Social representations of street children

Abstract

Programs geared at supporting and resocializing street children in Brazil are not accomplishing the expected results: the number of children in the streets is ever growing and the children's rights continue to be violate. Protective legislation and re-socialization programs geared towards "street children" need strong societal support in order to be effective. Considering that social representations elaborated by a group guide and justify group's behavior and communications towards the objects represent, we investigated how "street children" are represented by groups to whom they are more likely exposed: other children and adolescents who work in the streets, policemen and security guards, "street educators" and middle class children who study in schools near the "habitat" of these children.