Os objetivos desta pesquisa foram identificar os principais preditores do nível de consumo de drogas no ciclo vital de moradores de rua da cidade de Bogotá (Estudo I), assim como as possíveis diferenças de consumo entre crianças e adolescentes em situação de rua de Bogotá e de algumas cidades do Brasil (Estudo II). Para cumprir estes objetivos, foram analisas as bases de dados do V Censo de Moradores de Rua de Bogotá, de 2007, assim como os dados do Levantamento Nacional Sobre Uso de Drogas entre Meninos, Meninas e Adolescentes em Situação de Rua do Brasil, realizado no ano de 2003. No Estudo I, foram criados três grupos, segundo três etapas da vida: infância-adolescência, adultez e velhice, usando a base de dados de Bogotá. A amostra do grupo de crianças e adolescentes foi de 486 participantes, 72% homens, com idades entre 8 e 17 anos (M = 14.76; DP = 2.24). A amostra de adultos foi de 6.275 participantes, 88% homens, com idades entre 18 e 59 anos (M = 35.66; DP = 10.78). A amostra de idosos foi de 228 participantes, 92% homens, com idades entre 60 e 92 anos (M = 65.28; DP = 5.39). Foram realizadas análises de regressão múltipla hierárquica para identificar os preditores do nível de consumo de drogas entre 16 variáveis, que incluíam aspectos sociodemográficos, de saúde mental e de vivência na rua. As variáveis preditoras do nível de consumo, incluídas nos modelos da análise de regressão, variaram entre as três etapas da vida. Entretanto, o nível de violência e delinquência cometido enquanto habitante de rua, e o consumo de cigarro, foram as variáveis que tiveram maior capacidade de predição do nível de consumo de drogas dos habitantes de rua, ao longo das três etapas do ciclo vital desta população. Para o Estudo II, foram selecionados dois grupos de meninos, meninas e adolescentes em situação de rua, sendo um grupo de Bogotá e o outro oriundo de 13 cidades capitais do Brasil. Cada grupo contou com 392 participantes (n = 784), com idades entre 10 e 18 anos, 79% homens, sendo que 57% dormiam principalmente na rua. Os casos foram sorteados aleatoriamente das bases de dados disponíveis, pareando a amostra por sexo, idade e local de dormida. Os resultados das comparações demonstraram que a amostra do Brasil teve um maior percentual médio da quantidade de tipos de drogas consumidas durante o último ano, sendo que o consumo de inalantes, de álcool e de cigarro foram superiores quando comparado com Bogotá. Em contrapartida, a amostra de Bogotá teve médias superiores na frequência de consumo de cocaína e seus derivados, e foi vítima de um maior nível de violência, incluindo a violência sexual. Estes resultados foram discutidos especialmente no que se refere à relação entre gênero, violência, delinqüência, contexto social e temporal das amostras, e consumo de drogas. / The purpose of this research was to identify predictors of drug use in the life spam of homeless in Bogotá (Study I) and to compare their consumption, in the segment of childhood and adolescence, with a similar sample of major capital cities of Brazil (Study II). It was analyzed the databases of the Fifth Census of Homeless in Bogota, held in year 2007, as well as the National Survey on Drug Use Among Street Children and Adolescents of Brazil, held in year 2003, to accomplish this goal. For the Study I sample was 6989 participants of the census of homeless in Bogota, 6989 (M = 35.23, SD = 13.05, 87% male). The predictors of drug use varied among the three stages of life, in the regression analysis. However, the level of violence and crime committed as a homeless, and cigarette use level were the variables that had greater predictability of level of drug use in street people of all ages in Bogota. For Study II, two groups of streets children and adolescents from Bogota and 13 capital cities of Brazil (n = 784), aged between 10 and 18, who were randomly selected from the data bases available, matching the sample by sex, age and place where they sleep, were selected. The comparison results indicated that the sample of Brazil had a higher average percentage of number of types of drugs used in the past year, and in this sample the use of inhalants, alcohol and smoking was higher. While the sample of Bogota had a higher average frequency of cocaine use and its derivatives, and they were victims of more violence, including sexual violence. These results were discussed, especially with regard to the relationship among sex, violence, crime and drug use. / Los objetivos de esta investigación fueron identificar los principales predictores de nivel de consumo de drogas en el siclo vital de habitantes de calle de Bogotá (Estudio I), así como las posibles diferencias de consumo entre niños y adolescentes en situación de calle de