CHILD STREETISM IN THE TAMALE METROPOLIS: EXPLORING POLICY OPPORTUNITIES TO ADDRESS THE MENACE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore on the phenomenon of child streetism in the Tamale Metropolis and also to find policy opportunities to address the menace. The study focused on finding out the factors that promote child streetism in the Tamale metropolis, the challenges facing street children in the Tamale etropolis, the strategies adopted by the street children to cope with the challenges of street life and also examining policies put in place to address the phenomenon of child streetism in the Tamale metropolis. The study was rooted on the social functionalist theory. Case study was used as the design for the study. The study employed the mixed research approach to gather the necessary data. Questionnaire, interview guided and documentary review were used to gather data. The quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science Research (SPSS) Version twenty-two (22) and the qualitative data was analysed using narrations. The study found that poverty, family disintegration, inappropriate parenting, death of parents, abuse from home and peer pressure are some of the factors that promote child streetism in the Tamale metropolis. It also found physical and sexual abuse, accommodation and death as some of the challenges facing street children in the Tamale metropolis. The study also found that street children adopt different strategies such as cleaning, scavenging, porting, begging, shoe shining to cope with the challenges of living on the street. The study again found that most policies that are meant to address the phenomenon have focused on re-integration, vocation and technical training. The study recommends that street children and their parents should be central to the planning and implementation of any policy intended to address child streetism.