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GENERAL SITUATION
Streetism is one of the social problems growing from time to time. The cause of streetism is mainly economic problem, divorce of parents, death of parents etc. and differs from town to town. In Mekelle city there are two types of streetism. These are street children and street girls. Street children live completely on the street while street girls live both in rented house and the street. During day time they spend their time in their houses but at night they went to street to make business. In Mekelle there are around 150 street girls who are mostly displaced form Eritrea. Their age is between 15 and 21. More than 120 or 87% of these are school dropouts from Elementary and junior school.
PROBLEMS
Their livelihood is simply from hand to mouth which all of them get money by committing sexual intercourse for money to support themselves and their families. All of them face the same problem when they work. Some of them are forced to have sex by force, their customers may give them money, and some of them forced them to have sex with out condoms and they can get sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS and their money may be taken by gangsters (bad guys) of the streets etc.
SOLUTION
Street girls in Mekelle town have no other means of income except few who can cheat and steal money from drunkard customers. Their health is at risk especially with the spreading of HIV/AIDS. The other is cold disease because they wear tight clothes to attract their customers at night. This problem must be solved if not minimized. This is because of the spread of HIV/AIDS and they can attract girls from the surrounding to this work etc. The measures I propose in order to solve this problem is if they are willing to live with parents we should reunite them with their families and support them, and if they have no parents we need to place them in institutions, provide them credit to engage in income generating activities and train them in skill development.
CASE STUDY
Genet is working in street life beginning from September 1993 E.C after she is displaced from Eritrea, her age 18 years old. Her father is died in 1980 E.C where as here mother is living with her. When she was in Asmara she reached 8th grade then dropout because she must help with house work and she had been raped (harassed) in 1992 by here master because she was a house servant and have got a baby boy living with here mother. Now she lives in a rented house in Kebelle 02. She is a smoker and chews chat frequently if she gets money. She said that she will continue to work on the street unless she gets some other ways of living a decent life.
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Writer Profile
Yoseph
I am a young professional who has been extensively engaged in socio-economic research, sustainable development studies, project planning and management, baseline and impact assessment surveys, marketing surveys, feasibility studies, and consultancy works in Ethiopia.
I am a sociologist by education and have attended various training courses, workshops and seminars in Ethiopia on information and technology (IT), leadership skills for the fight against HIV/AIDS, refugee studies, child rights, gender and development issues.
I have worked as a consultant, a team leader, a social worker, a coordinator of many workshops and seminars, and a socio-economic researcher for national and international organizations in the fields of needs assessment, HIV/AIDS and development, refugee studies, impact assessment, market research, sustainable development strategies, poverty reduction, income generating schemes, food security, sustainable livelihood, and the monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
I am a member of many professional associations and interest groups such as the Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and Anthropologists (ESSSWA) and various internet-based sociological and child rights professional associations.
Currently, I work as a Child Support Unit Coordinator at the Relief Society of Tigray, Ethiopia.
I am single and enjoy touring, reading, visiting relatives and friends, playing and watching football, and participating in voluntary activities during my spare time.
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Comments
hi yoseph dawit geberekidan geberetensaia | Sep 3rd, 2010
i realy like your back ground. i am also sociologist and currently i am doing my masters in social work specializing in children,,youth and family. i realy appreciate ur background. you can contact me at dawgeb2000@gmail.com
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