Street children in Ghana

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The total population of children in Ghana under the age of 15 is 38.01%.^[1] The youth constitute the most important human resource potential that can contribute significantly to the overall development of a nation. The idea of children on the streets violates the children's act which states that under no circumstance should a person below the age of fifteen be allowed to work or fend for him or herself.^[2] Therefore, the increasing phenomenon of street-ism is a menace. The street children are viewed worldly as problem (because some of them steal to survive) rather than people whose first habitat is the street. Obviously, extreme deprivation and social exclusion create opportunities for engaging in crime.^[3] Street children are among the most physically visible of all children, living and working on various street corners and public squares in our cities ranging from Aflao to Bawku. Ironically, they are also among the most 'invisible', considering that they are the most difficult groups to reach with provision of vital services such as education and healthcare, and thus the hardest to protect. Once on the street, aside being exposed to the mercy of the weather, they are vulnerable to all forms of exploitation and abuse, a life far removed from the childhood envisioned in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.^[4] Street children represent one of the most marginalized groups of children worldwide. They face multiple deprivation of their rights on a daily basis.^[5]