Recount and Account of Lived Experience of Children on the Street: A Phenomenology Approach

Abstract

Children on the street spend the daytime on street but go to their families at night. Lived experiences of these children stem from their daily activities on the street and interpersonal relations. Clarity on the lived experience of this category of street children is lacking in Nigeria. We explored lived experiences of children on the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria, sourcing information from the children and relevant adults involved with them. We conducted in-depth interviews with fifty-three participants, including children on the street, pairs of children and parental figures, street shop-owner, and child welfare officers. Framework analysis and coding with ATLAS Ti were conducted. Street Engagements, Beneficial and Challenging Experiences are the 3 thematic areas. Street Engagements included duration on the street, typical and atypical activities. Beneficial experiences included: financing family & personal needs, school co-financing, and better life opportunities. Challenging experiences included: financial crisis, school failure, prostitution, street gangs and substance use induction, thuggery, harassment, kidnapping, and ritual killing. The lived experience of street children with family ties is overwhelming with the challenging experiences subduing the perceived benefits. An appreciation of this discrepancy at the family level and target interventions can positively influence measures to curb the epidemic of children on the street.