The phenomenon of street children is an important social issue with diverse socio-economic, psychological and political repercussions. As such, theoretical and/or practical studies on the issue need to be undertaken by professional teams with an interdisciplinary perspective.
In academic literature, the phenomenon is usually analyzed through a socio-economic and cultural lens. Often, emphasis is placed solely on structural factors such as migration, poverty and deficient social policies. This tendency to limit academic research to the sociological background is one key factor why activities to integrate street children into the society fail.1 The phenomenon is reduced to an abstract concept and children cannot become active agents vested with rights.
In turn, this failure strengthens the tendency to view these children simplisticly. Another key factor underlying the negative approach to these children is psychology's general inclination to reduce and pathologize human behavior. Although each of these children deserve to be viewed as independent individuals, conceptual discussions reduce them to simple “objects” of research rather than “subjects” who have a voice.2
Since the reality of street children and their families is not well known, it becomes impossible to implement complementary legislation and efficient service models to integrate children living on the streets into society. Well-meaning initiatives are not only unsustainable but also inflict a additional trauma onto these children. Furthermore, since the practitioners who work with children lack the required professional training and support, they themselves are under the risk of being traumatized. One indication of this trauma is the fact that professionals employed in institutions serving street children frequently change jobs and these institutions are not coveted workplaces.
How does a child start working on the streets?
Research on street children suggest that they start to live on the street as a final resort against the domestic abuse they have suffered since early childhood. Some of these children hailing from dysfunctional families are pushed to the streets or to child protection agencies by their very own parents. Numerous children, on the other hand, first stay in child protection agencies' dormitories but later opt for the streets due to the problematic behavior of agency personnel.
The nature of the relationship with the main caretaker, usually the mother, and early childhood experiences play a critical role in the development of one's personality and behavior.3 Individuals are most vulnerable to trauma and the effects of trauma are the greatest during early childhood.4 For emotional, cognitive and social development, children from birth need to establish intimate and sensitive relationships with adults mindful of their needs. Children living on the street have usually grown up without such relations and a safe family environment, which are the most important needs of any child.
In order to cope with traumatic experiences and to survive, children resort to a number of defensive mechanisms. Although these provide momentary solutions, they have an adverse effect on the long-term development of children on emotional, social and cognitive levels. For instance, to cope with cold weather or the feeling of shame, or to muster courage against the tough life on the streets, they may sniff glue or resort to violence. As a result, they discontinue their education and get caught up in violence and crime.
The project “Together With Children”
Methods such as a one-hour therapy once a week are insufficient in helping street children get integrated into society.5 Innovative and creative approaches need to be developed to support street children who suffer from profound traumas. To steer them away from anti-social behavior, these children should be in surroundings where their need for love and attention is met, and where they can establish healthy relationships.6 Since adolescents living on the streets have usually been subjected to repressive behavior from the adults they meet, they feel most comfortable with young people close to their age group.7
In Turkey, services oriented towards street children focus on their physical rather than emotional requirements, which are almost completely disregarded. A specially designed therapeutic approach which includes family studies is needed for children to be supported on emotional and social levels. Professionals who offer services to children need to be well-educated in the field, and regularly supported with supervision and training. Unless the employees truly believe in and embrace the service they provide, it is not possible for the said service to be successful.
It is very important for children to have a say during both the development and provision of the service.8 Street children are individuals who have refused to passively succumb to domestic abuse, have either opted to abandon home or were forced to do so by their parents, and are now struggling to survive in the face of very tough conditions on the street. Viewing the child as an independent agent is especially important in the case of street children.
Using these observations as a starting point, Maltepe Üniversity set up SOYAÇ (Application and Research Center for Children Living and Working on the Streets) in 2010. SOYAÇ is the only center with a focus on street children at a Turkish university. SOYAÇ is also the unique Turkish institution represented at Safe Families Safe Children (SFSC), created by 14 prestigious agencies from ten countries, and carries out its activities with state support.
