Searching for a New Life: How Children Enter and Exit the Street in Indonesia
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Searching for a New Life: How Children Enter and Exit the Street in Indonesia by Brenden Bentley-Taylor B.A., University of Victoria, 2012 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the School of Child and Youth Care Brenden Bentley-Taylor, 2015 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Searching for a New Life: How Children Enter and Exit the Street in Indonesia by Brenden Bentley-Taylor B.A., University of Victoria, 2012 Supervisory Committee Dr. Sibylle Artz, Supervisor (School of Child and Youth Care) Dr. Marie Hoskins, Departmental Member (School of Child and Youth Care) iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Sibylle Artz, School of Child and Youth Care Supervisor Dr. Marie Hoskins, School of Child and Youth Care Departmental Member This study describes the reasons why street children in Jakarta, Indonesia choose to leave a life on the street and the steps that are taken to exit the street successfully. Also described are the street entry process, life on the street, street disengagement, life after the street, and the role of service providers. Nine key informants (six former street children and three workers who work with homeless children) participated in in-depth interviews that revealed that troubled family life is the most common cause of street entry, and while street life offers much freedom and excitement it is also the source of great danger to street children, and street disengagement often takes a number of attempts before a “successful” exit is fully negotiated. Forming trusting relationships with street- based outreach workers and attending NGOs that emphasize love and care were highly influential in aiding with street exit. Also key to a successful exit over time is the development of new skills and knowledge, as well as a positive sense of self and an identity that is not connected to street involvement. Keywords: street children, street entry, life on the street, street exit, street disengagement, street outreach, service providers, Indonesia iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ......................................................................................................... ii Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 – Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 – Literature Review ............................................................................................ 4 Literature Search .............................................................................................................................. 4 Global Literature / A Worldwide Phenomenon ..................................................................... 5 Challenges in Determining the Numbers of Street Children Worldwide ................................ 5 Street Children in Developing Nations ................................................................................................... 6 Causes of Street Child Phenomenon ........................................................................................... 6 Globalization and Poverty ........................................................................................................................... 6 Families Living in Poverty ........................................................................................................................... 7 Rural-to-Urban Migration ............................................................................................................................ 7 What is a Street Child? .................................................................................................................... 8 Categories of Street Children ..................................................................................................................... 8 General Characteristics of Street Children .............................................................................. 9 Fluid Identities, Street Competency and Impulsiveness ................................................................ 9 Group Solidarity and Survival .................................................................................................................... 9 Health and Hygiene ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Street Girls ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 Attraction of the Street ................................................................................................................. 12 Freedom ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Peer Support and Street-Culture Capital ................................................................................ 13 Rules and Etiquette ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Subculture Capital ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Drugs and Alcohol ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Generating Income ......................................................................................................................... 15 Work Hierarchy in Indonesia .................................................................................................................. 15 Crime ................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Street Skills and Managing the Streets .................................................................................... 17 Children Looking for Comfort at the Lowest Cost .......................................................................... 17 Strategic Compliance in Research Studies ........................................................................................ 18 Development of Survival Skills Over Education ............................................................................. 18 Street Life and Dangers ................................................................................................................ 19 Education ........................................................................................................................................... 20 Street Children’s Lack of Formal Education ..................................................................................... 20 The Need for Schools to be Sensitive to Children’s Learning Needs ...................................... 21 Alternative Education and the “School of Life” ............................................................................... 21 Police .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Police Operations Targeting Street Children in Indonesia ......................................................... 22 v Police Brutality in Latin America .......................................................................................................... 23 Police Death Squads .................................................................................................................................... 24 Children’s Aspirations to Become Police Officers .......................................................................... 24 Reality Shocks .................................................................................................................................. 24 Street Children’s Transitions from Childhood to Adolescence ................................................ 24 Services for Street Children ........................................................................................................ 25 Variations of Services Across Nations ................................................................................................. 25 Examples from Western nations (USA & Sweden) .................................................................................... 25 Services in Indonesia .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Child protection and services for street children in Turkey ................................................................. 27 Development of services in Russia ................................................................................................................... 27 Services Found in Multiple Locations ................................................................................................