CHILDREN OF THE STREETS: A STUDY OF SOME SELECTED AFRICAN NOVELS

Abstract

This paper investigated street children as presented by Amma Darko in Faceless and Bulawayo Noviolate in We Need New Names. The paper examined the nature of the environment where these children operate. It also highlighted various ways the rights of the street children have been abused, and the consequences of different bizarre experiences on their psyche. Complete experiences of the children were obtained through qualitative research method. Post-colonial theory guided the study to determine the state of African children after the colonial rule since street children were not part of the past. Psycho-analytical theory was also adopted to determine the state of the mind of street children as trauma caused by living on the streets could be very difficult to manage. At the end of the study, it was discovered that children living on the streets are not adequately protected from abuse because they lack basic needs of life like, shelter, food and clothing. To minimize the development of street children, natural strategy aimed at promoting, protecting and fulfilling their rights should be promulgated.