Street Children in Addis Ababa: Exploring Policy Framework for Interventions
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Date
2011-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This research was initiated to explore the policy Famework of interventions established to
address the problems of street children in Addis Ababa. In line with this, the manner in Ivhich
these interventions are established and governed; the challenges o/administering them without a
comprehensive policy; jcrctors that may hinder the jormulation 0/ comprehensive policy and a
proposed policy options were aimed to be explored. To achieve these objectives. different type 0/
da/({ col/ection methods were used. These include; survey questionnaire, key informant interview
and document analysis. The survey questionnaire wasjilled by 181 respondents selected through
the use 0/ convenience sampling technique. Out of which 145 0/ them were street children, 20
officials/experts wereji'om NCOs and 16 werefi'om ojjicial;/ experts o/the government bureaus.
Key informant interviews were conducted with selected individuals Fom the three groups. The
data collected through the above methods was analyzed and presented descriptively. The
.findings revealed that: the city administration has been facing a number of challenges in
administering the interventions on the street children in the absence of comprehensive city wide
policy. 1hese include: lack 0/ uniform mechanisms of superviSion, duplication of efjorts and
wastage 0/ resources. Besides, there are major jcrctors and assumptions that hindered the
jurmulation oj'city wide policy. Factors such as lack oj'awareness among the rnajor stakeholder
on the magnitude and scope of the problem: lack o/commitment and shortage o/resource in the
one hand, and strong believes on the broader international, national and sectoral policies as
enough and adequate to address the problem on the other, are/ound to be the major impediment
.fur policyjiJrmulatiol1. Finally, the proposed policy option, which is initiated, based on the right
"ased and hulistic approach and the child Fiendly city initiative, has found a massive support
Fom the re.lpondems. Hence, the proposed policy option has been presented as a mechanism to
address the aforementioned challenges in administering the interventions. Besides, additional
ways of improving the existing situation have been indicated. These include; awareness creation
on the prohlem, improving the resource base of the city administration and creation of uniform
transparency and accountability mechanisms.
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Keywords
Street Children