Health and Social Conditions of Street Children in Honduras

The United Nations' Year of the Child and its Declaration on the Rights of Children have focused the attention of the pediatric community on the situation of homeless street children in less developed countries throughout the world. Recent investigations 1-4 document widespread family disorganization, exploitation, abandonment, violence, police brutality, frequent imprisonment of street children in Latin America and elsewhere, and, in at least one case, killing of gaminismos (street children) informally sanctioned and abetted by officials and the media. 5 This article presents descriptive data on health and social conditions of street children in Honduras who are receiving services through Proyecto Alternativos , a health education and social services program located in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. THE HONDURAN CONTEXT