Lived experiences of street girls in Côte d’Ivoire

• Published date: 30 May 2019
• Pages: 150-162
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-12-2017-0052
• Date: 30 May 2019
• Author: Tamarah Moss,Andrew M. Muriuki,Sithokozile Maposa,Denise Kpebo
• Subject Matter: Health & social care

Lived experiences of street girls in

Côte d’Ivoire

Tamarah Moss, Andrew M. Muriuki, Sithokozile Maposa and Denise Kpebo

Abstract

Purpose –The United Nations continues to identify street children as one of the most vulnerable

sub-populations of chi ldren and youth globally . The purpose of this paper is t o present social and

contextual perspectives of 11 girls living on the streets of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Implications with respect to

the development and delivery of effective sexual/reproductive and mental health interventions and services

are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach –Through semi-structured interviews and applied qualitative thematic

analysis, this paper aims to achieve in-depth understanding about the lives of 11 girls living on the street.

A socio-ecological framework is utilized to interpret the experiences of the girls at the individual (micro),

community (mezzo) and structural (macro) levels.

Findings –Six main themes evolved from the thematic analysis of interview transcripts: exposure to violence

and abuse before and on the street, exposure to violence and sex work, risk and vulnerability to HIV,

substance use and sex work, substance use and physical and reproductive health and ways of coping and

future planning.

Originality/value –The interplay of experiences illustrates how girls navigate their lives, and along with an

appreciation of intersectionality validates the need for an integrated approach to health and social care related

to health and mental health services. Integrated interventions should focus on common issues such as

improving access to HIV testing and contraceptives for young girls living on the street.

Keywords Intersectionality, Health and social care, Migration, Street children, HIV vulnerability,

Côte d’Ivoire

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Street children are a social and public health concern worldwide, and remain important with

respect to understanding the welfare of international children and youth (Connolly, 1990).

Indeed, the United Nations continues to identify street children as one of the most vulnerable

sub-populations of children and youth globally (United Nations, 2017). Yet, there is limited

understanding especially with respect to the needs of girls who are living on the streets and

engaged in sex work. An environment of illegal drug use, exposure to violence, mental health

disparities, vulnerability to HIV and unintended pregnancy continues to grow and impact the

livelihood of children on the street in many developing countries (Sumner et al., 2015).

When considering the lived experiences of children living on the street, an understanding of terms

is essential. UNICEF (2001) defines children of the street as homeless children who live and sleep

on the streets in urban areas. They are totally on their own, living with other street children or

homeless adult street people. Some of these children maintain contact with their families. On the

other hand, children on the street earn their living or beg for money on the street and return home

at night (UNICEF, 2001; Thomas de Benitez, 2011). This paper focuses on the lived experiences

of girls who are children of the streets of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Côte d’Ivoire has one of the highest adult rates of HIV prevalence in West Africa, estimated at

3.7 percent (UNAIDS, 2012). According to UNICEF, Côte d’Ivoire has approximately 480,000

Received 19 December 2017

Revised 1 December 2018

Accepted 6 December 2018

The authors would like to thank

the street girl participants of the

study for sharing their stories, the

survey team for their patience and

sensitivity and Save the Children-

Cote D’Ivoire staff, Save the

Children-USA, USAID and an NGO

key implementing agency of the

President’s Emergency Plan for

AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for their

support. Thanks also to Howard

University Research Centers for

Minority Institutions (RCMI)

Program.

Tamarah Moss is based at the

School of Social Work, Howard

University, Washington, District

of Columbia, USA.

Andrew M. Muriuki is based

at Save the Children USA,

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.

Sithokozile Maposa is based at

Joseph J. Zilber School of

Public Health, University of

Saskatchewan, Saskatoon,

Canada.

Denise Kpebo is based at Save

the Children Côte d’Ivoire,

Abidjan, Côte d’ivoire.

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VOL. 15 NO. 2 2019, pp.150-162, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1747-9894 DOI 10.1108/IJMHSC-12-2017-0052