Vulnerable and poor young people like street children, runaways and child prostitutes often get into trouble with the law. It is the job of governments to help and protect these young people, but instead, all over the world, they are being treated as criminals and locked up.
In some cases this is because there aren’t enough resources to care for them properly. Child protection centres often don’t exist so the police and courts are used instead. But sometimes the things street children need to do just to survive are against the law, like begging and unlicensed selling. In some countries, just being homeless is a crime.
Even child prostitutes can be treated as criminals. Every year up to a million young people are forced into the sex industry – but in many countries they’re treated as offenders, not victims.
And young people on the streets who use drugs and alcohol as a way to escape are often locked up in centres that punish them rather than helping them get over their addiction.
We think governments need to make sure they protect young people who find themselves in these situations. They should be treated as victims, not as criminals. Young people on the streets, begging, or working as prostitutes are in trouble and need help.
They should not be punished for being poor and trying to survive.
