Pursuant to HRC resolution 16/12 on the protection and promotion of the rights of children working and/or living on the street, OHCHR submitted a report on this subject to the Human Rights Council at its 19th Session in March 2012.

Summary

The present report analyses the circumstances of children working and/or living on the streets. It concludes that the actual number of children who depend on the streets for their survival and development is not known and that the number fluctuates according to socio-economic, political and cultural conditions, including growing inequalities and patterns of urbanisation. The report analyses the causes that lead children to the street and the challenges they face in their everyday lives. It recognises that before reaching the streets, children will have experienced multiple deprivations and violations of their rights.

The report makes a number of recommendations to States and draws attention to this moment of opportunity when States are developing or strengthening comprehensive child protection systems; civil society organizations are consolidating promising specialized interventions; data collection is becoming more systematic and research more participatory. As requested by the Human Rights Council, children working and/or living on the street have been consulted in the preparation of the present report. Investing in children in street situations is essential to building a society that respects human dignity, because every child counts.

Additional reports

• Protection and promotion of the rights of children working and/or living on the street (PDF)
• Issue in focus: children in street situations