Children in the streets of Europe

How can one envision a social Europe if children are living in the streets and heating tubes of European capitals?
Street children have become a growing issue, not only in the mostly concerned New EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe but also in some Mediterranean Member States following the strong migration flows from outside Europe and throughout major European metropolis. Even though there is a lack of concrete recent data and facts about street children, we can assume following the information of NGOs working in the field that there are approximately 150.000 – 200.000 most of whom are living in the Central and Eastern European new Member States. Meanwhile, the Pan-European nature of this problem is evidenced daily in the increased number of street children (also in particular of Roma origin) who are migrating from Romania and some neighbouring countries in particular, to the metropolis of Western European countries. Whether based on their own expectations or lured by false promises, these minors end up becoming victims of drug trafficking, prostitution, vagrancy and other social ills. Thus, what used to be a national level problem has become a European issue. Given this extremely alarming evolution, only a holistic European wide approach in close co-operation of the EU with the Member States and European networks of NGOs can contribute to solve the problem in a sustainable way. At the EU level, a number of initiatives have been taken and commitments made towards tackling this problem but more concerted efforts and actions are needed.
In order to ensure this and thus the improvement of the situation of street children, awareness must be raised among national governments, the EU and general public on this burning issue. This is the purpose of the Awareness Day: Children in the Streets of Europe which is jointly organized by the
European Federation For Street Children (EFSC) and the European Roma Information Office (ERIO)

Children in the Streets of Europe

EFSC in partnership with The European Roma Information Office (ERIO) will organize in December 2008, a public awareness raising event to be organized in the European Parliament including a European broadcast to raise public awareness of the existence of extreme poverty and social exclusion of street children in the EU and the European social process that aims to decrease the risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2010. The event will consist of a press conference with a large audience of Brussels based national and European media during which EFSC and ERIO will present the situation of street children in Europe illustrated by significant reports from some of the most concerned regional or municipal scenarios. One focus will be on Roma children for whom social integration in the Western industrialized societies proves to be particularly difficult.

A special session within this campaign will be dedicated to the living conditions of former street children in some key Member States. Projects will be proposed in which efficient prevention and reintegration measures using a community-based approach will be presented, such as projects addressing drug addiction amongst street children. Former street children (unaccompanied minors, drug addicts, abandoned or abused children, etc.) accompanied by social workers, who have been helped or are being helped by the successful and innovative projects and approaches of EFSC member organisations (both inside and outside Europe) will recount their personal rehabilitation stories.

This will be the first event during a series of public awareness raising events planned by EFSC during the three year phase of its strategy in the context of PROGRESS which all are designed to pave the way to the 2010 European Year in which the issue of extremely excluded children should become one of the priorities.

Objectives:

• To raise political and public awareness in the European, national and regional media of the situation of street children as a highly vulnerable and at-risk social group in European societies as well as of the need for positive inclusive action as proposed by the EU social solidarity policy in order to strengthen their rights and combat all forms of offence and abuse against them.
• To improve the participation of street children in an effective yet sensible way in the EU-level policymaking processes and decisions that will affect their lives.
• To provide the EU institutions with up-to-date information about contacts, projects and co-operation between EFSC national member organisations; to act as a liaison between each EU institution and the strategic concepts of other European-level advocacy structures in which EFSC is actively involved

 

Dates & Venue: December 10, Brussels

Find out more: www.europeanagenda.eu/events/24137.php