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Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

In the first decade of the 21st Century                                                       gvnet.com/streetchildren/Sweden.htm

Kingdom of Sweden

Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force.

Despite strong finances and underlying fundamentals, the Swedish economy slid into recession in the third quarter of 2008 and growth continued downward in the fourth as deteriorating global conditions reduced export demand and consumption. On 3 February 2009, the Swedish Government announced a $6 billon rescue package for the banking sector.  [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

Description: Sweden

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Sweden.  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.

HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE

Students

If you are looking for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this page and others to see which aspect(s) of street life are of particular interest to you.  You might be interested in exploring how children got there, how they survive, and how some manage to leave the street.  Perhaps your paper could focus on how some street children abuse the public and how they are abused by the public … and how they abuse each other.  Would you like to write about market children? homeless children?  Sexual and labor exploitation? begging? violence? addiction? hunger? neglect? etc.  There is a lot to the subject of Street Children.  Scan other countries as well as this one.  Draw comparisons between activity in adjacent countries and/or regions.  Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources that are available on-line.

Teachers

Check out some of the Resources for Teachers attached to this website.

*** FEATURED ARTICLE ***

Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC) - Report Of Sweden (1993)

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Third Session, Summary Record of the First Part (Public)* of the 58th Meeting held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, 19 January 1993  --  Chairman: Mrs. Badran

www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/4004a04faf1c052041256151003944dd?Opendocument

[accessed 26 July 2011]

[14] On the question of street-children, a survey had been completed in Stockholm in September 1992 and was to be continued. There were about 100 children who could be regarded as street-children in that they were out of touch with their parents for considerable periods. They were known to the social authorities but usually rejected assistance. A problem certainly existed and a solution was being sought.

 

*** ARCHIVES ***

Human Rights Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006

2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61677.htm

[accessed 11 February 2020]

CHILDREN - The government was strongly committed to children's rights and welfare; it amply funded systems of public education and medical care. The government provided compulsory, free, and universal education for children ages 9 to 16, but public schooling was provided until age 18. Nearly 100 percent of school-aged children attended school, and the highest level achieved by most children was completion of high school.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 28 January 2005

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/sweden2005.html

[accessed 27 December 2010]

EDUCATION - The Committee welcomes the efforts of the State party to provide free compulsory schooling through the age of 16 years, including universal free pre-schools for children aged 4‑5. It is, nevertheless, concerned that:  (a) Children without resident permit, in particular children “in hiding”, do not have access to education; …

UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN - The Committee notes the efforts of the State party to address the situation of unaccompanied minors and to enhance the quality of reception and interviewing for asylum‑seeking children. However, the Committee is concerned about:  (a) The high number of unaccompanied children having gone missing from the Swedish Migration Board’s special units for children without custodians; …

Sweden [DOC]

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Committee On The Rights Of The Child, Thirty-eighth session, 2005

At one time this document had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

[accessed 26 July 2011]

OVERVIEW OF STREET CHILDREN ISSUES - There is no mention of street children and nothing relating specifically to street children in the constituent reports.

Social report 2006

National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden, 2006

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

[accessed 26 July 2011]

SUMMARY [page S7]  Young people who neither study nor work run a great risk of long-term exclusion from the labour market During the period 1992-2002, young people who had studied could relatively easily establish themselves in the labour market. Their proportion of the core workforce increased rapidly during the years following their studies, irrespective of the state of the economy. Young people who worked or were seeking work at the beginning of the period also had considerably better chances than young people who were not economically active.  During the period there was an increase in the number of young adults who were not economically active, i.e. neither worked, studied nor sought work. These young people ran a great risk of still being outside the labour market after seven years. The establishing difficulties were associated with the level of economic activity.  These young adults also risk ill-health in the long term.  Mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse appear to be more common in this group than among other groups of young people.

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 - Sweden", http://gvnet.com/streetchildren/Sweden.htm, [accessed <date>]