Most of the time, I leave my office late at night for home. While passing through streets and chowks, I see scores of people asleep in the open.
Homeless people.
Recently, I was in London; I also saw scores of homeless on the streets.
Homelessness is when one individual or a family does not have housing and is reliant on a temporary form of shelter. Caused by socioeconomic factors, such as parental maltreatment and mental illness, the matter of homeless children begs our attention.
Homeless children refer to those who share the housing of others owing to eviction, economic difficulty, or other similar circumstances. Homelessness has had negative consequences on children and teenagers. There may be between 310,000 and 1.6 million homeless youth in the United States, according to estimates. By the time a family finds themselves in a homeless situation, the repercussions of poverty, being uprooted from their normal surroundings, malnutrition, and bad living circumstances have already started to manifest.
A parent who is unable to support their child loses favour in the eyes of the youngster, who thus loses a good role model. Parents could try to keep their worries and stress from their kids, which could cause emotional distance. Due to the immense stress of homelessness, parents may also be less attentive and receptive to their children’s needs. If homeless teenagers are expected to look after their younger siblings, they might be pressured into adult roles too early.
The support systems for homeless parents are dispersed. The prevalence of major psychiatric issues, drug abuse, and alcoholism is higher among homeless parents. Another potential contributing factor in the minority of homeless women may have been psychiatric impairments.
To address family homelessness in the current housing market, more decent, affordable homes must be made available. Income maintenance is also necessary, as is support from social welfare organisations that concentrate on reestablishing supportive relationships. Marital conflict, family separations, stress from life crises such as unemployment and parent death, restructured or blended families, the presence or absence of a family network for support, gender stereotypes maintained in society, and learned patterns of aggression and dominance are all factors that may contribute to an abusive ecology in families.
Research shows that fleeing physical, emotional, and sexual abuse is a common reason for early home leaving. Family strife is the most frequently mentioned reason for young people leaving their homes and becoming homeless. Family discord is a recurring topic in all of the stories. A vast body of evidence also suggests that marital conflict is associated with a significant number of emotional issues. High levels of marital conflict can raise children’s anger and aggression, particularly in male youngsters.
Domestic abuse is a primary cause of child homelessness. Domestic violence drives the majority of children to flee their families. Approximately half of all homeless children are fleeing domestic violence.
Some of the outcomes and dynamics of homelessness include poor, uneducated, and large families, a lack of knowledge and skills needed for parenting, a lack of parental responsibility, family conflict and parental behaviour problems, physical abuse of children, and rebellious behaviour and attitude of children.
Another cause of child homelessness is that children are no longer receiving a moral education; basic moral principles, and respect for parents and other people are no longer being taught in schools. Instead, the child is encouraged to disobey his parents and is educated to be forceful and passionately independent. As a result, a child rebels against any form of parental discipline and constantly questions them. The family is severely strained as a result. The loss of communication between kids and parents keeps the vicious cycle going.
These aspects influence what causes children to engage in aberrant behaviour. In Lahore, the number of children who frequent streets and public places to beg with their peers at all hours of the day and night is increasing.
We are living in painful times.
