Street children in Trinidad and Tobago: understanding their lives and experiences

Abstract

A community-based action research process, over a three-year period, employed interviews and participant observations with five children living on the streets in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Data revealed violence in the family to be a contributing factor to children's presence on the streets: it was also a feature of their lives on the streets. A complex pattern emerged of violence, hostility, and distorted social interactions amidst negative attitudes and disdainful behaviour all around them. It is argued that, although it is not easy, more people – professionals and citizens – would do well to listen to, and understand the lives of, street children in order to be motivated for change.

Una encuesta, basada en la comunidad durante los tres anos pasados, fue realizada con cinco chicuelos de la calle en Puerto Espana, la capital de Trinidad y Tobago. Por medio de las entrevistas y las observaciones de los entrevistados, los resultados llevaron a cabo la principal razon para este problema, era la violencia que se vive al interior de los hogares. Los individuos ejercicieron un modelo complicado de violencia – la hostilidad, y la capacidad de interaccionar socialmente en medio de las posturas negativas y el comportamiento desdenoso alrededor de ellos. Se cre que la estructura social, todo el ambiente que se vive fuera de la familia, aunque no sea fácil, deben hacer mas para comprender las vidas de los hijos desafortunados que viven en las calles para que se cambia esta situacion.

Keywords:

• street children
• violence
• listen

Keywords:

• los chicuelos
• violencia
• escuchar

Notes

1. Trinidad and Tobago is a small country (4828 square kilometres) with a population of some 1.3 million people. It is sometimes easy to locate the parents or relatives of some street children. When such attempts fail the children are often placed at the drop-in centre. In addition, some non-governmental organisations try their best to remove street children from the streets.

2. This age range reflects the ages of the children in this study, as reported by the children themselves. None were below 10 or above 16 years old.

3. Pseudonyms were used for the children, adults, institutions, and geographic locations throughout.