In the shadow of the Street Child World Cup, the police round ups continue
The Deloitte Street Child World Cup has been taking place in Durban, South Africa all week. It has brought street children from eight different countries together where they have taken centre stage, celebrating their potential and providing a platform for them to talk about the issues that matter most to them. Football is a leveller. Ex-England and Tottenham footballer Gary Mabbut who is currently down in Durban for the Street Child World Cup spoke on BBC Five Live this week about how football is a great unifier. With eight teams from around the world and about ten different languages spoken, once you put a ball on the ground every child knows what to do and the barrier of language, culture and background are removed.
The Street Child World Cup is more than just about football. It is a chance to spotlight the issues before the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this summer. While I was in Durban last month, I blogged on a daily basis about police round-ups and the draconian use of 'forced removals' as way of 'cleaning the streets'. As I write looking out across at the Thames in London, I have just received a call from my colleague Nick who is currently in Durban for the Street Child World Cup. Nick told me there were reports coming in that for the third day in a row Durban's Metro police are rounding up street children. The Street Child World Cup is giving those working directly with the children living on the streets an opportunity and a platform to demonstrate the alternatives to forced removals. This is about engaging with the children through an array of therapeutic programs developed to bring these children through the process of rehabilitation, and then re-intergration back into community environments. Tom Hewitt, CEO and co-founder of Umthombo Street Children who are hosting the Street Child World Cup, argues that, "Street children are not a safety and security issue, but a social development issue. Police put children in the back of trucks with adults and gang members. It exposes the kids to more trauma". He said removing children for the World Cup was not about child protection but about cleaning up the streets.
The Street Child World Cup is an enormously positive and significant event and is playing its part in putting street children back on the agenda. Sadly in its shadow the reality of street life continues as cities like Durban prepare for the FIFA World Cup and street children become the victims. We posted this short film on the Street Action web site to demonstrate the reality of round-ups. Click here to view the film or go to our web site: www.streetaction.org
