Africn Destitute Childrn and Youths-Thinkng beyond the Margn

DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR CODESRIA CHILD AND YOUTH INSTITUTE

AFRICAN DESTITUTE CHILDREN AND YOUTHS: THINKING BEYOND THE MARGINS

By

Jibo Nura
Nigeria.
E-mail: jibonura@yahoo.com

Introduction:

There has been glib talks about the fate of African boys, girls, young men and women whom at a point in their lives, suffer one form of negligence or another, due to improper care, poor upbringing and lack of good standard of living such as education, employment status, food, clothing, shelter, amusements and comforts. These groups of people are commonly referred to as the destitute that totally lack, and are absolutely in dire need of basic life necessities. Majority roams about and wanders on the streets in order to make ends meet. The factors that put them in difficult circumstances and push most of them out of their homes are physical maltreatment, financial and emotional problems. The emotional problem is as a result of misdemeanors.

Broadly speaking, street children phenomenon is categorized into three groups. First, are the children of the street who sleep under bridges and market stalls, in derelict or uncompleted buildings. If they go out of their homes, they don?t come back. They are therefore not only threatened by diseases but also area boys and drug addicts. Many smoke marijuana in order to escape their feelings of hopelessness and the ever-present fear of violence. They earn food by head?loading, scavenging the refuse heaps, and by acting as bus conductors. In fact, this group is the most vulnerable. The second category, however, are the children on the street, they spend most of the day time on the street but return to their homes at night. They are also not free from hazards, but are not homeless in the strict sense of the term. The third category is the beggars, otherwise known as "Almajirai". They are sub-divided into three (3) groups i.e. those who lead blind parents or relatives; those who beg entirely on their own; and those who act as fronts for parents, especially mothers, who are usually hidden from public view but supervise them from a close distance.

However, Africa's youths are young people whose future is affected by violence, poverty and all-too often foreshortened by HIV/AIDS, malaria and other pandemics.

Today, one billion three hundred thousand people in the world lack access to clean water and have no adequate shelter. Out of this alarming number of less privileged, eighty per cent (80%) lack sanitation facilities and majority live in rural areas of Africa. Young people, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa face massive unemployment and often displacement. About one-third (1/3) of them lack sufficient food. Out of ten million four hundred thousand children currently under 15 years, who have lost their mother or both parents to AIDS, ninety per cent (90%) are in Sub-Saharan Africa and eighty per cent (80%) of these orphans live with HIV/ AIDS. Beside Asia, which has one-third (1/3) number of the world's malnourished children, an absolute number of them come from Africa. Therefore, the level of inequalities when compared to other continents around the globe is more glaring and ubiquitously seen in African children and miserable youths. It therefore calls for serious concern; especially when one considers the fact that these categories of people have no access to social security, recreation, leisure, creativity and human rights.

Indeed, negative consequence of absence of basic care and well being, grossly affect the happiness, comfort, intellectual attainments, freedom of action, justice and freedom of expression of these children and young men and women of circumstance. One should therefore look beyond the banal and orchestrated parlance by tracing the root cause of Africa's "street children and lumpen youths" predicaments to the basics. One also needs to look beyond the superficial and quibbling social problems facing Africa. A lot has been said in conferences, symposia and workshops by many groups of African intelligentsia and academics on the betterment of children/youths livelihood and enhancement of good quality of life, but a topic like this threatens vagueness, obscurity, verbosity and waffle.

The Problems:

Various attempts at generalization of "African" way of thinking on child street begging, youths unemployment, high rates of school dropouts, students' riots, sex abuse, child abuse/ molestation and lackadaisical "African" family life e.t.c., are always the much talked about issue by western Europe and America. But up till now, we deliberately refused to see and understand that the cardinal cause of all these problems are deeply rooted in our political and social systems including the varying cultural, traditional, economic, and by extension religious patterns to be found on the continent and within each separate country or territory. An understanding example of this is in the administrative spheres of African style of leadership and governance, which do not conform to the real and genuine attitudinal as well as behavioral changes that have to do with upholding integrity and respecting humanity and human dignity.
Unfortunately enough, Africa's mode of governance on policies and issues are always not favorable to the rural hapless and the downtrodden. Our legislation on child rights, policy formulation, implementation and human resource management strategies are always faulty. And this pave way for economic hardship and political instabilities, which in turn give rise to poverty, squalor, hunger and disease. Alas, forcing parents to leave their children unfed, unclothed, unsheltered and uneducated. At the end of the day, the parents have no choice than to allow their children engage in unnecessary street begging.
The youths on the other hand, out of frustration, stress and anxiety caused by lack of basic life necessities, have no alternative than to device a means of survival either by hook or crook. This also paves way for societal malaise such as violence, anarchy and restlessness. As one writer puts it: "the very poor in our midst that are not in the fore-going category but who are, by all account, generally unable to feed or cloth themselves, or provide themselves with some accommodation facility, are basically because of lack of parental care".

