the police here they can
protecting us, they took money from us / our pocket
when they find us sleeping in the pavement
threatening to take us to jail.’’
‘‘YES some steal but
because they are hungry.
They can’t get food or big
boys (gangs) they have
asked them to steal.’’
Reality of the Perception & Accusations
Mwanza Police:
- ‘‘It is the parents fault their child
lives or works on the streets…’’
- ‘‘Street children should not be
given money when they ask….’’
- ‘‘Street children should go back
home to their families….’’
- ‘‘Street children of 10 – 15 are
involved in criminal activity….’’
- ‘‘They need to receive their basic
needs like food, clothes, medical care
etc…’’
- ‘‘Centres need to reintegrate them
back safely to their communities….’’
- ‘‘It is difficult to protect them, how
can you protect criminals? But we are
happy to get involved and help……’’
What street children think
the police’s perception
towards them is:
The police’s perception
toward street children
Figures based on a survey carried out by Caretakers of the Environment, Tanzania, who interviewed 30 children living or
working on the streets and six police stations in Mwanza in October 2011.
“I have been sexually
abused and I am
now infected with HIV.
I am still young. All
children need
protection and so do
we.”
“I would
love to
go to
school
but the
teacher
won’t
take me
back”
Children’s general perception
toward Schools – teachers
and students, Hospitals –
doctors and Nurses
“Other kids
at school
call me a
thief and
they will
never hangout with
me”
“I got kicked
out of school
because I
didn’t have a school
uniform or shoes”
“I never
receive
medical
services”
Figures based on a survey carried out by Caretakers of the Environment, Tanzania, who interviewed 30 children living or
working on the streets in Mwanza in October 2011.
General perception toward children living or
working on the streets of Mwanza City
“The reason why a child may leave home and go to work or live on
the streets could be a sudden drop in family income, loss of support
from an adult family member due to illness, death or abandonment,
or an episode of domestic violence.”
Figures based on a survey carried out by Caretakers of the Environment, Tanzania, who interviewed 200 children living
or working on the streets , government social workers, business communities, students, policy makers and non
governmental organisation and six police stations in Mwanza in October 2011.
What do affects our real lives
Debora is 14 years old.
she says, “I will never
forget the way my
stepmother treated me.
She forced me to sleep
on the floor at night
though there were
enough beds. She used
to give me many duties
each day and when I
could not perform them
all she used to beat me;
one day she burnt me on
my hips with a hot
knife. I finally ran away
when she put poison in
my porridge to try and
kill me”.
Adam says "It hurts me when I remember. When I
was on the streets I could not sleep because I did
not trust any one and was scared because I saw the
way other kids were being treated. One night one
boy, Isenga was crying. I saw the man called Koko
raping him. I decided to run from there. I also saw
the dead body of the street boy called Fogo. The
other older boys killed him in a fight over money. I
did not believe that there are human beings who
can behave like animals. It hurts me when I
remember.”
Changing the reality of perception &
accusations towards street children
‘‘I used to call them lepers and most
people also call them lepers.’’
‘‘We are not lepers, we are normal
children, I hate being called lepers,
but there’s nothing I can do about it
…..it is abuse…’’
‘‘After playing on the street child
World Cup 2010, people don’t call
me a street girl any more, I am
famous player… I want to play for
my country’s women’s national
team.’’
‘‘Playing on the Street Child World
Cup 2010 has brought a little bit of
change of the perception of many
people
have
towards
street
children….Advocacy on the rights of
the child and raising awareness
about the risks of children coming
or living on the streets.’’
Reference:
________________________________________________________
Human Report 2010 – In Tanzania, Pg176 .- 181.
Child Act, 2009 section 33(1)
Emmanuel Lengwa “Ubakaji waongezeka kwa asilimia saba, Mwanza Nipashe 20th,
2010
Hansard, The Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania, twenty session,
fourth meeting 11th June, 2010, Page. 17
Most Vulnerable Children (MVC): Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,
Department od Social Welfare, Monthly Updates, Issue 3 Volume XVI, November,
2010. Page 1
660Section
138C of the Penal Code;Cap 16 R.E, 2002 of the Law of tanzania