Child Poverty in Mozambique. A Situation and Trend ... - Unicef

Box 5.1: Street children in Maputo: the experience of Associação Meninos de
Moçambique
Due to their vulnerable circumstances and prominence in urban areas, street
children are especially likely to fall into conflict with the law. Associação Meninos
de Moçambique, an organisation that works directly with children living on the
streets of Maputo, estimates that there are under 400 children and young adults
living full time on the street in the capital. There are many more children, however,
who spend their days on the streets and go home at night.
Among the children reached by Associação Meninos de Moçambique, the major
reasons given for living on the streets are: (1) parents remarrying; (2) being
orphaned; and (3) running away from home.
“My mother and father separated. Because of this my mother died. I decided to
come here to look for family and friends because I lived in Maputo when I was a
kid.” Roberto, 17
There are a number of organisations that provide schooling and basic medical care
for street children in Maputo, and in addition the children themselves often form
small communities. ‘Giglika’ (meaning ‘collapse’ in Shangana) is home to one of
these communities. 23 children and young adults, aged from 13 to 20, live there.
As the name suggests, Giglika is where a tower block formally stood near the
centre of Maputo, and the children have made money selling off the metal and
bricks as scrap. Now they often still work together, sometimes pooling the money
they have earned through begging, washing cars and prostitution, and buy cheap
chocolate, cigarettes and other items in order to resell them for a profit.
“I have lived at Giglika since 2001. I was separated from my parents and began to
live downtown. I found some friends and one of them brought me here to live. My
dream is to find my family again.” Eugenio, 13
According to Associação Meninos de Moçambique and the children themselves,
the main health risks faced by street children are malaria, cholera and STDs. Only
around 10 per cent of the children and young adults living on the street are girls,
but they are especially vulnerable, as prostitution is a common way of earning
money.
“When there is a big event here, a concert, a meeting of presidents… things like
that, they [the police] come here and take us to the prisons. It happens all the
time, last week it happened because there was a concert here.” Benjamin, 19
who has lived on the streets for 11 years
Source: Interviews with Associação Meninos de Moçambique and children, 2006 (J. Wordsworth)
B. Violence, sexual exploitation and abuse
The available information raises concern over the incidence of domestic violence
and sexual abuse, including sexual abuse in schools. The 2001 National Survey of
Reproductive Health and Sexual Behaviour of Young People and Adolescents (INJAD)
(INE 2001) indicated that, as a child or teenager, 30 per cent of women and 37 per
cent of men had directly witnessed violence between their parents and that 15 per
cent of women and 20 per cent of men had suffered physical abuse by a relative in
their youth. These findings reinforce anecdotal evidence that domestic violence and
abuse are widespread in Mozambique.
178 CHILDHOOD POVERTY IN MOZAMBIQUE: A SITUATION AND TRENDS ANALYSIS