| Summary: | According to UNICEF, street child is any child under the age of 18 for whom
the street has become home and/or source of income and which is not
adequately protected or supervised by adult, responsible person. It has been
estimated that there are between 100 and 150 million street children
worldwide. Life and work on the street have long term and far-reaching
consequences for development and health of these children. By living and
working in the street, these children face the highest level of risk. Street
children more often suffer from the acute illness, injuries, infection,
especially gastrointestinal, acute respiratory infections and sexually
transmitted diseases, inadequate nutrition, mental disorders, and drug abuse.
They are more often victims of abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking; they
have higher rate of adolescent pregnancy than their peers from poor families.
Street children and youth have higher rates of hospitalization and longer
hospital stay due to seriousness of illness and delayed health care. Street
children/youth are reluctant to seek health care, and when they try, they
face many barriers. Street children are invisible to the state and their
number in Serbia is unknown. Recently, some nongovernmental organizations
from Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis have recognized this problem and tried to
offer some help to street children, by opening dropin centers, but this is
not enough. To solve this problem, an engagement of the state and the whole
community is necessary, and primary responsibility lies in health, social and
educational sector. The best interests of the child must serve as a basic
guideline in all activities aimed at improving health, quality of life and
rights of children involved in the life and work in the street.
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