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A Child-Centered Ethnographic Study on the Street Careers of Children in Tondo, Manila

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A Child-Centered Ethnographic Study on the Street Careers of Children in Tondo, Manila i Graduate School of Social Sciences Research Master International Development Studies Cover Pictures: Children playing and working in Tondo, Manila. (Source: Author) ii MSc (Res) Thesis A Child-Centered Ethnographic Study on the Street Careers of Children in Tondo, Manila Charlotte Prenen Msc (Res) International Development Studies June 30th, 2017 Contact: [email protected] iii Thesis Supervision and Evaluation Supervisor: Dr. Jacobijn Olthoff Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences University of Amsterdam Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, Amsterdam [email protected] Second Reader: Dr. Yatun Sastramidjaja Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences University of Amsterdam Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, Amsterdam [email protected] iv Abstract Starting from a ‘street careers’ framework, this thesis studies the lives of children in street situations in Tondo, the Philippines. Although academic research on the lives of children in street situations is increasing, a gap persists between researcher’s interpretations and representations of children’s realities, and the heterogeneous ways that children understand their realities. Representations based on researchers’ interpretations often result in portraying children in street situations as one homogeneous group of children, posing the risk of the stigmatization and marginalization of all poor children on the street. To do justice to the heterogeneities in children’s lives, this thesis presents a ‘street careers’ framework with three pillars as building blocks: livelihoods, social identity, and life trajectories. Building on the three pillars, the empirical findings from the child-centered ethnographic research conducted in Tondo reveal substantial differences in how children experience livelihood activities and opportunities, and demonstrates how public opinion influences children’s social identity constructions differently. Furthermore, it became clear that in contrast to what the literature suggests, variations in children’s street careers are not persistently influenced through public’s opinion on children in street situations. In Tondo, it is often the lack of space in housing that ‘pushes’ children to the street, which explains the high number of children visible on the streets of Tondo today. This thesis emphasizes that children are unique, with individual needs, and experiences, which should be studied and taken into account when designing policy aiming to improve their well-being. Keywords: Children in street situations; Street careers; Livelihoods; Social Identities; Life Trajectories; Tondo, Manila Word count: 32461 v Table of Figures Figure 1: Visualization of Social Identity as the First Pillar in the ‘Street Careers’ Framework (Source: Author) ...................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 2: Livelihoods as the second pillar in the ‘Street Careers’ Framework ....................... 15 Figure 3: The ‘Street Careers’ Framework, with Life Trajectories as the third pillar ............. 18 Figure 4: Barangay 105, ‘Happy Land’ (Source: Author) ....................................................... 26 Figure 5: Research Location Tondo, Manila (Source: Google Maps, TripAdvisor) ............... 27 Figure 6:Ethnographic Research Methods (Source: Author) .................................................. 31 Figure 7: An example of a Life Trajectory drawing ................................................................ 33 Figure 8: JM and Chito looking for recyclable garbage in the garbage bags ......................... 42 Figure 9 The garbage the boys collected that night…………… ........................................... 42 Figure 10: Treb cleaning bottles outside on the street ........................................................... 44 Figure 11: Jezra cleaning bottles in front of her house .......................................................... 44 Figure 12: Jane cooking rice for her and her family……… ....................................................... Figure 13: Manilyn making the bed………………………. ................................................... 47 Figure 14: Life Trajectory Drawing Annalyn, 12.................................................................... 61 Figure 15: Elyo sleeping on a wooden table to take a break from his long work night. Figure 16: Treb sleeping on the street, holding and safeguarding his garbage. ...................... 63 Figure 17: ‘Building’ two. The wall is the ‘entrance’ of the building. (Source: NGO Project Pearls) ................................................................................................. 66 Figure 18: JM taking a nap when he is working during the night. .......................................... 79 vi Table of Contents Foreword .............................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 1: Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 5 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 The Social Exclusion of Children on the Street .............................................................. 5 1.2 Implications of the Term ‘Street Children’ ..................................................................... 7 1.3 From Changing the Term to Changing the Approach in Studying the Lives of Children in Street Situations ................................................................................................................ 9 Social Identity Constructions of Children in Street Situations ....................................... 10 Livelihood and Survival Strategies on the Streets .......................................................... 13 Life Trajectories of Children in Street Situations ........................................................... 15 1.4 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: Research Context ................................................................................................. 21 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 21 2.1 Socio-Economic Context of the Philippines ................................................................. 21 2.2 Challenges of Children in Street Situations in the Philippines ..................................... 22 2.3 Policies on ‘Street Children’ in the Philippines ............................................................ 23 2.4 Manila and Tondo ......................................................................................................... 25 2.5 Bahay Tuluyan: A Child’s Rights Organization ........................................................... 27 Chapter 3: Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 29 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Ontological Position ...................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Research Methods ......................................................................................................... 30 Semi-Structured Interviews ............................................................................................ 31 Participant Observation .................................................................................................. 32 Life Trajectories Drawings ............................................................................................. 32 Digital Storytelling Projects ........................................................................................... 33 Focus Groups .................................................................................................................. 34 3.3 Sampling ....................................................................................................................... 34 3.4 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................. 35 3.5 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 4: Introducing the Children of Tondo and their Survival Strategies .................... 38 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 38 4.1 Introducing the Children of Tondo ............................................................................... 39 4.2 Surviving on the Streets of Tondo ....................................................................... 40 4.3 Work Activities of Children in Street Situations in Tondo ........................................... 42 4.4 Age and Livelihood Activities and Opportunities......................................................... 44 4.5 Gendered Livelihoods ................................................................................................... 46 vii Concluding Remarks ..........................................................................................................
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