ABSTRACT
The plight of young people who work, and sometimes even live, in the streets ofBrazil’s urban centers has been well documented and widely diffused by national and international media. Their situation is part of a much larger and complex problem in which vastly greater numbers of children in Brazil, and around the world, also suffer deprivation, exclusion from opportunities, and a very limited realization of their human rights. Most of these children must work to survive, some on the streets of cities, others in factories, on farms, in small and large businesses, and at home. Often the conditions of work are horrendous. Even when they are not, a changing global context has made this situation harmful to the well-being of these children. In an era of globalization, where schooling is the primary avenue to the skills and credentials necessary for better jobs and higher income, any activity that adversely affects school attendance and intellectual development is a threat to a child’s future. All of these children who are growing up in circumstances that are severely detrimental to their human development and wellbeing are referred to here as street and working children.1
