Street Girls and Their Fight for Survival Across Four Developing Countries

Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches this study explored the lives of 115 girls on the streets, the data were gathered from the cities of New Delhi (India), Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), and Pretoria (South Africa). The average age of the sample was 15.17 years and the sample comprised of family based, street based, and shelter based children. The results indicated that the girls who were street based were at maximum risk of being involved in antisocial activities with peers, being low on problem solving, and high on depression and mental health related problems. However, the sample was also high on community engagement, religiosity, and individual attributes of self esteem, self efficacy, and resilience. The results were further substantiated via protocols from the participants. Given the vulnerable position of the girl child on the streets, programs that directly address the well-being and health of the girl child, especially those who are street based, are important to be examined.