ABSTRACT
Ever since the 1979 International Year of the Child, there has been worldwide con-cern about children and adolescents who use the streets of urban centers as their principal or secondary living space. Some of the initiatives taken in recent decades on behalf of street children include campaigns appealing for international solidarity; experiments with new educational strategies compatible with conditions on the street; establishment of special organizations to assist these youngsters; media reports lamenting their deplorable living conditions; seminars and national and international conferences; and research studies on their demographic profile, ways of dealing with life on the streets, or their family history and educational background. The matter of street children has transcended national borders and cuts across the boundaries of academic disciplines and professional specializations.
