Street work and the perceptions of children: Perspectives from Dilla town, Southern Ethiopia

Based mainly on an in-depth and multifaceted qualitative study of 24 purposely selected street working children in Dilla town, Southern Ethiopia, this study attempts to shed light on children’s use of streets as places of work, survival, socialization, play, learning and growth. Children see street work as a source of livelihood, evidence of agency, informal schooling, sense of responsibility and sphere of socialization. The study also shows that the discourse that views street working children as ‘out of place’ and ‘outside childhood’ is concerned more with defending the values of the writers rather than defending the real interests of the children involved. Children’s responsibilities for themselves and towards their families not only force them to be found at ‘wrong places’ but it also obliges them to engage in ‘wrong careers’. Children not only want freedom and play but they also want responsibility and respect for what they do and who they are, and work can bring both.