Transnationality of Child Poverty: the Case of Iranian and Afghan Street Children in Tehran

Authors

Abstract

Half of Iran’s street children live in the country’s capital, Tehran. Street children spend the day and part of the night in the streets and engage in informal economic activities. They experience abuse, violence and psychological distress in public spaces. The street child issue in Iran is a transnational issue; according to official reports, up to half of street children are Afghans refugees’ and migrants’ children whose exposure to economic and cultural hardship and stereotyping is related to child poverty. This study provides a review of literature on street children’s demographics and situation in Tehran, and the relation between child poverty and Afghan inhabitants’ social and economic situation. I suggest that local approaches to resolve the street child issue have failed because child poverty in Iran is a transnational problem.

 

Author Biography

Ladan Rahbari, PhD researcher in Comparative Science of Culture, Ghent University

PhD researcher in Comparative Science of Culture, Ghent University

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Published

2016-10-16

How to Cite

Rahbari, L. (2016). Transnationality of Child Poverty: the Case of Iranian and Afghan Street Children in Tehran. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 4(5). Retrieved from https://ajouronline.com/index.php/AJHSS/article/view/4019