Bogotá y algunas ciudades de Brasil (Estudio II). Para llevar a cabo estos objetivos se analizó las bases de datos del V Censo de Habitantes de Calle de Bogotá de 2007, así como la del Levantamiento Nacional Sobre Uso de Drogas entre Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes en Situación de Calle de Brasil, realizado en el año de 2003. En el Estudio I se crearon tres grupos según tres etapas de la vida: Infancia-adolescencia, adultez y vejez, usando la base de datos de Bogotá. La muestra del grupo de niños y adolescentes fue 486 participantes, 72% hombres, con edades entre 8 – 17 años (M = 14.76, DS = 2.24). La muestra de adultos fue de 6275 participantes, 88% hombres, con edades entre 18 – 59 años, (M = 35.66, DS = 10.78). Y la de ancianos de 228 participantes, 92% hombres, con edades entre 60 – 92 años, (M = 65.28, DS = 5.39). Se realizaron Análisis de Regresión Lineal Múltiple Jerárquica para identificar predictores de nivel de consumo de drogas dentro de 16 variables que incluían aspectos sociodemográficas, de salud mental y de habitabilidad en calle. Las variables predictoras del nivel de consumo, incluidas en los modelos arrojados por los análisis de regresión, variaron entre las tres etapas de la vida. Sin embargo, el nivel de violencia y delincuencia cometida como habitante de calle, y el nivel de consumo de cigarrillo, fueron las variables que tuvieron mayor capacidad de predicción de niveles de consumo de drogas en habitantes de la calle en las tres etapas de esta población. Para el Estudio II, se seleccionaron dos grupos de niños, niñas y adolescentes en situación de calle de Bogotá y 13 de las ciudades capitales de Brasil. Cada grupo contó con 392 participantes (n = 784), con edades entre 10 y 18 años, 79% hombres, siendo que 57% dormían principalmente en la calle. Los casos fueron elegidos aleatoriamente de las bases de datos disponibles, pareando la muestra por sexo, edad y lugar donde duermen. Los resultados de las comparaciones señalaron que la muestra de Brasil tuvo un mayor porcentaje promedio de cantidad de tipos de drogas consumidas durante el último año, y allí el consumo de inhalantes, de alcohol y de cigarrillo fue superior. Mientras que la muestra de Bogotá tuvo promedios superiores en la frecuencia de consumo de cocaína y sus derivados, y fue víctima de un mayor nivel de violencia, incluida la violencia sexual. Estos resultados fueron discutidos, especialmente lo referente a la relación entre género, violencia, delincuencia y consumo de drogas.

Underage street work is a social problem that is on the increase in Ecuador. Children, ages 5 to 17, wander through the streets in an attempt to make some money for their own survival or to help their families survive. The literature on underage street workers (USWs) reports that the working activities of these children impact their health and education. This study examined school attendance and achievement of USWs who are affiliated with an underage workers program in Ecuador. Using a quantitative methodology, the study looked at variations by location and age, with a special focus on gender issues, as there is some evidence that these variables affect the school behavior of the USWs. Among the population of USWs, there is a significant group of girls who work on the streets. According to the literature, female underage workers are in a disadvantaged position compared to boys because of the generally inferior position held by women in Latin America and, specifically, because these girls are overloaded with both productive and domestic activities. This overload interferes with their education and the possibility of their upward mobility. Education, according to several studies done in Latin America, opens up a wider range of opportunities and is an important instrument in women's upward mobility. However, there is controversy over the benefits of education for poor women. The data for this study were drawn from the Program's data base; three locations were chosen, and the sample subjects were followed up for 18 months, during which time they were evaluated every 6 months. The hypothesized male advantage in school attendance and achievement was not supported; at the elementary level, more USWs girls than boys were attending school, although at the secondary level there were actually no differences between genders. School achievement was found to be similar for both genders. However, significant differences in school attendance and achievement were found by age and location; younger USWs were more likely to attend school and perform satisfactorily than older ones. Regarding location, the largest city, Cuenca showed higher rates of school attendance and achievement than the other sample sites.

