The Street Child's Process to Leave the Streets of Lima, Peru
(2011) SOPA63 20111School of Social Work
- Abstract
- This study is based on a field study conducted in Lima, Peru. The field study was financed by the MFS (Minor field study) scholarship of SIDA. My intention was to illuminate the street child’s process, as an actor in interaction with its surrounding environmental systems, to leave the streets of Lima, Peru. The questions that were related to this aim were how structural aspects, such as changes in residential patterns and housing policies could influence this process, how did the activities, roles and relations that the child took part in influence this process and how could the process be seen from a perspective of gender and age. The investigation was made with a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews with social workers... (More)
- This study is based on a field study conducted in Lima, Peru. The field study was financed by the MFS (Minor field study) scholarship of SIDA. My intention was to illuminate the street child’s process, as an actor in interaction with its surrounding environmental systems, to leave the streets of Lima, Peru. The questions that were related to this aim were how structural aspects, such as changes in residential patterns and housing policies could influence this process, how did the activities, roles and relations that the child took part in influence this process and how could the process be seen from a perspective of gender and age. The investigation was made with a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews with social workers and former street children. It also included participant observations made at an organization that was doing outreach work with street children and also offered shelters. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory and resilience were used as a theoretical framework to analyze the collected material. The conclusions that were reached were that the child’s process in leaving the street might be influenced by structural aspects, such as residential patterns and housing policies. The process away from the street might, however, not only be the process away from the physical street but also the process away from a social space or culture. Seeing the process of leaving the street through a gender perspective illuminated that a girl could face difficultness to leave the street due to the challenge of leaving sexual exploitation and prostitution, and what comes with this situation. Results also illustrated that vulnerability in leaving the street might increase with age. The study further concluded that the social worker had an important role in the child’s process away from the street; this was based, however, on the key factor that the child was feeling confidence for the social worker. The child might, in its ecological crossing from the street to an organization, be challenged when trying to adapt to the new environment. It was illustrated that motivation to leave the street was based on different experiences but also the child’s own choice to leave the street could create motivation itself. Another important part in leaving the street could be the influences of peers. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/2096263
- author
- Bengtsson, Nina LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOPA63 20111
- year
- 2011
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Ecological system theory, street children, resilience, process, development, gender, age, motivation, ecological crossing
- language
- English
- id
- 2096263
- date added to LUP
- 2011-09-06 16:08:15
- date last changed
- 2011-09-06 16:08:15
@misc{2096263,
abstract = {{This study is based on a field study conducted in Lima, Peru. The field study was financed by the MFS (Minor field study) scholarship of SIDA. My intention was to illuminate the street child’s process, as an actor in interaction with its surrounding environmental systems, to leave the streets of Lima, Peru. The questions that were related to this aim were how structural aspects, such as changes in residential patterns and housing policies could influence this process, how did the activities, roles and relations that the child took part in influence this process and how could the process be seen from a perspective of gender and age. The investigation was made with a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews with social workers and former street children. It also included participant observations made at an organization that was doing outreach work with street children and also offered shelters. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory and resilience were used as a theoretical framework to analyze the collected material. The conclusions that were reached were that the child’s process in leaving the street might be influenced by structural aspects, such as residential patterns and housing policies. The process away from the street might, however, not only be the process away from the physical street but also the process away from a social space or culture. Seeing the process of leaving the street through a gender perspective illuminated that a girl could face difficultness to leave the street due to the challenge of leaving sexual exploitation and prostitution, and what comes with this situation. Results also illustrated that vulnerability in leaving the street might increase with age. The study further concluded that the social worker had an important role in the child’s process away from the street; this was based, however, on the key factor that the child was feeling confidence for the social worker. The child might, in its ecological crossing from the street to an organization, be challenged when trying to adapt to the new environment. It was illustrated that motivation to leave the street was based on different experiences but also the child’s own choice to leave the street could create motivation itself. Another important part in leaving the street could be the influences of peers.}},
author = {{Bengtsson, Nina}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Street Child's Process to Leave the Streets of Lima, Peru}},
year = {{2011}},
}