honorable mention
Aleksandra Dynas poland
title
Children of God
plastic bottles or metal scrap. Street children often lack access to clean water, food, medical attention, shelter, education and protection. They are exposed to the all forms of explotation and abuse. Many children are exposed to violence, rape, beatings, drugs, being robbed or being arrested. The big problem is the police, who instead of helping and protecting, attack children, beat them and ask for the bribe. In addition to many dangers, children live in a kind of dangerous limbo that can last for years without any hope for change.
Street children are the casualities of poverty, loss of parents due to disease, HIV, rural urban migration, loss of traditional values, domestic violence, physical and mental abuse. In most cases children are on the street because they ran out of the homes. Being beaten by frustrated parents, life on the street seems easier. Most of those cases never are reported to the police or to the court. No one is penalized for violating children's rights because children never report violence against them.
The Ugandan government failed to meet obligations to protect chilren on the street from the abuse. The main aim of the government is to resettle and rehabilitate street children without addressing the factors that sent children to the streets and in the long run this is a unsustainable solution.
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entry description
Only in Kampala, Uganda, there are more than 10 000 children living on the streets. The number is increasing. Mostly they live in the slums, where they can get some kind of protection from other street children. To get money for food, they work in the building's demolition, unloading trucks or helping to sell food. The youngest children work collectingplastic bottles or metal scrap. Street children often lack access to clean water, food, medical attention, shelter, education and protection. They are exposed to the all forms of explotation and abuse. Many children are exposed to violence, rape, beatings, drugs, being robbed or being arrested. The big problem is the police, who instead of helping and protecting, attack children, beat them and ask for the bribe. In addition to many dangers, children live in a kind of dangerous limbo that can last for years without any hope for change.
Street children are the casualities of poverty, loss of parents due to disease, HIV, rural urban migration, loss of traditional values, domestic violence, physical and mental abuse. In most cases children are on the street because they ran out of the homes. Being beaten by frustrated parents, life on the street seems easier. Most of those cases never are reported to the police or to the court. No one is penalized for violating children's rights because children never report violence against them.
The Ugandan government failed to meet obligations to protect chilren on the street from the abuse. The main aim of the government is to resettle and rehabilitate street children without addressing the factors that sent children to the streets and in the long run this is a unsustainable solution.
about the photographer
My name is Aleksandra Dynas and I'm polish photographer based in Barcelona, Spain. I studied International Relations and finance and after few years I decided to study Photography. I did travel photography and later photojournalism in one of the best schools in Barcelona- IEFC. I worked as a freelance photographer in Barcelona and 8 months ago I decided to go to Africa to work with NGOs who deal with street children. I'm interested in social issues that's why I did a personal project about street children. I would like to tell stories of people whoes voice is too quiet to be heard.back to gallery