Parental Perspectives on Children Streetism in Tamale in Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, there has been a search for the cause(s) of child streetism since the 1990s. Even though some interventions have been made based on the recommendations by earlier studies, the phenomenon of child streetism is still on the rise. This is a reflection of the inadequacies of the known causes of child streetism in Ghana that are largely from the perspectives of the street children themselves. This paper discusses the causes of child streetism, from the perspectives of parents and/or guardians of street children, with the view to recommend measures for curtailing the phenomenon. Primary data was collected using structured interview. Cluster, accidental, simple random, purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used. The study revealed that, parents’ desire for their children to acquire skills in trading and other vocational skills, parental irresponsibility, divorce/separation, child fostering and preparations for marriage by teenage girls account for child streetism in Tamale. The paper recommends that, there should be community level sensitizations through governmental and non-governmental collaborations, filling of gaps in the educational system at the basic level to meet the aspirations of parents/guardians, a rejuvenation of useful traditional values and practices and above all a policy on parenting and bye-laws to bring irresponsible parents to order.

Keywords: Parental background, parental expectations, parental guidance, child streetism, Ghana