My works goes around street children. Children who still on the street, children vulnerably on the street and former street children. We have a school for them, we have a house for them and we still do out reach to the street. In my opinion, there are three types of them. Vulnerable, children with families on the street and fully street children. We have done many good things for these children, but yet so many new children still on the street. And in many occasions, I met families of street children. I mean, their family lives on the street in generations. Their grandparent lived on the street, their father and mother lives on the street, they are living on the street and their children lives also on the street. Many theories and facts that I already read to answer the question on why they live on the street. Some people says because they are uneducated, other people says because they are poor, other opinion says that they are systematically abandoned. And each opinion gives its own solutions of course. Opinion who says that they are uneducated, gives solutions to educate them in many ways and forms of education. From economic sides come up with many program of economic empowerment for their parents also, with loans program, skill education. All these program runs in formal and informal ways. From systematically abandoned opinion, also have their program to do solutions. Doing government advocacy, educational program focused on their rights fulfillment and many other program. And of course all of this works are good.
As I mention above, I works with street children and poor family for almost 8 years now, and my foundation already do this issue for decades. I see, some behaviors that determines street life in Indonesia.
- Just for today behavior
These children are on the street to survive one day at the time, literally. They work as beggar, street singer, selling things only to get money for today. No matter how hard they work, how far they travel to work, still the money they earned only enough for today. For food, shelter (a place to sleep), perhaps cigarettes and internet. Of course there are some of them who do not follow this pattern. (Like, in one day they can get like 2 or 3 times more money in one day than in other day due a generous people). They get money in the morning spend it for breakfast, rest a while, look money for their lunch, get the money and spend it on lunch, cigarettes or perhaps some internet games, look for money again for their dinner and so on. This is how they live. They watch this behavior among them, they imitate this behavior and they live this way for years. They don’t know any other way to earn and spend money.
- No paper work.
They don’t have birth certificate. And when they don’t have birth certificate, they cant access education, they cant access health insurance. And when they are 18, they will have problem to get id card, which lead them to many problems. Basically, they don’t have record of their existence in the country. Why they don’t have paper work??, because paper work for them is money. They have to spent money to get paper work. And they can live (in certain ways of living) without them. And they also see that people who don’t have paper work also can live. So, it’s like two options. To have paper work means money spend, documents to fill, questions to answers and other trouble. On the other hands, no paper works mean freedom. And that way, they can live under the grid.
- Government avoidance
They don’t understand government just as the government don’t understand them. And they tend to avoid something that they don’t understand.
Many of them traumatize with uniforms as well. So whenever government people approach them, they will run. They don’t want to go to government shelter, although they already explained that they will get many benefits. Government shelter is like jail for them and years ago, it is jail.
- Short cut behavior
They do not follow rules and procedures. They will cross the street directly instead of using pedestrian bridge roof. They will steal things if they can do it. Rules, regulation even law only make their life harder. They have their own ways to survive. Unfortunately, their behavior is not fit in in our system. Just like an addict who has their own way to see the world.
- Hit the wall, run
Whenever they see something that might be a problem to them, they will try their best to run. No to identify it, to face it, or to overcome it with any possible solution that not broke any rules and regulation that surround them. They will duck, avoid or run. They don’t solve problems properly. What they think as a problem solving is actually running from them. Because they never learn to solve problems. They watch this behavior in their surrounding and imitate them.
- Whatever happen, happen.
They don’t have plan for their life. (They have dreams, they have hopes, even they have what they want to be when they are grown up, but they don’t know how to achieve it). So, they don’t have plan. And, because they don’t have plan, so, whatever happen in front of them, they have to deal with it. And when problem comes upon them, they call it fate. That’s the end.
I often see these behaviors among street children. And just like addiction, these behavior also progressive. It means, the longer you stay in the street, the thicker you are as street children. You get contaminated. I also often see how funny, loving and full of hope child become a selfish, destructive and ignorant street children. Many program runs for these street children, and I believe many of them also gain some benefits from them. As they realize that there is other behavior to live and facing their daily life. But I also believe that there’s no research or program tied these behavior through addiction science.
So, my question is, Is it an addiction?. A street life. A life which I know is lived by some people from their childhood. Street children don’t have a choice to choose life but street life. And without help they don’t know how to get out from this vicious circle. Just like addiction, right?.