Consortium for Street Children

05/05/2026

🗓️📯 Calling all UK CSC supporters! Just Walk for Street Children 2026 takes place on Sunday 28th June.

Gather your family and friends for an unforgettable walk along the picturesque River Thames between Windsor and Maidenhead. Take in the wonderful views as you stroll through this iconic area and enjoy a fantastic lunch at a riverside hotel, all while raising funds to support the Consortium for Street Children.

Find out more, register and get involved below.

Check out this Poster designed by ConsortiumforStreetChildren.

01/05/2026

Sushmita grew up on the streets in Kolkata, but today, she is speaking on global platforms, advocating for the rights of children like her.

Her journey is a powerful reminder that are not passive victims. When children are given the opportunity to participate, they don’t just share their experiences—they shape solutions.

📖 Read Sushmita’s story:
https://www.streetchildren.org/news-and-updates/sushmitas-journey-from-the-pavements-to-the-un/

29/04/2026

Fiction: Children in street situations need to be controlled or removed from the streets.

Fact: Many are punished simply for trying to survive.

Arrested for sleeping outside.
Detained for informal work.
Targeted instead of supported.

Criminalisation doesn’t protect children - it pushes them further from safety, services, and justice.

27/04/2026

Street-connected children are not criminals.

But in too many places, they are still treated as if they are, simply for trying to survive. If we are serious about protecting children, this must change.

That means:

- Ending laws and practices that criminalise children in street situations
- Removing barriers to justice, education, healthcare and protection
- Listening to children and recognising them as rights holders
- Investing in support - not punishment

The call from this year’s International Day for Street Children was clear: Protect, don’t punish.

We’ll keep pushing for change - because children’s rights don’t begin and end on one day.

24/04/2026

International Day for Street Children was never meant to be just one day.

Across our global network, partners are already turning momentum into action, by engaging governments, influencing policy, and pushing for change.

Earlier this month in Sierra Leone, parliamentarians from across the ECOWAS region came together to address the rights of children in street situations.

Crucially, children and civil society were part of that conversation—speaking directly to decision-makers about what needs to change.

23/04/2026

International Day for Street Children may be over, but the momentum is just beginning.

Across the world, our network came together to call for one clear message: Protect, don’t punish.

🎥 Watch some of this year's highlights, from powerful moments of child participation to partners engaging decision-makers,

17/04/2026

16/04/2026

Last week, the ECOWAS Parliament brought together MPs from across West Africa to Sierra Leone to address the rights of children in street situations.

These children continue to face criminalisation, violence, and barriers to justice and essential services. This visit showed what change can look like when political leadership listens.

Civil society networks – including CSC’s West Africa Strategic Advocacy Group and the Network for Street Connected Children in Sierra Leone – were at the heart of discussions.

Most importantly, children themselves spoke directly to parliamentarians, sharing their priorities as rights holders and change-makers.

Their message was clear:

• Protect, don’t punish
• End the criminalisation of survival behaviours
• Ensure access to justice and essential services
• Embed meaningful child participation in national strategies

Coming just ahead of International Day for Street Children, this was a powerful example of regional momentum in action, and showed how coordinated ECOWAS wide action can shift harmful narratives, end criminalisation, and harness the power of regional movements to drive lasting change with and for .

We call on ECOWAS parliamentarians to transform this momentum into concrete commitments and champion a resolution that sets a new benchmark for protecting the rights of children in street situations.

Future Focus Foundation Laughter Africa Street Child of Sierra Leone - SCoSL Don Bosco Fanbul

14/04/2026

We’re proud to have the support of the United Nations Office on Violence against Children in championing the rights and agency of street-connected children.

Too often, these children face stigma, discrimination, and barriers to justice — but they must not be invisible or left behind.

Building on the momentum of International Day for Street Children, her powerful call to action reminds us that we must ensure are no longer invisible or left behind.

12/04/2026

Today is

Every child has the right to justice — but for street-connected children, that right is too often out of reach.

What can you do to help change this?

✔️ Share this message
✔️ Learn about children’s rights
✔️ Call for justice systems that protect, not punish

Together, we can make access to justice a reality. Find out more 👉 https://www.streetchildren.org/idsc/international-day-for-street-children-2026/