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Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MORE than 5 000 children are either living or working on the streets in Zimbabwe and the Government through its social services arm has intensified efforts to reunite them with their families.
Efforts are also being made to provide for destitute adults through the Vagrancy Act. Responding to questions from Sunday News, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Professor Paul Mavima said they were worried with the figure and work was in progress to ensure the figure was reduced.
“The actual number of people living and working on the streets is not known, but we estimate that they may be 5 000 across the country. The ministry has intensified efforts to identify, document, trace, and reunify children living and working on the streets with their families. Destitute adults are assisted in terms of the provisions of the Vagrancy Act (Chapter 10:25) which is administered by the Minister responsible for Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage,” said Prof Mavima.
Street kids and vagrants have been a cause for concern on the country’s streets with many turning to drug abuse, pickpockets and other social misfits such as robbing passersby of their food and groceries. There are also vagrants with mental illnesses who sometimes turn violent and disrupt traffic and pedestrians.
Prof Mavima said his ministry was seized with the matter with efforts to locate children, understand their issues and where necessary unify them with their families having been made over the years.
“Children with traceable families and relatives are reunified and reintegrated back into communities and those who are destitute are placed in alternative care arrangements which include foster care and residential child care facilities such as John Smale Children’s Home in Bulawayo, Auxillia Mnangagwa Children’s Home formerly known as Chambuta, among other Government and privately-owned facilities.
“Those who require behaviour modification are placed in rehabilitation facilities such as Percy Ibboston Training Institute and Luveve House for Girls in Bulawayo. Those who present with substance use disorders undergo treatment at health facilities across the country. Reintegration support is provided through established Psychosocial Support Centres in Harare and Bulawayo,” he added.
He said the Government had put in place various measures and programmes to address the issue of children living and working on the streets. These measures include the establishment of a fund dedicated to children on the street.
“This fund is supporting programmes which are aimed at the removal of children from the streets, tracing their relatives, reunifying them with their relatives, provision of reintegration support and also placement of the same in alternative care facilities,” he added.
The Government rounded the people living in the streets at the peak of Covid-19 and sent them to different institutions and care homes.
“During the peak of Covid-19, the Government made use of training facilities to house people rounded from the streets. Family tracing and reunification were conducted. There are various push and pull factors to streetism which include truancy, family dysfunction, poverty, orphanhood, need for independence, and cash concentration in the streets which has resulted in child street vendors, beggars, socio-economic challenges and perceived economic opportunities. The major reason why post Covid-19 lockdowns many people turned to the streets is that business and social life had returned to normalcy and streets became lucrative once more,” said Prof Mavima.
The public has however, been warned against using children to beg on street corners and traffic lights as it is a chargeable offence. It is a common sight to see children, many with disabilities being used to beg for food and money while accompanied by adults.
“According to Section 10 of the Children’s Act (Chapter 5:06) using children for the purposes of begging and public entertainment is an offence. Section 10(1) notes that any parent or guardian of a child or young person who allows that child or young person or any person who causes any child or young person— (a) to beg; or (b) to accompany him or any other person while he begs; or (c) to induce or to endeavour to induce the giving of alms; or (d) to perform or be exhibited in any way for public entertainment in a manner likely to be detrimental to the child’s or young person’s health, morals, mind or body; shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both such fine and imprisonment,” added Minister Mavima.
The streets of Zimbabwe have been offering shelter to homeless children who range from delinquents to abused children who seek shelter on pavements and disused buildings as they flee from their abusers. Last week, a homeless sixteen-year-old boy from Gweru Central Business District was found dead at the entrance of a fast-food outlet where it is believed he succumbed to the cold weather that the country experienced. -@NyembeziMu
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