The faculty members of the Psychology Department and other relevant departments of Maltepe University support the project; students participate actively in various applied and research projects in cooperation with national and international experts in the field. The findings of these efforts are shared not only in academic circles but with all those concerned via conferences. The university boasts a rich academic diversity which paves the groundwork for interdisciplinary studies.
SOYAÇ carries out its activities with university students, helping them improve their professional development.9 SOYAÇ also runs various applied and research projects aimed at children in prison and the families of children under risk.
SOYAÇ has run the project “Together with Children” since 2010 in cooperation with public agencies that provide services to street children. The project aims to establish a trust-based relationship and deploys a peer-based approach10 to bolster the individual and social development of children. In the first year of the project, the activities were carried out at the agencies where children receive services. It is key to initiate such activities in the places where the children and youth are.11
Psychology undergraduates have taken an active part in the project “Together with Children” before and during which they received regular training.
The assessments by the children and agency personnel who participated in the first year of the project attest to its positive impact.
Children's views on the program
“We used to sniff paint thinner bul they told us it wasn't wise. They encouraged us not to do so. Their advice was more effective than that of others. We always sniff thinner when on the streets; we’re stoned. Everyone tells us not to it, but it is much more effective when someone explains it to you like an elder sister or brother.” (17-year- old male)
“Everyone used to see us as street children. But now I no longer feel dejected. The students treat us like their friends. I feel much more confident.”(14-year-old male)
“We would all be excited on Thursday evenings, because university students would visit us the next day. They would come for us. They would be there on time, showing that they cared for us. They would remember what we had done the week before, and always smile. (16-year-old male)
“They all go to the university, which impresses me. I joined then, and saw that their atmosphere is very friendly. I dropped out in the eighth grade. Now I want to graduate, at least from junior high. Then I can get my driver's license. I want to be like them.” (15 years old, male)
“Previously, the kids were isolated and would not get together for a chat. After the elder sisters and brothers started to visit us, we also started to get together among ourselves and talk. The solitary ones also joined in.” (14-year-old male)
Agency personnel's view on the activities
“The kids kept asking 'Will they visit every Friday?’ and no longer wanted to go the street. They waited for their arrival. They would have a chat with them and only then go to the street.” (Agency personnel)
“They were looking forward to each Friday. It is so rare for these children to be excited about something. This was the first time ever I saw them excited. Even the name Maltepe University makes them happy. They constantly chatter about Maltepe University. I have been working here for five years, and it is the first time I see them so excited. Seeing them happy makes us happy, too.” (Agency personnel)
“At first they saw female university students only as the opposite sex, almost like potential girlfriends, because they are not used to establishing normal relations with or spending time with girls. I was really worried that the kids would physically molest the girls and put us all to shame. But the students managed to change the kids' perception by visiting them on Fridays on a regular basis. For the first time in their lives, they established a normal relation with the opposite sex, which made a positive contribution to their perception of women.” (Agency personnel)
Within the scope of the project “Together with Children”, project volunteers establish strong relations with the kids and orient them towards various activities at the university, such as drama, arts, philosophy, literacy, radio, photography, music and dance workshops, which in turn channels them towards positive goals. The workshops are designed according to the children's interests and needs, and each child decides on which workshop to participate in. The children expressed their opinions about these activities in the following statements:
''We wouldn't have achieved this without your support, you know? You stood by us. I really like you, elder sister”. (14-year-old)
“Normally we don't even want to wake up in the morning, but we get up early and get ready when we are going to come here. I feel happy and calm here. The elder sisters would confirm this, I do as they say. I am not like this at the dorm; I lose control whenever I am angry. “(16-year-old)
“I wish I could participate in these activities every single day, it would be so great… I worked at a carpenter's once. Skilled workers would do welding on furniture, but not a single one taught me how to do it. I always used to wonder how it was done. At the arts workshop, I finally learned it. It is so great to learn new things.”(17-year-old)
“Before coming here we take a morning shower. Everyone borrows nice clothes from a friend. We don't swear once we are here. At first, I was really stressed during lunch at the university cafeteria, hoping they wouldn't serve something difficult to eat. But now I am getting the hang of it.” (15-year-old)
Children really look forward to coming to the university and once there, they pay attention to their behavior and hygiene and keep their anxiety and stress under control. The atmosphere at the university helps them make progress, feel self-confident and be hopeful about the future.
