Rauna Kalola
Swakopmund officials have noted a rising trend in the presence of street children converging in the town centre, begging for food, money and other materials from tourists and locals frequenting the popular areas.
The Swakopmund municipality has since confirmed that despite the destitute appearance of these children, they are not homeless.
It is estimated that there are more 50 children who spend most of their time around the Swakopmund central business district (CBD), begging for food and other items to take to their homes.
Considering the commemoration of World Children’s Day today, Swakopmund is fighting to ensure that every child’s right is respected. This is the right to a decent standard of living, adequate for their physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development to build a better future. Swakopmund mayor Dina Namubes said the situation with children roaming the streets
is concerning, and council is doing its best to ensure that the plight of these vulnerable children does not fall on deaf ears.
There are many reasons that drive these children into the streets, but hunger remains the major one. “Some reasons identified from interviews with the different stakeholders is hunger, poverty and family breakdown. Many children have lost their parents, and some are roaming the streets as a result of urbanisation. Parents flock to town in search of better opportunities, but fail to secure proper accommodation and living standards. These circumstances thus push children into the streets,” she noted. The mayor highlighted that there are many support systems put in place to assist vulnerable children. “We have social workers in the field, the Dome centre takes in children from the streets to feed them and takes them through various trainings. We have home-based soup kitchens and churches which come on board to assist,” Namubes stated.
She added that council is also renovating a property into a safety home for vulnerable children. Educational programmes will likewise be implemented to foster skills development.
Namubes urged parents to seek support when in need, saying, “There are many ways to help, but parents need to speak out when facing difficulties”.
The mayor warned against the mentality of parents wanting to raise children by themselves, even when it is not possible. “Sometimes we want to live in competition with other people, and building the principle of I am not going to ask anyone for help, and that I am going to bring up my children by myself. That is a very wrong mindset,” she observed.
World Children’s Day is a momentous occasion which transcends geographic boundaries, serving as a global reminder of the rights and well-being of the youngest members of society. The right to a standard of living is inherently not just basic, but one which fosters optimal development.
* Rauna Kalola is an information officer at the Erongo Regional Office in Swakopmund.