At the Margins: Street children in Asia and the Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region is home to nearly half of the world’s children, including large numbers of street children. This paper highlights the issues concerning street children and intervention practices in the region. Major characteristics of street children include homelessness, separation from family, poverty, and being out of school with a need to work, which are further linked to vulnerability, to exploitation and risk. This is a thorough review of the situation of street children in the region, which explores meanings and definitions, the causes and reasons for moving to the street, daily life issues and risks and perceived benefits of street life. It also presents examples from across the region, frameworks and methods for intervention before concluding by reviewing the roles of governments and NGOs.