North-Western Provincial Child Development Coordinator, Chipoka Simukanga has noted with great concern the increasing number of children found on the streets across the region.
Speaking in an interview with the media in Solwezi district, Mr Simukanga said the particular concern is the growing presence of children engaged in picking bottles for resale, collecting scrap metal, and selling assorted items in busy trading areas.
Mr Simukanga said reports indicate that some of these children who claim to be attending school are being sent into the streets by adults to engage in income-generating activities.
“This situation is largely attributed to persistent poverty in some households, as well as cases of child neglect,” he said.
He stated that in a number of instances, parents and guardians are either unaware of, or are willfully allowing children to engage in street-based economic activities including selling goods that belong to other adults saying such practices expose children to exploitation, abuse and school disruption.
Mr Simukanga has strongly urged parents and guardians to prioritise the welfare and education of their children.
He said the government has created significant opportunities to support children’s education including the free education policy and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) school sponsorship programmes, the initiatives intended to reduce the financial burden on families and ensure that no child is forced into the streets due to lack of school support.
Meanwhile, Mr Simukanga said that the Department of Child Development continues to support orphans and vulnerable children through the provision of essential school requisites, including books, pens, pencils, school bags, mathematical sets, and other learning materials.
He said the interventions are meant to keep children in school and safeguard their future.
“As the nation approaches the commemoration of the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) for 2026, under the theme “Safeguarding Children in Media and Beyond,” the department is calling upon media houses to play a proactive role in child protection.
Media institutions are encouraged to highlight the negative effects of Children being on streets and to provide safe and ethical platforms for them in order to share their lived experiences,” he said.
Mr Simukanga has urged the media houses to amplify children’s voices by allowing them to speak about the challenges they encounter on the streets, the risks they face and the aspirations they hold for their future despite their current circumstances.
He warned that willful neglect of children by parents or guardians is an offence under the Children’s Code Act, saying appropriate action will be taken against individuals who deliberately expose children to harmful labor or deny them proper care and protection.
Mr Simukanga has further called on all stakeholders, parents, community leaders, schools, media houses and the general public to work together to protect children and ensure they grow up in safe, supportive, and nurturing environments.
With these signs of increased street kids somebody should self praise himself that they are improving the economy. Smh
Nothing is going on economically. Propaganda is the hall mark of their communication strategy. The mines are externalising their money leaving you with crumbs called statutory obligations and salaries which is nothing compared to what they are getting, obviously not their fault, and you wonder why with the so called massive investments in the mines people’s livelyhoods are not changing. 5 years is a long time to see some improvement in peoples lives changing, unfortunately the reality on the ground is completely different
Shame. This speaks volumes
Why were there no street kids in the Soviet Union? In North Korea too.
In Libya tooooooo!