In Nigeria, for instance, the above mentioned protracted problem is predominantly found in northern part of the country, since during the colonial days. The elders above 60 years of age, believe that street or house to house begging was predominant among those families that were unable, or will not accommodate those poor folks. Almost everybody who has the means gives out charity to these "neglected" children in form of alms.

Therefore, most of these beggars are the "Almajirai" (street children) and energetic youths who seem to make alms begging some kind of business. They are usually sent by their religious teachers to go and beg. And instead of those poor students to even use their begging proceeds to eat, and cloth decently or hire accommodation facilities, their teachers confiscate what they begged and put them to sleep in tens, in one small room with little or no ventilation facility. Even water for their daily needs-ablution, bathing or washing their cloth, is generally scarce. Majority of them appear in tattered and dirty clothes. The money they would use to buy food, clothes, shoes or even slippers are almost non-existent. As somebody asserted elsewhere that: "these poor children simply die in sickness, because of absence of medical care or attention by anybody". Thus, they are exposed to physical hazards such as injuries, road traffic accidents, communicable diseases, malnutrition, crime and drug abuse. Because of lack of political will, zeal and commitment, there are little or no rehabilitation centres to rescue their situation. The governments, parents and their teachers do not bother to follow their own progress. The young girls on the other hand, engage themselves in street/roadside hawking or petty trading otherwise known as "Talla" in Hausa societies. Others, however, are sexually abused by irresponsible men.
Sadly enough, more than one hundred million (100m) out-of-school youths, sixty (60) million are girls. And they are ninety percent (90%) the largest group of domestic child workers. This figure is more endemic in Africa.

Ironically, this societal ill is only common among the poor and the down trodden. Hardly can one find public officers from the head of state to the state governor, senator, government representative, local government chairman, emir or chief that has his/her single child, brothers or sisters in the street begging. Even if they have, it would be a different story all together, because they can go to any length and use all the resources at their disposal to rehabilitate them.

Way Forward:

Government concerns, paternal and maternal (home care) coupled with good human feelings and career guidance are essential elements in human development. But, these are not possible without political and economic stability and good social well being of an individual. Though, it may be difficult to break up, isolate and associate the component elements of the problem in an alleged common pattern of family and/or governmental social structure and behavior in a given area, but of course it is really debatable that one can find common grounds among acknowledged diverse social system such as Africa.
Indeed, some common ground must be found for use in this youth and child institute, and the concept has to be adopted for bringing an end to "Almajiranci" syndrome (street child begging) and increasing number of awkward and hopeless youths who are left stranded without any hope for the future. The African common position as adopted by the Pan-African forum held in Egypt recognizes that the future of Africa lies with the well-being of its children and youths. The prospect for the socio-economic transformation of the continent rests with investing in the young people of the continent. It is universally acknowledged that African children and youths represent more than half of the continent's population. But their views have not been sought concerning the pressing social, economic, and human rights issues that directly affect them. They have been overlooked in national and international actions and policy-making, and the links between children and youths have been too long neglected. But the energy and commitment of youths represent a formidable force for positive change. They will determine which direction Africa takes in the coming decades. In fact, the children and the youths are our greatest resource. Article 19 of the UN Child Rights Convention (CRC) provides that states parties take all appropriate administrative, legislative, social and educational measures to protect the child and young men from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parents or others responsible for the care of our children.

Nonetheless, the Dakar framework for action emphasized strongly on improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and youths. It also requires that by 2015 all children, with special emphasis on girls, children in difficult circumstances and from ethnic minorities have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality. The Dakar framework further warned that gender disparities in primary and secondary education should be eliminated, and gender equality with special focus on girls be ensured by 2015.

We shall therefore probe and observe emphatically into their fundamental problems, so as to bring out a virile solution and framework on the need (purposeful provisions) to be made about methods of curtailing child neglect and youth's complacency and indolence. As we do this, we shall also pursue vigorously the millennium development goals that task us to eradicate extreme poverty, hunger and provide universal basic primary education to African children. It is nonetheless our duty to reduce mortality rate among infants through global partnership in order to have a sustained developed society. The millennium thinking shall be on pragmatic and sometimes scientifically sound elements that we can use in African patterns in order to rescue and treat this situation which has hitherto remain but a menace to Africa.

Lists of Presentations/ lectures to deliver:
1.   The fundamental problems of street children and youths: whose fault, loss and 'benefit'?
2.   General analysis on the issues at stake:
-   Demography and Statistical data on the epidemiology of Child mismanagement in Africa and around the globe.
-    Children and youths' position abused: Decision and policy- making conundrum
3.   Workable solutions:
-   Practical approach vis-?-vis : short, medium and long term
-   Scientifically oriented strategy on the observable facts and "matter at issue", including policy formulation, implementation and execution of actionable frameworks using regional research survey guidelines.