The capital of São Paulo has 3,759 children and adolescents (from zero to 17 years of age) living on the streets. The data is from the Census of Homeless Children and Adolescents, carried out by the city of São Paulo last May. The result is 104% higher than that recorded in the previous census, in 2007, in which 1,842 children and adolescents were found on the streets in the city.
The research considers the concept of the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Conanda) for street children and adolescents: minors with violated rights who use public places and degraded areas as a space for housing or survival, either permanently or intermittently. , in a situation of vulnerability or personal and social risk.
The survey also shows that, of the total number of street children, 73.1% (2,749) use the streets as a means of survival, albeit for a brief period of the day; 16.2% (609) are sheltered in Institutional Shelter Services for Children and Adolescents (Saica) and in Special Shelter Centers for Families; and 10.7% (401) spend the night on the streets.
According to the census, 2,227 (29.2%) children and adolescents are male, 1,453 (38.7%) are female, and 79 (2.1%) did not know or did not want to inform. The age group from 12 to 17 years old is the one with the highest number, 1,585 (42%); followed by those up to six years old, 1,151 children (30.6%); and 1,017 (27.1%) who are between seven and 11 years old. Six (0.2%) did not want to inform their age.
According to the study, those who declared themselves as brown represent 43% (1,615); black, 28.6% (1074); white, 811 (21.6%); 34 (0.9%) declared themselves to be indigenous; 20 (0.5%), yellow; and one, brunette; 166 did not know or did not want to declare.
“What is shocking is that we have 1,151 children up to six years of age, in early childhood, who are on the streets, representing 30% of the total and, in many situations, are unaccompanied by family members and legal guardians, adults”, he highlighted. the president of the Commission for Adoption and Family Living for Children and Adolescents of the Brazilian Bar Association in São Paulo (OAB-SP) and member of the National Institute for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, Ariel de Castro Alves, who classified the number as appalling.
The lawyer pointed out that these children and adolescents are exposed in relation to physical integrity, exploitation of child labor, sexual exploitation and being used in drug trafficking. “São Paulo needs to invest in outreach programs, in street social education, expanding the number of social educators, programs and services. Approaches should aim at returning children to family ties with families, returning them to schools or school inclusion. We also need shelters, specialized reference centers with multidisciplinary teams so that we can have a qualified service”, highlighted Castro Alves.
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In a statement, the city of São Paulo stated that it has about 500 advisors distributed among the 27 teams of the Specialized Social Approach Service (SEAS) of mixed modality (adults and children), which offer 2,090 shelter spaces for children and adolescents daily.
The municipal administration also said that it has a diversified network of services aimed at children and adolescents, included in the scope of Basic Protection, which has 664 services and more than 160 thousand vacancies, and Special Protection, with 276 services and more than 12 thousand vacancies.
