The phenomenon of streetism and its consequences in the Ho Municipality

Abstract

Child streetism is a deviation from normal social life in society and proper child growth and development. It is a serious challenge which has been on the ascendancy regardless of uncountable barrier and interventions put forward by past and present governments and development partners like non-governmental agencies. This project sought out to explore the phenomenon of Streetism in the Ho municipality. The study employed a qualitative approach and phenomenological design were employed. The objectives used for the study were to analyse the nature of streetism in the Ho municipality, assess the push and pull factors underling streetism in the Ho municipality and assess the consequences of streetism in the Ho municipality. Interviews and focus group discussions were the main instruments used for the data collection. The study also looked at the risk and the features of street children, their activities, and sleeping places. The study took a purposive sample of street children, the staff of the Department of Social Welfare, The Municipal Chief Executive the Regional Coordinator of DOVVSU. The sample size for the study was thirteen, comprising of eight (8) street children, six (6) stakeholders. The study discovered that divorce, poverty, large family size, and urbanization contribute to streetism while the children on the street come from neighbouring rural areas. The implications are that a lot of human resources go down the drain, an increase in illiteracy and a threat to societal peace as some streetists grow to become armed robbers, prostitutes, and associated crime will be on the increase. The prescribed recomendations were; extension of social amenities to the rural settings will not only provide entertainment to sustain the youth interest in the rural areas but as a push factor to investors to open up businesses. when implemented will assist in lessening the Phenomenon if not totally rooting it out. ` The study also got the following findings; Street children exist and it‟s a global phenomenon but predominant in large proportions in cities and towns with daily increases. Children in the street are classified as criminals as a result of the kind of work they do on the street. The Social Welfare Department of Ho Municipal should periodically embark on villages „tours‟ to give a talk on the consequences of broken homes, migration, peer group influence, and death of a parent on the child. This will at least make an impact to reduce the dissolution of marriages which is a major cause of streetism in the Municipality.