<p>This dissertation presents an ethnography of youth in Liberia and of how their lives became affected by a civil war which raged in the country between 1990 and 1997. The focus is on the experiences, motivations, and reflections of young combatants who fought for a variety of rebel factions. For these young people, the daily prospect of poverty, joblessness and marginalisation effectively blocked the paths to a normal adulthood; drawing them instead into a subculture of liminality, characterised by abjection, resentment and rootlessness. As opportunity came, their voluntary enlistment into one of the several rebel armies of the civil war therefore became an attractive option for many. Based upon one year of fieldwork during 1998, conducted among groups of ex-combatant youths in both the capital Monrovia and in a provincial town in the rural hinterland, I describe and analyse the young people’s own accounts of their involvement in the civil war; their complicity in atrocities, their coping strategies in the context of armed conflict, their position as ex-combatants in a post-war environment, and their outlook on their past, present and future.</p><p>In the first chapter I set the scene of the Liberian civil war and discuss the central concepts on which my dissertation is built. Chapter two then takes up the methodological issues relating to the particular fieldwork conditions found. This is done by providing an account of my participant observation within a volatile community of ex-combatants in Monrovia. Chapter three deals with the nature of pre-civil war Liberian political and military organisational structures and their rootedness in pre-state institutions such as local warlordism and secret societies. In chapter four I look at the cultural setting of my fieldwork and track elements found within the legacy of violence, to oral literature and patterns of socialisation. Chapter five focuses specifically on the role and predicament of young women in the civil war. Whilst some became active fighters, most participated as auxiliaries in various capacities. Their accounts convey not only the tremendous hardship and suffering, but also reveal mechanisms which helped at least some to survive. In chapter six I discuss the question of a post-war reintegration of ex-combatants into peacetime society and show that the prospects of different groups depend primarily on their social and geographical situation, rather than on the negligible effectiveness of aid programmes routinely executed by international organisations and NGOs.</p>

This study aims to explore how secondary prevention carried out at a Honduran institution for youth at risk is experienced by its professional workers and former residents. This qualitative research is based on ethnographic approaches conducted at Hogar de Niños Renacer, Tegucigalpa, which is a facility for institutional care of youth at risk. Renacer applies a holistic, multidimensional approach to preventive work by covering various dimensions of youth development such as needs for emotional care, education, and spiritual growth. All research participants claim that positive aspects of Renacer include the provision of such possibilities. The project is constantly developing and accommodates various areas in need of improvement such as acquiring sufficient, competent staff. The majority of individuals who have participated in Renacer‟s project are proven to establish a functioning adult life after leaving the institution.

A SOCIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF STREET CHILDREN IN ANKARA Pehlivanli, Ezgi M.A. Department of Sociology Supervisor : Prof. Dr. Kayhan Mutlu January 2007, 105 pages This thesis draws a profile of children who work/ live on the streets of Ankara relying on children&rsquo / s life histories and social workers&rsquo / opinions about the situation in the context of Social Exclusion. Social is a new concept, was first used in 1960&rsquo / s around Europe in order to define the groups, who are faced to material and socio-cultural deprivation due to the difficulties experienced by the Welfare States. This study assumes that street children can be explained in the context of social exclusion. Employing qualitative methods, this study main aim of this study is to understand the reasons for children to start working on street. After the introductory chapter, Chapter II provides a theoretical framework, in which street children and the concept of social exclusion are examined. Chapter III focuses on the findings from the life histories of children who work/live on streets of Ankara. Chapter IV contains the information about the interviews with social workers and a comparison part, in which two types of information, is analyzed in the context of Social Exclusion.

This dissertation presents an ethnography of youth in Liberia and of how their lives became affected by a civil war which raged in the country between 1990 and 1997. The focus is on the experiences, motivations, and reflections of young combatants who fought for a variety of rebel factions. For these young people, the daily prospect of poverty, joblessness and marginalisation effectively blocked the paths to a normal adulthood; drawing them instead into a subculture of liminality, characterised by abjection, resentment and rootlessness. As opportunity came, their voluntary enlistment into one of the several rebel armies of the civil war therefore became an attractive option for many. Based upon one year of fieldwork during 1998, conducted among groups of ex-combatant youths in both the capital Monrovia and in a provincial town in the rural hinterland, I describe and analyse the young people’s own accounts of their involvement in the civil war; their complicity in atrocities, their coping strategies in the context of armed conflict, their position as ex-combatants in a post-war environment, and their outlook on their past, present and future. In the first chapter I set the scene of the Liberian civil war and discuss the central concepts on which my dissertation is built. Chapter two then takes up the methodological issues relating to the particular fieldwork conditions found. This is done by providing an account of my participant observation within a volatile community of ex-combatants in Monrovia. Chapter three deals with the nature of pre-civil war Liberian political and military organisational structures and their rootedness in pre-state institutions such as local warlordism and secret societies. In chapter four I look at the cultural setting of my fieldwork and track elements found within the legacy of violence, to oral literature and patterns of socialisation. Chapter five focuses specifically on the role and predicament of young women in the civil war. Whilst some became active fighters, most participated as auxiliaries in various capacities. Their accounts convey not only the tremendous hardship and suffering, but also reveal mechanisms which helped at least some to survive. In chapter six I discuss the question of a post-war reintegration of ex-combatants into peacetime society and show that the prospects of different groups depend primarily on their social and geographical situation, rather than on the negligible effectiveness of aid programmes routinely executed by international organisations and NGOs.