Children establish bonds based on trust with older students who support them in discovering their interests and talentsö this urges them to think about themselves and make assessments. In time, children express their feelings openly and set goals:
“I have plans about the future, but I am illiterate. I would like to become a hairdresser for ladies. Well, maybe I can learn to read and write here.” (14 years old)
“I want to become a dance or swimming instructor. I started to think about things like this after starting to come here.” (13 years old)
The fact that SOYAÇ cooperates with public agencies serving street children as well as local governments and NGOs renders its activities more sustainable. For instance, following a civil defense training program carried out jointly with Kartal Municipality, two children older than 18 joined the municipal Civil Defense Department as interns, and seven others participated in another major SOYAÇ project as peer consultants. SOYAÇ receives numerous internship applications from various social science students across Europe. The participation of European students in the activities has a positive effect on the children.
SOYAÇ managed to prevent 80% of the children in its programs from returning to the streets. SOYAÇ’s success is largely due to the psychodynamic approach based on the healthy relationship between the children and psychology students, who are supported with regular supervision and training. SOYAÇ opts for reeducation rather than a medical perspective. In order to integrate these children into society, it is key to give support to and enhance the professional know-how of service providers. Various ministries should also give their support and activities should include the children's families. The results of the SOYAÇ project is a clear indication that consistent relationships and clear rules and limits inspire hope in children and motivate them to hold on to life.
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1 Bademci, H. Ö., “Working with Vulnerable Children: Listening to the views of the service providers working with street children in Istanbul,” Children and Youth Services Review, 34, pp. 725-734, 2012.
2 James, A. (2007) “Giving voice to children’s voices: practices and problems, pitfalls and potentials,” American Anthropologist 109, pp. 261-272.
3 Klein, M. (1959/1985). Our adult world and its roots in infancy. A. D. Colman & M. H. Geller (Eds.) in Group Relations Reader 2, Washington, D.C.: The A. K. Rice Institute.
4 Perry, B.D., Pollard, R.A., Blakley, T.L., Baker, W.L., & Vigilante, D. (1995). Childhood
trauma, the neurobiology of adaptation and use-dependent development of the brain: How states become traits. Infant Mental Health Journal, 16, 271-291.
5 Gil E. (1996) Treating Abused Adolescents. New York, Guilford Press; Perry, B.D. ibid.
6 Perry, B.D. ibid.
7 Bademci H. Ö., Karadayı E. F. "Working with Street Children: Importance of Creating a Socially Safe Environment through Social Partnership, and Collaboration through Peer-based Interaction", Child Care in Practice , pp. 162-180, 2013; Gil E. ibid; Karabanow, J. Clement, P.. Interventions with Street Youth: A Commentary on the Practice-Based Research Literature. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 4(1), 93-108 (2004); Perry, B.D. ibid.
8 Skivenes, M. & Strandbu A. A child perspective and children's participation. Children, Youth and Environments. (2006).
9 Bademci, Ö., Karadayı, F., Tekin, U. "Partnership of University and State Care Services in Working with Street Children: Accounts given by the University Students Participating in the Social Responsibility Program", Maltepe Üniversitesi Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, no: 2011/1+2, pp. 134-170 (2014).
10 H. Ö. Bademci, E. F. Karadayı, ibid.
11 Batsleer, J. and Davies, B. (Eds) What is Youth Work? Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd (2010).