Shelters for street children in the spotlight
Community activist Rosa Namises believes it is time for the government to tackle the issue of homelessness and go the extra mile to rehabilitate street children and restore their family structure or to place them in decent foster homes.
Namises was responding to the gender ministry's statement on NBC television on 26 December that the shortage of children shelters was “worrying”.
According to the ministry's permanent secretary, Wilhencia Uiras, the ministry was looking at regulating children's shelters in all 14 regions to cater to the growing number of needy children.
Emphasising that the ministry's statement was “a little too late”, Namises pointed out that the ministry's role was not only to legalise existing homeless shelters, but in fact to facilitate the establishment of such refuges.
“As it stands now the ministry does not initiate these homes but instead it is a concerned individual that sees the struggling, suffering and need of the children in the community. The ministry must not just be 'concerned' with legalising shelters but needs to assist with everything,” she said.
Namises said the government must indeed come on board and regularly review structures and constantly follow up on children that are placed in shelters.
According to her, there is very little cooperation between existing shelters, a gap she believes the ministry must close.
Namises believes that ideally, social workers must be the first contact with street children and then refer them to shelters.
“The shelters must in no event be a permanent arrangement, but must be an immediate intervention to stabilise the child until a suitable solution is found. The aim is that we should be able to bring the child back to its family once it is reoriented,” she said.
Situation
According to Namises, there is severe suffering for children who find themselves without a decent shelter.
She added that the majority of street children were found in the Omaheke and the two Kavango regions.
“The need for shelters is really there for children who find themselves on the street and are not given proper care. In the rural areas you will find some children that are not being registered for school and these children become teenagers who end up being lost,” she said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
Namises was responding to the gender ministry's statement on NBC television on 26 December that the shortage of children shelters was “worrying”.
According to the ministry's permanent secretary, Wilhencia Uiras, the ministry was looking at regulating children's shelters in all 14 regions to cater to the growing number of needy children.
Emphasising that the ministry's statement was “a little too late”, Namises pointed out that the ministry's role was not only to legalise existing homeless shelters, but in fact to facilitate the establishment of such refuges.
“As it stands now the ministry does not initiate these homes but instead it is a concerned individual that sees the struggling, suffering and need of the children in the community. The ministry must not just be 'concerned' with legalising shelters but needs to assist with everything,” she said.
Namises said the government must indeed come on board and regularly review structures and constantly follow up on children that are placed in shelters.
According to her, there is very little cooperation between existing shelters, a gap she believes the ministry must close.
Namises believes that ideally, social workers must be the first contact with street children and then refer them to shelters.
“The shelters must in no event be a permanent arrangement, but must be an immediate intervention to stabilise the child until a suitable solution is found. The aim is that we should be able to bring the child back to its family once it is reoriented,” she said.
Situation
According to Namises, there is severe suffering for children who find themselves without a decent shelter.
She added that the majority of street children were found in the Omaheke and the two Kavango regions.
“The need for shelters is really there for children who find themselves on the street and are not given proper care. In the rural areas you will find some children that are not being registered for school and these children become teenagers who end up being lost,” she said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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