This study had the dual purpose of determining the anthropometric and motor development status of street children as well as to establish the effect of an intervention programme on their motor development. The first aim of the study was to determine the anthropometric and motor development status of street children. The children were selected from a sample of street children living in a state-run shelter. Twenty eight children (20 boys and 8 girls) between the ages of 7 and 14 were measured to determine their anthropometric and motor development status. The anthropometric measures included stature, mass, body-mass index (BMI), and two skin folds (subscapular and triceps). The measurements were performed according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The results of the anthropometric measurements showed that the street children are shorter, lighter and have a lower BMI and smaller skin folds than the norm for children of the same age. The sample exhibited a prevalence of malnutrition. The same subjects who were tested to determine the anthropometric composition (except for four children, who had since left the shelter) were used to determine the motor development status. The gross motor, fine motor and neuromotor functions were tested to determine the motor development status. This was determined by means of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test II of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), the Sensory Input Screening Instrument and a section of the Quick Neurological Screening Test II. The results showed that the motor (gross motor, fine motor and neuromotor) development of the street children is below the standard norms. The second aim of the study was to determine the effect of an intervention programme on the motor development of street children. The same subjects who were tested to determine the motor development status (except for four children, who had since left the shelter) were used to determine the effect of a motor intervention programme. Seventeen boys and 7 girls between the ages of 7 and 14 years were randomly selected and divided into an experimental (n=13) and a control group (n= 11). A 10-week motor intervention programme that consisted of bi-weekly sessions of 45 minutes was implemented. The affectivity of this was evaluated by a post-test. The programme consisted of perceptual motor, sensory integration and task specific activities using the integrated method. The main components, which were addressed in the lessons, were bilateral integration, response speed, hand skills, muscle tone, motor planning, equilibrium, vestibular function and vision strengthening activities. The program was presented by a qualified kinderkineticist. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), the Sensory Input Screening Instrument and a section of the Quick Neurological Screening Test I1 were applied to determine the effect of the intervention programme. Covariance of analysis, correcting for pre-testing differences between the groups, indicated improvement of the Bruininks-Oseretsky-Test Total as well as in fine motor skills and upper limb speed in the experimental group. Vestibular and vision functions also increased significantly in this group, which might have contributed to the improvement in fine motor development. All these improvements showed a high practical significance (ES>0.8). Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the physical growth and motor development deficits as well as the positive effects of the intervention program, as identified in this study be brought under the attention of relevant persons in state organizations and private institutions, which are involved with street children. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

This study had the dual purpose of determining the anthropometric and motor development status of street children as well as to establish the effect of an intervention programme on their motor development. The first aim of the study was to determine the anthropometric and motor development status of street children. The children were selected from a sample of street children living in a state-run shelter. Twenty eight children (20 boys and 8 girls) between the ages of 7 and 14 were measured to determine their anthropometric and motor development status. The anthropometric measures included stature, mass, body-mass index (BMI), and two skin folds (subscapular and triceps). The measurements were performed according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The results of the anthropometric measurements showed that the street children are shorter, lighter and have a lower BMI and smaller skin folds than the norm for children of the same age. The sample exhibited a prevalence of malnutrition. The same subjects who were tested to determine the anthropometric composition (except for four children, who had since left the shelter) were used to determine the motor development status. The gross motor, fine motor and neuromotor functions were tested to determine the motor development status. This was determined by means of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test II of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), the Sensory Input Screening Instrument and a section of the Quick Neurological Screening Test II. The results showed that the motor (gross motor, fine motor and neuromotor) development of the street children is below the standard norms. The second aim of the study was to determine the effect of an intervention programme on the motor development of street children. The same subjects who were tested to determine the motor development status (except for four children, who had since left the shelter) were used to determine the effect of a motor intervention programme. Seventeen boys and 7 girls between the ages of 7 and 14 years were randomly selected and divided into an experimental (n=13) and a control group (n= 11). A 10-week motor intervention programme that consisted of bi-weekly sessions of 45 minutes was implemented. The affectivity of this was evaluated by a post-test. The programme consisted of perceptual motor, sensory integration and task specific activities using the integrated method. The main components, which were addressed in the lessons, were bilateral integration, response speed, hand skills, muscle tone, motor planning, equilibrium, vestibular function and vision strengthening activities. The program was presented by a qualified kinderkineticist. