Some conclusions and recommendations

1. Expert Consultation on promoting and protecting the rights of children working and/or living on the street: Bridging the gaps between policy and practice Some conclusions and recommendations

2. Conclusions

3. Setting the scene : whom ? • This is not a homogeneous group : many typologies , many situations in which children find themselves on the streets • Children who have developed connections to the street (street connected children): the street represents a meaningful point of reference for them – for daily lives and building identities. • Children with fragile connections to their families : “ children at risk of taking to the street” Every child and their situation is unique

4. Setting the scene : why ? • Various root causes : the circumstances which can bring a child to find him or herself in a street situation are many • Push factors that encourage/push children to go to the street • Pull factors, which make the street attractive to the child – and which make it difficult for a child to leave the streets • Some Indicators : poverty, inequalities, violence, poor education , slum living conditions, lack of support systems, substance abuse Causes and triggers are many and vary from one situation to another, since each is unique

5. Setting the scene : How many ? • According to guesstimates, the global number goes up to hundreds of millions – but data collection is lacking to make reasonable estimates • The full extent of the phenomenon is not known • The numbers fluctuate, according to : • Evolution of the socio-economic, political and socio-cultural contexts • Protection systems and services available • Growing and anarchic urbanization ( slum living conditions) Likely to be increasing because of growing inequalities and persistence of other underlying factors

6. Setting the scene : Voices of children and street life experiences • Gathering voices of children +++ in order to : • learn from them • Identify the connections they establish to the streets and how they use them • Identify the challenges/risks they face • Identify the skills, abilities they develop on street • Develop better understandings and knowledge base • listen to them • Take into account their opinions, views and proposals in elaboration of targeted strategies/programmes • Involve them in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these strategies/programmes Ensuring participation of thesechildreniscritical to understanding and designing interventions

7. Main challenges and risks for children in street situations • Violence: physical, psychological, sexual... • Illnesses (HIV)… • Abuse of substances (glue, alcohol and other drugs) • Sexual exploitation, trafficking, sale, forced labour • Girls in street situations often face more difficulties than boys early pregnancy, dual stigmatization • No registration and no identity documents – denial of access to services • Negative perceptions : seen and treated as threats, delinquents, criminals • Marginalization, stigmatization… • Lose hope and desire to live • Used by criminal gangs (drugs, guns..) • Death, disappearance Multiple violations of their rights – before they develop street connections and once in the streets.

8. Framework of child protection systems Inadequate responses Need for : Comprehensive, inter connected/related, rights and gender based child Protection Systems • Child rights perspective : Childrenrightsholders and Dutybearers (Primary , secondary, tertiary and external) • Clear, explicit roles, responsibilities and processes • Legislation, policies, institutions, services, resources, training • Targeting street connected children, considering effects of multiple deprivations and understanding his or her street connections – specialized interventions (tailor-made) • Family support (sensitive support for parenting, building on strengths, focus on rights) • Preventive measures targeting children at risk to go to street( fragile connections ) – responding to multiple violations • Child participation • Building alliance beyond CPS with other partners

9. Promising practices and lessonslearned • Various programmeswith a view to supporting children where they are - ie in the street and their other environments: outreach, sport, education/ training, health/wellbeing, safety, awareness, child protection networks, children empowerment, advocacy… • Involvement of private sector : funding, volunteering and advocating • Prevention and service provision – government-led multi-stakeholder design of local policies; social protection programmes to include fragile families • Family support – economic support for fragile families; psycho-social support on roles and responsibilities in families But – need agreed criteria across all levels of practice – from law making to on-street support interventions • Criteria for ‘Good Practice’ with street connected children - Five cross-cutting criteria : Best interests of the child; Non-discrimination; Participation ; Accountability; Sustainability - Five normative criteria : Safety , Availability , Accessibility, Quality, Flexibility

10. Collecting and using data to promote and protect the rights of the child • Lack of reliable data : Need for quantitative and qualitative data, appropriately collected and analysed with the participation of children • Difficulties : access to children, mobility of children, different methodologies, multiple definitions and concepts, lack of investment, lack of policy leadership, risk of political manipulation • Good practices : involving children and street workers in research - collecting and sharing information; repeat research; mechanisms for data collection and dissemination • Global concern should be less about rising numbers and more about: - the persistence of conditions that force children to end up on streets; - the typologies, street lives, street territories, social organisation, street experiences; - the risks of abuse and exploitation they face; • the multiple violations of their rights Need for establishing standards for data collection and interpretation Improve Children’s participation in research process and information sharing

11. Some Recommendations

12. Steps forward • Finalization and presentation of study • Advocacy at international , regional and national levels : States (UN HumanRights Council and General Assembly); UN agencies and mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, SpecialProcedures); International financial institutions (World Bank); Regional and National Human rights institutions; PrivateSector; NGOs; media 3. Follow up and monitoring

13. 1. Finalization and Presentation of Study • Final OHCHR doc by end 2011, to incorporate: State & Webpage contributions; expert consultation discussions; global research paper; children’s views paper • Lobbying of States to support study presentation at HRC and to commit to concrete follow-ups of study at State and International levels • Press conference and side event after HRC presentation in Geneva

14. 2. Advocacy: UN Mechanisms • Invite Committee on the Rights of the Child to develop a General Comment on ‘Non-Discrimination and Children with Street Connections’ to provide guidance to States • Request that CRC concluding observations include information on street connected children and policies – particularly on fulfillment of these children’s rights • Ensure that this study is reflected in the Universal Periodic Review process • Ensure that phase 2 of the study on violence against children pays particular attention to violence against street connected children • Invite Special Procedures to pay particular attention during their country visits to street connected children

15. Advocacy: Regional and National HumanRights Bodies, Financial Institutions and PrivateSector, NGO networks • Share and disseminate study through these bodies • Organize regional and sub-regional meetings to develop and share promising practices, including legal, budgeting and economic policies as well as in the social protection arena

16. Advocacy: Media & Internet • Inform child rights journalists to raise awareness about the study and follow up actions • Develop links on this study with all stakeholders

17. 3. Follow-Up and Monitoring • UN Mechanisms and agencies, Regional and National Human Rights Bodies, NGOs, PrivateSector, and Media • Getthis issue, through use of the study, onto the agendas of existing mechanismsthataddress related issues • Interdisciplinary working group (UN, States, NGOs, privatesector, academia, street connectedchildren/youth ) to follow up on implementation of the study recommendations – eg converting criteria of good practice into guidance for practitioners and policymakers; eg pursuing the idea of developing standards and methods of data collection and dissemination