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Street children in Manila
On the streets of the Philippine capital, many children lead a daily life that bears little resemblance to a normal childhood. Amidst the traffic, market stalls and makeshift shelters, thousands of girls and boys struggle day in, day out to secure the bare essentials for survival. Some sell small snacks at traffic lights, others collect recyclable materials or beg for a few pesos, whilst still others have no fixed place to call home for weeks or even months on end. The following section examines the scale of this problem, its causes and how aid organisations and individuals can provide practical support.
How many children live on the streets?
It is almost impossible to determine an exact figure, as many children are not officially registered and their whereabouts are constantly changing. Aid organisations estimate, however, that in Metro Manila alone, tens of thousands of children and young people spend a large part of their daily lives on the streets. Nationwide, some estimates even suggest that several hundred thousand children are affected. This lack of precision is also due to the fact that not every child who works on the streets actually lives there, and that surveys produce different results depending on the definition and methodology used.
Between working and living on the streets
Experts generally distinguish between two groups: children who sell goods, beg or collect rubbish on the streets during the day but return to their families in the evening, and children who actually live on the streets permanently, without a fixed place to go. Some form small groups to offer each other some protection and security. Both groups are exposed to considerable dangers, although the second group is naturally the most severely affected by violence, exploitation and health risks. Many of these children spend their nights under bridges, in building entrances or on traffic islands, often in small, informal communities intended to offer at least some protection from attacks.
Why do children end up on the streets?
Behind each individual’s story there is usually a combination of several contributing factors, which rarely occur in isolation. Poverty is almost always the starting point, but it is frequently exacerbated by family problems.
Risks of life on the streets
The most common triggers and consequences include, amongst others:
- Extreme poverty within the family, which is no longer able to provide adequate care
- Violence, neglect or addiction within the family
- A lack of birth certificates, which hinders access to education and healthcare
- Exploitation by third parties, for example through begging, theft or sexual exploitation
According to estimates, almost two million children in the Philippines do not have a birth certificate, which further cuts them off from basic state services and makes their situation even more difficult. Without this proof of their existence, many children are effectively denied access to schooling and medical treatment, even if such services were in principle available. Often, the individual causes reinforce one another: a child fleeing domestic violence has little access to education on the streets, which in turn significantly reduces their chances of escaping poverty later in life.
How can children be helped?
Anyone wondering how to help street children will quickly come across a key principle of many successful programmes: building trust before even discussing a change in their living situation. Social workers often seek out the children directly at their usual haunts – for example, through sports activities, shared pursuits or simply by talking to them – rather than immediately forcing them into a new environment.
Practical approaches that have proved effective in working with street children include, amongst others:
- Outreach social work carried out directly in the affected neighbourhoods
- Shelters where children can be temporarily accommodated in safety
- Assistance with obtaining missing birth certificates
- Support with returning to their own families, where this is possible and safe
Shelter centres, in particular, play a key role in this regard, as they offer children a safe place for a limited period of time where they can attend school, receive medical care and come to terms with what they have experienced in peace. From there, in consultation with social workers, the most appropriate next steps for each child are assessed – such as a return to their own family, placement with relatives or, in particularly difficult cases, long-term care.
Protection for street children works best when it not only alleviates short-term emergencies but also tackles the root causes, such as poverty and family crises. Only when families themselves become more stable again will the number of children ending up on the streets in the first place decrease in the long term. A look at what life in Manila’s slums is actually like for many families highlights just how closely the issue of street children is linked to urban poverty: where there is a lack of housing, clean water and a stable income, the risk of children ending up on the streets also increases. It is precisely at this point that most reputable aid programmes focus their long-term efforts.