Street children are a sad social phenomenon that still occurs in many countries of the world, including Russia. It is associated with the complete removal of the minor from the family, with the loss of employment and place of residence. This is an extreme manifestation of neglect. This phenomenon threatens the correct formation of the personality of the child and adolescent, contributes to the development of negative social skills. Among the distinguishing features of homelessness are the complete cessation of relations with family and relatives, residence in places not intended for this, submission to informal laws, obtaining food through theft or begging. In this article we will give a definition of this concept, talk about its causes and consequences.
Definition
Street children should be distinguished from street children. These concepts are divided even in the federal Russian law, which was adopted in 1999. It focuses on juvenile delinquency prevention and neglect systems.
In the document, a minor citizen is considered to be neglected, whose behavior no one controls due to improper fulfillment of the duties of training or education.
Street children in Russia include only those who do not have a permanent residence or place of stay. As a result, in accordance with federal law, the key difference is the lack of a homeless person's place of residence.
Causes
Street children on the streets of different countries of the world appear for approximately the same reasons, which are socio-economic in nature. Basically, these are revolutions, wars, natural disasters, famine, as well as other changes in living conditions that entail the emergence of orphans.
Among the factors that contribute to the growth of homelessness, unemployment, economic and financial crises, child exploitation, extreme poverty, asocial behavior of parents, conflict in families, and child abuse are worth noting.
There are medical and psychological reasons. For example, the tendency of a minor to antisocial behavior.
In Soviet times, it was noted that to successfully deal with this phenomenon is possible only in a socialist society, when the causes of the appearance and development of this phenomenon are eliminated. It was emphasized that the psychology of the moral isolation of the individual from the interests of society and individualism only exacerbates the situation and contributes to the emergence of new street children.
Psychology
Homeless children are distinguished by a special psychology, in comparison with other children. They have increased excitability, a stronger instinct for self-preservation, as a rule, they are prone to artificial pathogens, in particular, to alcohol and drugs. Moreover, they have a heightened sense of compassion and justice, they express their emotions extremely clearly.
Some start their sex life too early. In physical terms, they are distinguished by activity, endurance, are prone to commit group actions. The life goals of such adolescents are biased towards obtaining momentary pleasure and psychological comfort.
Homeless children in Russia
Street children in Russia have appeared since time immemorial. At the same time, in the time of Ancient Russia, in the clan community, there was an attitude for everyone to take care of the child together if he remained an orphan. When Christianity was adopted, public policy also involved caring for children without parents. For example, a corresponding article existed in Russian Truth.
In the time of Ivan the Terrible, a centralized policy of caring for orphans who fall on the street appears. Orphaned houses are created, which are under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchal order.
Since the 16th century, there has been a decree of the Stoglavy Cathedral, which obliges the creation of almshouses in churches for homeless children. They use the pedagogical principle, which is based on education with moderate punishment.
In the Russian Empire
They also dealt with this issue under Peter I. He strongly encouraged the opening of orphanages, in which even illegitimate children were accepted, keeping the secret of their origin. In 1706, one of the country's largest state shelters was built at the Kholmovo-Uspensky Monastery. In the so-called orphan monasteries of street children taught arithmetic, literacy and even geometry. In 1718, Peter issued a decree sending the poor and young children to manufactories, where they were provided with work.
The next step was taken by Catherine II. When she appeared shelters and educational homes in which the child was left for a while, and then sent to an analogue of the modern foster family.
The Orthodox Church took on special responsibilities. At the monasteries, shelters regularly appeared in which children who remained orphans were received. They were raised, patronized and treated. By the 19th century, almost all major monasteries had children's shelters and almshouses.
It is noteworthy that in the Russian Empire, many such institutions were self-sustaining, which required the constant involvement of new children in the production. They belonged not only to the church, but also to state structures. In particular, the Ministry of the Interior and the military.
Change of approach
The view of the homeless children radically changed when large-scale judicial reforms began in Russia. Directions appeared that were supposed to prevent juveniles from committing offenses. Basically, they existed on a voluntary basis. Their activity was aimed at preventing children from the harmful influence of the prison, and organizing their upbringing and education. Special institutions were created for juvenile convicts to avoid their contact with criminal elements when they came across petty crimes for the first time.
