Human Trafficking in [Canada] [other countries]Street Children in [Canada Child Prostitution in [Canada] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the
early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/streetchildren/Canada.htm
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CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Toronto Squeegee Kids Dodge The Law For Change Reuters, hpn.asu.edu/archives/Jul98/0015.html [accessed 22 April 2011] Dusty has been living on the
street in downtown Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News, March 10, 2004 www.cbc.ca/fifth/main_nowayhome_life.html [accessed 22 April 2011] LIFE ON THE STREET - When youth become homeless, they don’t all automatically end up sleeping on street grates or in doorways. In fact, they end up staying in a variety of places. A 1999 survey found that: · 60% of street youth are staying in one of Toronto’s youth shelters · 25% staying in an apartment (92% were staying with friends and 'couch surfing') · 15% staying on the street of which 4% were living in squats, and 9% in parks, alleys, and doorways. Most experts agree that homeless shelters are a band-aid solution that offer little more than a bed and hot meal. Youth Homelessness – Sickness and Death Touchstone Youth Centre www.touchstoneyc.org/index.php?p=2_10 [accessed 22 April 2011] Street youth are more likely to get sick and even die on the streets. A recent study that examined the mortality rate among homeless youth was carried out in Montreal between 1995 and 2000 and looked at 1,013 young people between the ages of 14 and 25. Originally the study was designed to examine rates of HIV and Hepatitis infection among youth. But the researchers began to realize that some of their subjects were disappearing. They began checking the coroner’s records and discovered an alarming rate of deaths - mostly caused by suicide and drug overdose. By June 2001, 26 of the 1,013 participants - 22 boys and 4 girls had died, or a mortality rate of .89% per 100 person years. Note: the total figure is really 29 but three were not included in the above number because they had not been on the street for two years or more. The homeless youth mortality rate was 11 times higher than the rate of the general population of Quebec. ***
ARCHIVES *** Runaways
- Where To Turn For Help Before You Are Homeless Rebeccas Community www.homeless.org.au/runaways.htm [accessed 22 April 2011] Here are the best phone numbers to
call …They are Confidential - which means they won't tell anyone about your
call unless you want them to talk to somebody for you, or you are in
danger. They are open 24 Hours - it
doesn't matter what time you call In
Canada, call 1-800-668-6868 How To Get Help - Street Helpline: (416) 392-3777 Horizons for Youth www.horizonsforyouth.org/howToGetHelp.php [accessed 22 April 2011] If you are in trouble, need a safe
place to stay or just want help looking at your options Horizons for Youth is
committed to helping out in anyway we can.
Horizons for Youth:
(416) 781-9898 Kids Help Phone: 1 800
668-6868 Kids Help Phone www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash.aspx [accessed 22 April 2011] Providing immediate help and hope
that young people need and deserve - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Every day, Kids Help Phone counsellors answer calls
and online questions from across Canada. No matter what the problem or
concern, our counsellors are there to provide
immediate and caring support, information and, if necessary, referral to a
local community or social service agency. Child Find Child Find www.childfind.ca/provoffice.php [accessed 22 April 2011] If your child is missing or you
see a missing child, call 1-800-387-7962 (24 hours a day). Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61719.htm [accessed 27 January 2011] CHILDREN - The government demonstrated its
commitment to children's rights and welfare through its well-funded systems
of public education and medical care. Education is free through grade 13 and
is compulsory nationwide through age 15 or 16, depending on the province. The
UN Children's Fund reported that 100 percent of elementary-age children
attended school; high school was the highest level completed by most
children. Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 3 October 2003 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/canada2003.html [accessed 27 January 2011] [52] The Committee notes, however,
concerns relating to the vulnerability of street children and, in particular,
Aboriginal children who, in disproportionate numbers, end up in the sex trade
as a means of survival. The Committee
is also concerned about the increase of foreign children and women trafficked
into [54] The Committee regrets the
lack of information on street children in the State party’s report, although
a certain number of children are living in the street. Its concern is accentuated by statistics
from major urban centers indicating that children represent a substantial
portion of [55] The Committee recommends … Bruce Bell, The Bulletin - Downtown www.thebulletin.ca/cbulletin/content.jsp?sid=68135418916516757112147765291&ctid=1000011&cnid=1001842 [accessed 22 April 2011] After his death in 1901 and as a
tribute to George Allan, the City of Toronto changed the name of the
Horticultural Gardens to Allan Gardens and has been known as such ever
since. But perhaps the greatest legacy
of George Allan, besides serving as Toronto’s 11th mayor in 1855, was his
benevolence shown to Toronto’s street children. In 19th-century Toronto it wasn’t uncommon
to walk the streets having to step over the sleeping bodies of abandoned
children, some as young as 3 and 4. In 1870 George Allan donated land
he owned on the east side of Fredrick Street just north of Front (where the
present Parcel Bus terminal stands) and built the Newsboys’ Home, an early
health care and residential facility for young street children nicknamed
“newsboys” for selling newspapers on street corners. The Newsboy Home was the beginnings of
Toronto the Good and for almost 25 years the home that stood on the northeast
