history+of+street+children

__**History**__ By: Cat Scanlon Home Health Children around the world How you can help Webquest questions Works cited

Street children have always been a part of our society in America. Unfortunately, they are often ignored and descriminated against rather than helped. Children have been forced to live on the street due to abuse, abandonment, dead parents, poverty, and many other reasons. Their lack of protection makes them a common target for crimes and abuse.

In the early to mid 1900s, street children were targeted by the Eugenics Movement. Due to social Dawinism, it was believed that people with "bad genes" should be forced into sterilization. Thousands of homeless children were forced into this procedure.

In the past, homeless children have been called many descriminatory names. A very common name that they were called was "waif." A waif is a term that meant undisciplined, wandering, freakish, or maggoty. The definition of a waif was recently changed by Obama to deserted, forlorn, defenseless, abandoned, or helpless in order to imrove the image of street children and encourage better treatment. some other common names that homless children were called are the following: hobos bums beggars tramps vagabonds feildrabbits

The name fieldrabbits was used to describe homeless children because they wandered around with no attachments to family.

In the late 20th century, people began to realize the difference between "deserving poor" and "undeserving poor." Deserving poor were children who were homeless due to things they couldn't control. People believed that these were the only street children that deserved aid. Undeserving poor were children who were believed to be homeless due to personal flaws and included runaway children. They were thought of as a burdon on society. Undeserving poor were not helped by people or agencies because it was believed that if they were helped their numbers would increase.

Although people wanted to help the "deserving poor," social service agencies weren't able to do much. Many parts of the country, especially rural areas, were considered to be too hard to reach. Therefore, most children were left on their own with no one to rely on.

The children that could not be helped were often forced into slavory or cheap labor by criminals and agriculturists. Due to the children's lack of personal connections and guidance, it was almost impossible to keep track of them. Therefore, people could easily take them and use them however they wanted without worrying about getting caught. Even regular families would take homeless kids and force them to do housework and common chores. The children were usually not rewarded or provided for in any way for their work. Many people who live in communities where this is common have reported seeing the homeless children beaten and bruised.

A study in 1922 reported that twenty-five thousand of the five hundred thousand children living in West Virginia were living off of people other than their parents.

If you would like to research this topic on your own, [|click here] (Street Children)

[|To learn more click here] (Peggy Shifflett)

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