Friends-International: The Street Children Network



	Egypt Definition and statistics of street children in Egypt Estimations of the population of street children vary enormously (from several thousands to 2 millions, depending on the definitions adopted) Street Living Children (little or no family contact): In Cairo there are between 50,000 and 150,000 street living children (based on local NGOs estimates); Street Working Children (who return to family on a regular basis): According to NGOs estimates, there are between 100,000 and 1,000,000 street working children in Cairo only (some of them coming on a daily basis from other Governorates outside Cairo). Several organization (public or private) also include Working Children (who are not street children but at high risk from becoming street children) in the statistic. Key factors pushing children onto the streets Based on research carried out by the various partner organizations and on friends-International observations: The most important current factors are: poverty, domestic violence and family breakdown; Fathers taking a second spouse seem to be an important factor of conflict within families Family size Sexual abuse by family members (especially for girls) School dropout and lack of education Unplanned rural-urban migration Peer pressure Sensation seeking, freedom on the streets Existence of other brothers or sisters on the street Main risks faced on the streets Physical abuse by peers and police Community disapproval and hostility Arrests and detention in Government institutions Poor health, hygiene, and nutrition Sexual abuse (by peers or children sex offenders) – leading to strong social stigmatization and to vulnerability to infections Stealing of savings/belongings Substance use Country Background Population: 80,335,000 (estimate 2007) Population under 15 years: 31.8% Under 5 mortality rate: 35 deaths/1,000 live births Primary school entrants reaching grade 5: 95 % HIV prevalence (% ages 15-49), 2005: less than 0.1 Prevention among young people: who have comprehensive knowledge of HIV, 2000-2006*: 4% Population living below $1 a day (%), 1990-2002:34.1 Population living below $2 a day (%): 40-45% GDP per capita (US$), 2007: 5.400 Approximately 80-90% of the population adheres to Islam and most of the remainder to Christianity, primarily the Coptic Orthodox denomination Refugees (country of origin): 60,000 - 80,000 (Iraq), 70,255 (Palestinian Territories), 13,446 (Sudan) (2006) Transit point for cannabis, heroin, and opium moving to Europe, Israel, and North Africa; transit stop for Nigerian drug couriers. The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.