corner of Frederick and Front became a model for future charitable
institutions that would eventually lead to the founding of the Children’s Aid
Society of Toronto in 1891. Mtl. police says gangs recruiting as
young as 10 CTV.ca News Staff, Jun. 13 2007 www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20070613/mtl_gangs_070613/ [accessed 22 April 2011] Plante said police are aware of about 20
major street gangs in the city, along with another 30 that are trying to gain
prominence. And they are trying to
expand their numbers by promising kids the same wealth as rap stars. "They are now recruiting starting at
the age of 10 and 11 years old," said Plante. The 50 gangs are believed to have between
300 and 500 members. Ten of 17 murders this year were
connected to street gangs -- an increase of two from the same time last
year. While 97 per cent of violent
crime in Montreal last year was not associated with gangs, Plante said police are still focusing mainly on gang
members. Ex–street kids thrive in doc Pieta Woolley, straight.com,
April 27, 2006 www.straight.com/article/ex-street-kids-thrive-in-doc-0 [accessed 22 April 2011] In an interview in Metamorphosis,
Homelessness www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/prbpubs/prb991-e.htm#COMPOSITION(10)txt [Last access date unavailable] COMPOSITION OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION - SOME
GROUPS PREVIOUSLY UNDERREPRESENTED AMONG THE HOMELESS - B. YOUTH - Mistreatment is often cited as a factor in youth homelessness. A number of studies have confirmed that many homeless young people have been victims of sexual, physical or psychological abuse. A 1992 study by social service agencies in the Ottawa-Carleton region indicated that 75% of the street children interviewed had left home because of sexual assaults or physical and/or psycho-emotional abuse. Reuters, hpn.asu.edu/archives/Jul98/0015.html [accessed 22 April 2011] Dusty has been living on the
street in downtown Dans La Rue - An Organization Serving
Youth on the Street [accessed 22 April 2011] Thousands of young people in Construction begins on new youth shelter Canadian Children's Rights www.canadiancrc.com/Newspaper_Articles/CNW_New_Youth_Shelter_03JUL03.aspx [accessed 22 April 2011] Construction of this shelter
demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to providing housing for
at-risk and homeless youth. This new
shelter will not only provide a safe, stable Tough Kids and Substance Abuse www.peacefactory.com/tough_kids/about.htm [accessed 22 April 2011] Heavily involved in the street
culture of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC News, March 10, 2004 www.cbc.ca/fifth/main_nowayhome_life.html [accessed 22 April 2011] LIFE ON THE STREET - When youth become homeless, they
don’t all automatically end up sleeping on street grates or in doorways. In
fact, they end up staying in a variety of places. A 1999 survey found that:
60% of street youth are staying in one of Toronto’s youth shelters
25% staying in an apartment (92% were staying with friends and 'couch
surfing') 15% staying on the street of which
4% were living in squats, and 9% in parks, alleys, and doorways. Most experts agree that homeless
shelters are a band-aid solution that offer little more than a bed and hot
meal. Report on Youth Homelessness - Facts and Stats on Youth
Homelessness Covenant House www.covenanthouse.ca/Public/Facts-and-Stats [accessed 22 April 2011]
On any given night some 33,000 Canadians are homeless of which as many
as 11,000 are youth.
Today in Toronto, there are 12 shelters for youth, offering up to 522
beds. In 1979, there were only two youth shelters in the city, with a total
of 95 beds. In the past 25 years there has been a 450% increase in youth
shelter beds.
In Toronto, a good estimate suggests there are at least 10,000
different youth who are homeless at one point on any given year - and
anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 on a given night. Youth Homelessness – Sickness and Death Touchstone Youth Centre www.touchstoneyc.org/index.php?p=2_10 [accessed 22 April 2011] Street youth are more likely to get
sick and even die on the streets. A recent study that examined the mortality
rate among homeless youth was carried out in Montreal between 1995 and 2000
and looked at 1,013 young people between the ages of 14 and 25. Originally
the study was designed to examine rates of HIV and Hepatitis infection among
youth. But the researchers began to realize that some of their subjects
were disappearing. They began checking the coroner’s records and discovered
an alarming rate of deaths - mostly caused by suicide and drug overdose. By June 2001, 26 of the 1,013
participants - 22 boys and 4 girls had died, or a mortality rate of .89% per
100 person years. Note: the total figure is really 29 but three were not
included in the above number because they had not been on the street for two
years or more. The homeless youth mortality rate was 11 times higher than the
rate of the general population of Quebec. Success Stories Eva's Initiatives At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 22 April 2011] [scroll down] FAMILY RECONNECT HELPS A YOUTH
RETURN HOME - A
16-year-old woman arrived at Family Reconnect with her parents; she had been
on the streets for months, having left home at 15 ….. A 20-year-old female
arrived at Eva’s Place in early December after arriving in Canada as a
refugee only 2 days earlier ….. When Matt first came to Eva's Satellite he
was an alcoholic and heavy substance user with medical and mental health
issues. He'd been to many of Toronto's youth shelters and been asked to leave
some of them because of violent behavior. A Web Site for and about Street Youth The Rideau Street Youth
Enterprises (RSYE) Web site project At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 22 April 2011] The Rideau
Street Youth Enterprises (RSYE) Web site project profiles street youth in All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Street Children - |
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