Abstract:
Child abuse among street children is a social problem which violates children’s
rights and affects their development. This study assesses child abuse among street
children in Dar es Salaam city. Specific objectives of the research were to analyze
types of child abuse experienced by street children, determine factors contributing to
increasing child abuse among street children, identify methods used by street
children to escape child abuse, and examine immediate consequences of child abuse
on street children. The study was conducted in Kinondoni and Ilala municipalities of
the city. A cross sectional design was adopted. A representative sample of 100
respondents was drawn from a sampling frame through snowballing. The research
methodologies employed were both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The
methods used under qualitative methodology were Focus Group Discussion and
researcher’s observations. Under quantitative methodology, questionnaires with
closed and open ended questions were used to collect data. The Statistical Package
for Social Science (SPSS) for Windows Version 12.0 was used for data analysis.
Street children were subjected to all three types of child abuse: verbal abuse (98%),
physical abuse (94%) and sexual abuse (88%). Some of the factors contributing to
increasing incidents of child abuse are illegal trades done by street children, negative
perception of the public towards street children and child abuse is beneficial to
perpetrators. Methods used by street children to escape child abuse include running
away, using of drugs and offering bribes. Immediate consequences of child abuse
include street children being at risk of HIV infection. The study recommends that
the Government and NGOs should educate street children so as to increase theiriii
awareness about child abuse and should educate the public so as to change negative
perception of the public that street children are young criminals.