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), the Sensory Input Screening Instrument and a section of the Quick Neurological Screening Test I1 were applied to determine the effect of the intervention programme. Covariance of analysis, correcting for pre-testing differences between the groups, indicated improvement of the Bruininks-Oseretsky-Test Total as well as in fine motor skills and upper limb speed in the experimental group. Vestibular and vision functions also increased significantly in this group, which might have contributed to the improvement in fine motor development. All these improvements showed a high practical significance (ES>0.8). Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that the physical growth and motor development deficits as well as the positive effects of the intervention program, as identified in this study be brought under the attention of relevant persons in state organizations and private institutions, which are involved with street children. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Cette thèse porte sur les bakoroman, ces enfants et jeunes adultes qui vivent et dorment dans les rues de la capitale du Burkina Faso. Par le vol, la mendicité et les petits boulots, les bakoroman s’insèrent dans différentes niches de l’économie urbaine qui assurent leur survie au quotidien, l’accès à de nombreux loisirs et la possibilité d’envoyer occasionnellement de l’argent à leurs parents. Après deux ans d’observations ethnographiques, d’entretiens biographiques et de travaux quantitatifs auprès de bakoroman, d’anciens bakoroman et de leurs familles, je démontre que ce mode de vie erratique ne peut être interprété à priori comme un marqueur de désaffiliation du fait que la mobilité juvénile constitue localement une forme tolérée d’individualisation temporaire. Ainsi les bakoroman se présentent-ils comme de simples aventuriers « à la recherche de l’argent ». Leur position souvent fragile au sein de leur lignage d’origine, aggravée par un mode de vie désormais marqué par l’illégalité et la déviance, rend cependant invraisemblable la possibilité de ce retour réussi qui transformerait leur départ souvent chaotique en une expérience d’affirmation individuelle. Lorsqu’ils atteignent finalement l’âge de s’établir, les bakoroman comprennent que la conquête d’un statut valorisé ne passe pas par l’argent éphémère du bakoro mais par la capacité à soutenir durablement leur lignage, à inscrire leur propre « nom » dans sa généalogie et à assurer ainsi la perpétuation générationnelle. / This dissertation addresses the bakoroman, the street children and youth who live and sleep in the streets of the capital of Burkina Faso. Through theft, begging and petty jobs, the bakoroman participate in different niches of the urban economy that ensure their everyday survival, their access to various leisure activities and the possibility of sending occasional money to their parents. After two years of ethnographic observations, biographical interviews and quantitative data collection with the bakoroman, former bakoroman, and their families, I demonstrate that this erratic way of life should not automatically be interpreted as a marker of disaffiliation. Instead, juvenile mobility is considered as a normal form of temporary individualization in the local context. The bakoroman indeed describe themselves as young adventurers “in search of money”. But because of their usually fragile position in their lineage of origin, now exacerbated by a way of life shaped by illegality and deviance, the possibility of a brilliant return that would transform their often chaotic departures into an experience of personal affirmation appears unlikely. When they finally reach the age in which they are expected to settle down, they start to understand that a higher status is not obtained through the ephemeral money of bakoro but through the capacity to provide for their lineage, to inscribe their “own name” in its genealogy and to guarantee the generational perpetuation.

In this study the main focus is on the experiences of former street children as learners. The main emphasis of this study is the manner in which such experiences influence these children’s learning towards constructing new identities. By examining the experiences of former street children in a school environment, namely a teaching and learning environment, this study will contribute towards the literature by providing focused and relevant information pertaining to the way former street children experience learning. By focusing on these particular learners from the street, the study attempts to explore and build an insightful knowledge in terms of understanding how former street children perceive learning in relation to their present personal and past life on the streets. Through this study the researcher will hopefully be able to determine how former street children feel, experience and relate to teaching and learning within a school context. Data collection for this study included the researcher’s observations and face-to-face unstructured in-depth phenomenological interviews with learners who are formerly from the streets. Among others, the study found that these particular learners have low self- esteem, a low opinion of themselves, and lack of self- confidence. The study also revealed that some of these learners are struggling academically and would appreciate it if academic was parallel with vocational skills so as to equip them for the world of work. It also transpired that learners who have relationships with those who have not been to the streets changed their lives for the better by learning from their peers but those who have relationships with other former street children at this school continue to engage in deviant behaviour, for many schooling has helped them to reclaim their childhood identity.