Human Trafficking in [France] [other countries]
Street Children in [France] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [France] [other countries]
 

Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

French Republic (France) [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

France [map] is located in W Europe and is bordered by the English Channel (N), the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay (W), Spain and Andorra (SW), the Mediterranean Sea (S), Switzerland and Italy (SE), and Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium (NE). Its capital and largest city is Paris. France is in the midst of transition, from a well-to-do modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government has lowered income taxes and introduced measures to boost employment and reform the pension system. In addition, it is focusing on the problems of the high cost of labor and labor market inflexibility resulting from the 35-hour workweek and restrictions on lay-offs.

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in France. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

Quick Search for Missing Children - Select Gender, Country (France), & Years Missing

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - The government was strongly committed to children's rights and welfare; it amply funded systems of public education and medical care. The Ministry for Family Affairs oversees implementation of the government's programs for children.

Public schooling is provided free through the age of 18, and education is compulsory for citizens and non-citizens between the ages 6 to 16. However, after the October unrest, the prime minister proposed that some youth be allowed to leave school at age 14 to enter into apprenticeships. Although not compulsory, preschool and kindergarten for children under age six is free and widely available. According to INSEE, during the school year 2003-2004, the percentage of school age children who attended school was 100 percent for ages 3 to 13; but the percentage dropped to 99.6, 98.6, and 97.3 percent for ages 14, 15, and 16, respectively. Most children completed the equivalent of high school. There was no evidence of significant differences between the attendance of girls and boys at the primary, secondary, and postsecondary levels.

Children

THE STATE OF CHILDREN: FACTS AND FIGURES - In France, the phenomenon of street children began to constitute a significant problem in the 1980s. Some authorities consider that there might be as many as 10,000 street children, although others estimate that the number is much lower.

France National Report 2004 For The European Observatory On Homelessness [PDF]

The survey estimated the number of people who had used either a temporary accommodation or meal site service at least once during one week in January 2001 as 93 000 adults (and 16 000 children), of whom 70 000 were houseless

Street children Statistics

France has about 10,000 street children. (Council of Europe)

Children Living on the Street

While the magnitude of the problem tends to be greater in less developed countries, there are still 7,000 street children in the Netherlands, 4,000 in Belgium, and 10,000 in France. The United States has about 500,000 under-age runaways and “throw-away” children.

Industrialized Countries - Commentary

France has announced an ambitious program of building houses for the extremely disadvantaged and requisitioning vacant houses from institutional owners.

Praying for France's street children¹

Street children are everywhere---even in France. A friend of mine in Marseille recently saw a young girl, about seven-years-old, squatting in the middle of the busy streets in the hot sun. She stayed there for hours, dehydrating while begging.

The ATD Fourth World Movement

A report on homelessness and poverty in France and the organization which, for 40 years, has sought to keep this human crisis before the eyes and ears of government - HOMELESSNESS IN FRANCE Population: 60 million Unemployed: 3 million Estimated homeless: 1 million

1. The linked article has been taken down, moved or restricted

Human Trafficking in [France] [other countries]
Street Children in [France] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [France] [other countries]