IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i7p5271-d1108440.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Street Children in Iran: What Are Their Living and Working Conditions? Findings from a Survey in Six Major Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Meroe Vameghi

    (Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran 1985713871, Iran)

  • Payam Roshanfekr

    (Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran 1985713871, Iran)

  • Gholamreza Ghaedamini Harouni

    (Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran 1985713871, Iran)

  • Marzieh Takaffoli

    (Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran 1985713871, Iran)

  • Giti Bahrami

    (Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj 3149969415, Iran)

Abstract

Street children are among the most marginalized children, globally, who experience severe violations of their rights and face multiple deprivations. This study aimed to describe street children’s characteristics and working conditions in Iran. Method: This cross-sectional rapid survey was conducted from March to May 2017 in six major cities in Iran. The sample group consisted of Iranian and non-Iranian girls and boys, aged 10 to 18, who worked on the streets for at least one month prior to the survey. Time–location based sampling was used. A total of 856 Children were randomly selected from 464 venues, including corners of streets, parks, metro gates, bus stations, shopping malls, and shopping centers frequented by street children. Results: Findings showed that 90% of participants were boys, 60% were between 10 and 14 years old, almost 50% attended school, 12% were illiterate, and 32% had quit school. Children of Afghan nationality comprised 54% of the study participants, and the rest were Iranian. Of all participants, 85% resided with family or relatives. Most children (75.5%) worked more than 5 h daily, and vending (71.2%) and waste picking (16.1%) were common activities. Street children suffered, mainly, from harsh weather (22.7%), insults and beatings of everyday people (21%), starvation (20.7%), and police repression (15.4%). More than half of the study participants were not involved in intervention programs, and just 7% of them had attended any health education programs. Conclusion: Street children reported little to no service use, which may contribute to poor health. Street children require immediate attention to improve their wellbeing. Decision-makers and academicians should collaborate on intervention development research to design appropriate health and social interventions targeted at street children.

Suggested Citation

  • Meroe Vameghi & Payam Roshanfekr & Gholamreza Ghaedamini Harouni & Marzieh Takaffoli & Giti Bahrami, 2023. "Street Children in Iran: What Are Their Living and Working Conditions? Findings from a Survey in Six Major Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:7:p:5271-:d:1108440
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/7/5271/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/7/5271/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Giang, Long Thanh & Nguyen, Van Tuong & Nguyen, Tue Dang, 2021. "Child labor in Vietnam: Issues and policy implications," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Das, Krishna Surjya, 2022. "Child labour and its determinants in India," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    3. Alhassan Abdullah & Inès Huynh & Clifton R. Emery & Lucy P. Jordan, 2022. "Social Norms and Family Child Labor: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Trong-Anh Trinh, 2020. "Mental Health Impacts of Child Labour: Evidence from Vietnam and India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(12), pages 2251-2265, December.
    5. Pinzón-Rondón, Angela M. & Hofferth, Sandra & Briceño, Leonardo, 2008. "Children working in the streets of Colombian cities: Different pathways to the street lead to different populations," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(12), pages 1417-1424, December.
    6. Lee, Jieun & Kim, Hyoungjong & Rhee, Dong-Eun, 2021. "No harmless child labor: The effect of child labor on academic achievement in francophone Western and Central Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Solmaz Pasyar & Sajjad Rezaei & Seyed Valiollah Mousavi, 2019. "Stress-coping Strategies, Attachment Styles, and Resiliency of Working Children in Tehran, Iran," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(3), pages 1083-1105, June.
    8. Daniel Gebretsadik Ayele, 2021. "Challenges to Schooling: The Voices of Street Working Children," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(6), pages 2433-2448, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David V. Ogunkan, 2024. "A multisource analysis of child streetism in Nigerian urban centres," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 42(1), January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Delphine BOUTIN & Marine JOUVIN, 2022. "Child Labour Consequences on Education and Health: A Review of Evidence and Knowledge Gaps," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2022-14, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    2. Ali Asghar Sadabadi & Fatemeh Sadat Fehri & Kiarash Fartash, 2022. "Social Innovation Action Research for Lifestyle Improvement of Child Labour in Tehran (Social Innovation’s Idea on Child Labour Lifestyle)," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 89-105, February.
    3. Shahla Akram & Mehboob Ul Hassan & Muhammad Farrukh Shahzad, 2024. "Factors Fuelling the Persistence of Child Labour: Evidence from Pakistan," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(4), pages 1771-1790, August.
    4. Delphine Boutin & Marine Jouvin, 2022. "Child Labour Consequences on Education and Health: A Review of Evidence and Knowledge Gaps," Working Papers hal-03896700, HAL.
    5. Cécile Fanton d’Andon & Claire Greene & Catherine Pellenq & Tesfahun Melese Yilma & Muriel Champy & Mark Canavera & Chiara Pasquini, 2022. "Child Labor and Psychosocial Wellbeing: Findings from Ethiopia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-20, June.
    6. Opoku Adabor, 2025. "Empirical analysis of child labour, household poverty, and child health in Ghana," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(1), pages 29-60, January.
    7. Dibyasree Ganguly & Srinivas Goli & Oriel Sullivan, 2023. "Gender, Paid Work, and Mental Health of Adolescents and Young Adults in Resource-Poor Settings of India," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(3), pages 1137-1170, June.
    8. Danusha Jayawardana & Nadezhda V. Baryshnikova & Terence C. Cheng, 2023. "The long shadow of child labour on adolescent mental health: a quantile approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(1), pages 77-97, January.
    9. Abdullah, Alhassan & Cudjoe, Ebenezer & Bastian, Carmela & Jordan, Lucy P., 2024. "Passing the torch or breaking a cycle of intergenerational transmission of child labour: Reflections from the lived experiences of children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    10. Feeny, Simon & Trinh, Trong-Anh & Zhu, Anna, 2021. "Temperature shocks and energy poverty: Findings from Vietnam," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    11. Shahraki, Saeed Zanganeh & Fouladiyan, Majid & Toosifar, Jamal, 2020. "Child labor processes in the city of Mashhad: A narrative study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    12. Samson Adewumi & Patrick Bwowe, 2024. "Child Labour Challenges and Security Implications in Selected Local Government Areas in Ondo State, Nigeria," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, September.
    13. Ango, Tola Gemechu & Börjeson, Lowe & Wisborg, Poul & Senbeta, Feyera & Alem, Habtamu, 2022. "Coffee, child labour, and education: Examining a triple social–ecological trade-off in an Afromontane forest landscape," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Fahmida Mostafiz & Jianqiang Sun, 2023. "Policy Series Effects on Bangladesh Readymade Garments Exportation," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 133-143.
    15. Nadia Maqbool & Paul Newton & Tayyab Shah, 2024. "Child Labor in Sindh, Pakistan: Patterns and Areas in Need of Intervention," Stats, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-17, November.
    16. Cuadros-Meñaca, Andres, 2020. "Remittances, health insurance, and pension contributions: Evidence from Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    17. Sameh Hallaq & Ayman Khalifah, 2022. "School Performance and Child Labor: Evidence from West Bank Schools," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_1007, Levy Economics Institute.
    18. Marine JOUVIN, 2021. "Addressing social desirability bias in child labor measurement : an application to cocoa farms in Côte d’Ivoire," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2021-08, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    19. Alem, Yonas & Tato, Gidisa Lachisa, 2023. "Shocks and mental health: Panel data evidence from South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    20. Trong-Anh Trinh & Quanda Zhang, 2021. "Adverse shocks, household expenditure and child marriage: evidence from India and Vietnam," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1617-1639, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:7:p:5271-:d:1108440. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.