‘Neglected Children’
Unfortunately, in Rio de Janeiro in particular but in other major cities around the world as well, street kids are looked at as a problem or a nuisance to the rest of those living and working in the cities respectively. Instead of viewing these kids as problems, their presence in the streets should be reason enough for both government and civil society alike to immediately stand up for their rights.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child states clearly in article 3 that when parents fail to fulfill the basic needs of their children such as food, shelter and basic safety that, “The State shall provide the child with adequate care when parents, or others charged with that responsibility, fail to do so…” Article 20 continues this when it states clearly “The State is obliged to provide special protection for a child deprived of the family environment.”
Here in Brazil, the rights stated above are clearly echoed in the Statute of the Child and Adolescent, stating in Article 4 that it is, “…the duty of the family, community, society in general and the public authority to ensure, with absolute priority, effective implementation of the rights to life, health, nutrition, etc…” Both legislations are direct and clear about the necessity for the State and general public to look out for children who are not given the proper love and care from their families for whatever reason.
Street kids are the most visible representation of the failures of both the state and civil society to defend these very basic rights of children, but the problem is much bigger than just the street kids. Millions of kids in Rio and throughout Brazil are living in poverty and while their families may provide a roof to sleep under, they deserve much more than just shelter.
Fortunately, here in Rio and around the globe there are many people fighting for the rights of children whose families have neglected them and we must celebrate their achievements and work here. One group in particular doing work like this is Sao Martinho, whose headquarters is in the heart of Lapa outside of the center of Rio de Janeiro. Sao Martinho works around the clock as a social and education center for the children of Rio. This center works on a variety of projects with the goal of re-integrating children to society and reuniting them with their families.
Projeto Uere does similar work in Mare, one of Rio’s largest favelas, concentrating on fulfilling the rights of children to receive an education which aims to “develop the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to the fullest extent” (CRC, article 29).
In addition to these two bigger, higher profile organizations; there are hundreds of similar groups working tirelessly on defending the most basic rights of children here in Rio. We invite our readers to comment here on the site about organiazations in their own communities doing work like this.
Further Reading
See the below link for a fascinating article from comunidadsegura on this subject:
Brazil: Lack of family structure is leading cause of violence among youths, according to study
Links to further information on both Sao Martinho and Projecto Uere: