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Street children: the problem on our conscience and our doorsteps

2013-04-12 · By Marie Sigsworth, Corporate Responsibility Director, Aviva

Street children: the problem on our conscience and our doorsteps

Every five minutes, a child in the UK runs away. Today is International Day for Street Children, and a pertinent time to reflect on what this means for people, business, and society.

“Street children” can be found in prosperous Western Europe as well as in developing countries. Perhaps this is the first myth we need to debunk. It is a phenomenon that demeans us all. So when people ask me why a big insurance company like Aviva is interested in supporting the Consortium for Street Children, the leading international network dedicated to realising the rights of street children worldwide, I tell them that my colleagues are deeply concerned about this issue, and want to do something about it.

In 2009 we launched an international five year programme called Street to School with the aim of getting at least 500,000 children off the streets and back into education and training. So far we have managed to exceed that aim reaching 640,000 children across the globe. It was our employees who told us that we ought to take this sort of initiative. It is their commitment and support that has helped us achieve this goal.

The value I think we bring as a big business, is our ability to act as a catalyst to help champion street children’s rights, by partnering with charities around the world – such as Railway Children and Save the Children – as well as working with Governments and the UN to raise the issue on the international stage. This isn’t a short term initiative; our mantra at Aviva is recognition. Street children are one of society’s most unrecognised groups, and we believe we have a responsibility to help the most excluded individuals in our communities, and few are more excluded than street-connected children. We believe every child should have access to education because education is insurance for a better life.

I won’t pretend that this is a simple issue. Take the difficult subject of child labour, for instance. Some street children around the world are actually providing financial support to their families, and playing an important role in the local economy. As an investor, we are committed to using our influence with companies to abolish the worst forms of child labour. However, purely removing children from employment can result in greater welfare problems. That’s why we encourage companies to support children back into education – from “street to school”.

Policy change is never a quick win and, given the complexity of these children’s needs, it’s not a quick fix either. Street children adopt many tactics necessary to survive on the streets, such as begging and rough sleeping. Yet it’s unacceptable that some street children still face violence on an almost daily basis. On International Day for Street Children we are calling for governments and society to join together and stand up for the rights of street children all over the world.

Some people worry about “compassion fatigue” in the area of development and international charity. Luckily, this initiative is not a big stretch for our employees, whose “day job” in insurance involves them looking out for people in times of need. In fact, many of my colleagues are inspired by the opportunity they get to make a difference to young people around the world. They find it highly motivating. Frankly, it’s good for our business, as well as being good for some hard-pressed communities. And that’s something else worth thinking about on this International Day for Street Children.