When legislation began to evolve, special courts arose that dealt exclusively with minors. Institutions for adolescents actively collaborated with them. The law of 1909 established special educational institutions of a preventive nature, the regime in which outwardly looked like a prison.
For example, adolescents were sent voluntarily to the Warsaw shelter of the patronage society in Struga after being released from prison in Warsaw. They received physical education and vocational education.
IN USSR
At the very beginning of the existence of the Soviet state, the number of street children increased sharply, which was facilitated by social cataclysms. This is the First World War and the October Revolution. By the end of the Civil War, according to various estimates, there were from four to seven million street children.
To resolve this issue, in the Soviet Union massively open orphanages and create labor communes for minors. It is believed that by the mid-30s, children's homelessness was finally eliminated. Various measures have been applied for this. For example, the People’s Commissariat of Railways created special units to detain minors who traveled by train. They should be provided with food and even cultural leisure. Then they went to orphanages.
In 1935, the Council of People's Commissars noted that the material situation of the workers had improved significantly. The country has opened many children's institutions, so a small part of the homeless children who remain on the street are nothing more than a statistical error, a lack of preventive work. An important role in rectifying the situation was played by the public role in raising children, measures to combat juvenile delinquency, and increasing the responsibility of parents for their upbringing.
Current situation
It is sad to admit, photos of street children can be found in modern Russia. A significant increase in their number was observed in the early 90s after another social disaster. This time it was the collapse of the Soviet Union. The factors that contributed to child homelessness were poverty, the economic crisis, and general unemployment. In addition, many families were in a psychological and moral crisis, the family foundations themselves were significantly weakened, and mental illnesses spread en masse.
Accurate statistics of street children in Russia are not kept, however, the reasons for this phenomenon are clear. The official documents of the Federation Council say that the destruction of state infrastructure in the upbringing and socialization of children and the crisis of the family contributed to the growth of homelessness. The latter was affected by a significant deterioration in living conditions, increased poverty, the destruction of educational potential and moral values.
Another contributing factor is the criminalization of society. In modern Russia, various types of crimes are widespread. Influence on homelessness, first of all, is provided by drug addiction and prostitution. In addition, the state is not able to maintain the necessary control of employers who involved minors in illegal business.
The number of street children is increasing due to illegal migration. Children come to large cities from the former republics of the USSR, often without adults. They are forced to flee from even more difficult economic conditions or armed conflicts.
In the 2000s there was a decrease in the number of street children. In Russia, a corresponding federal target program has been developed. The number of street children in Russia is declining. Federal officials say the program is working. For example, from 2003 to 2005, the number of street children in Russia decreased by more than three thousand people.
The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, cites the numbers of street and street children who were brought to treatment facilities during the year. About 65 thousand street children according to statistics were admitted to hospitals and polyclinics in 2005. It should be noted that in these data, apparently, street children are also included.
At the same time, many argue that recently, the data on the number of street children in the country by individual officials are overstated. There is an opinion that this is done in order to create new jobs in the public service. Answering the question of how many street children there are in Russia, high-ranking officials often gave figures from two to four million people. At the same time, it is worth recognizing that there are no and cannot be accurate statistics and reporting, so all the data looks approximate. After analyzing various documents, it should be concluded that the actual number of street children in the country does not exceed several thousand people. Of course, if you do not include difficult teenagers and those who are temporarily running away from home. Here are the number of street children in Russia at present.
Effects
For society, child neglect has very serious consequences. First of all, this is the growth of crimes and delinquencies among minors. In particular, alcoholism, prostitution, drug addiction. There is a spread of serious diseases - tuberculosis, hepatitis, genital infections.
Left without a livelihood, street children are regularly subjected to criminal and commercial exploitation. They are involved in various areas of illegal business: prostitution, alcohol and tobacco trade, pornography, and begging. All this is associated with serious risks for social and psychological development, physical health.
Since the 90s, the number of minors affected by drug addiction, alcoholism and substance abuse, with syphilis and AIDS has been increasing in the country.
