Fighting For The Rights Of Street Children
Another 6am alarm call this morning; breakfast and on the bus by 6.45am and down to Umthombo where we have our daily briefing meeting. It’s a quick meeting now we’ve all settled into our very varied volunteer roles; buddying the teams on their trips to local schools, timetabling the transport, confirming the match schedules and completing the epic task of washing and drying 100 football strips for the 2pm kick-off – there’s plenty of work going on behind the scenes to make this unique and joyous event run smoothly.
But today was different for me, if not for the street children I later met. As we were about to leave for a meeting to discuss Sunday’s closing ceremony a call came through from Tom; there was a tip off that street children were being rounded up by the local police. We joined Tom in pursuit of the police van he now had in sight in order to document and better still, attempt to prevent this action. We found the van pulled over outside a supermarket and as we approached the blue metal grill doors it was apparent that the eyes peering out at us were those of children. I took photographs as Tom spoke to the faces looking back at us ‘How old are you?’, you can hear the replies for yourself here. http://www.wateringcanmedia.com/clients/umthombo
As you can see the driver of the police van decided his best course of action was to speed off. We followed and he drove into an area we were prohibited from entering by other police officers. Eventually this ridiculous pursuit ended when the van entered a police compound. We parked up and entered the compound; about eight of us, mostly sporting Street Child World Cup t-shirts.
The defence of the police officer we spoke to was that these children were sleeping in old municipal buildings, they had therefore been trespassing. The police captains he told us, have orders from their superiors to ‘keep the streets clean of vagrants’. The children had therefore been awoken with tear-gas and bundled into the back of the vans.
It took the arrival at the police station of a South African radio journalist we had called to give weight to our request to release the children. Plainly concerned that this had the potential to become a big media story during the week of the Street Child World Cup the captain quickly went out to release the children. Six children emerged from the police van, one of them wearing a Street Child World Cup t-shirt – the daily uniform of all us supporting this unique competition. Yesterday the boy wearing the t-shirt had been cheering on the South Africa team and here he was less than 24 hours later, rounded up but now fortunately released.
Umthombo are working hard to improve the lives of street children and today I saw Tom, Mandi and Biza fight face to face for the basic rights of children. The Umthombo drop in centre, Safe Space for street children provides just that, respite for the children; Umthombo’s most pressing fight now is to ensure that the forthcoming FIFA World Cup does not escalate the round-ups of children and they are seeking resources from the city to enable them to extend their work.
Whilst the street children teams battle it out on the football pitch here this week, there are adults battling it out on their behalf and taking their fight to city representatives. It’s hard work and mostly met with shocking resistance, but thankfully there are people working to give children a voice and a happy life.
Karen
Photos
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Endorsements
- "I know from personal experience just what power football can have to inspire and change young people’s lives whatever their background or nationality. This is what the Deloitte Street Child World Cup is all about and I give it my full support."
David Beckham, AC Milan and England Midfielder - "No child should have to live on the streets. I commend the Street Child World Cup for providing a platform for the rights of street children to be heard."
Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister - "The Deloitte Street Child World Cup demonstrates the tremendous potential of every single child, and especially street children, who are so often treated as less than human. I am proud that the first ever Street Child World Cup will take place in South Africa – and I urge all governments to guarantee the rights of this most marginalised group of their citizens to lives in which their promise is fulfilled.Quot;
Archbishop Desmond Tutu - "When ever people come across me they laugh. It seems like my mouth is zipped because they talk for us. I wish they could give us a chance to talk for ourselves."
Mbali, 15, Durban - "When people see us by the streets, they say that we are the street boys. But when they see us playing soccer, they say that we are not the street boys. They say that we are people like them. They are people like us."
Andile, 15, Durban - "I experienced hardcore street life in my youth. I know what it’s like. I congratulate the Deloitte Street Child World Cup project in it’s commitment to bring attention to the plight of Street Children through the power of football."
Manny Pacquiao, Filipino professional boxer, current WBO World welterweight champion - "The Street Child World Cup hosted by Umthombo is a wonderful opportunity to hear the forgotten voices of Street Children – often marginalised, this is their time to be heard and to shine on the world stage. From the football field to governments across the world, this is a chance to celebrate the talent that every child has."
Thandie Newton, star of Crash and 2012 - "The Deloitte Street Child World Cup will use this game, which is loved all over the world, to help give kids a fairer deal. No child should have to be on the street."
Gary Lineker OBE, former Tottenham, Barcelona, and England Forward and BBC’s Match of the Day presenter - "I am delighted that the first Street Child World Cup will take place in South Africa where I know there is a huge passion for football. No child should have to live on the streets and and I fully endorse this campaign giving street children a voice to claim their rights."
Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United Manager - "Football and footballers aren’t always in the headlines for the right reasons but the Deloitte Street Child World Cup harnesses the power of grassroots football to change vulnerable young peoples’ lives for the better across the world through the talent that they have. Good luck to all those taking part."
David Seaman, Former Arsenal and England Goalkeeper - "I’m delighted to endorse the Deloitte Street Child World Cup. This is a fantastic ground-breaking event, aiming to win rights for street children, not only in Durban but across South Africa – and even the world! I’m sure that every team will be a winner!"
Sir Cliff Richard - "I’ve played football as a teenager with the world watching me. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is a brilliant project which will help hundreds of thousands of teenagers who have been forced to live on the streets by getting the world to listen to them and give them a fair chance."
Theo Walcott, Arsenal and England Forward - "No child should have to be on the streets. I am proud to support the Ukrainian team at the Street Child World Cup. Street children need the chance to show the world their potential."
Andriy Shevchenko, Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine Captain - "It was a privilege to be invited to the launch of the Street Child World Cup at Downing Street. It gives children a voice through football, a platform to express their rights and celebrate their abilities – I’m proud to add my support."
Wilson Palacios, Tottenham and Honduras Midfielder - "Seeing young people enjoying the magic of football is what the game is all about and I feel honoured to be supporting the event for street children taking place in South Africa. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is a fantastic grassroots initiative giving a voice to street children through the positive power of football. It’s an example of football making headlines for the right reasons. Good luck to all those taking part!"
Eduardo, Arsenal and Croatia Forward - "I am proud that the first ever Deloitte Street Child World Cup will be held in my country in 2010. Football has the power to unite people from all over the world and gives young people the discipline and focus to let their true talent shine. No child should have to sleep on the street. I am delighted that the Deloitte Street Child World Cup will celebrate these children’s potential and call for their rights to be realised.Good luck to all the teams but especially the South African team Umthombo from Durban!"
Aaron Mokoena, Portsmouth Midfielder and South Africa’s Captain and most capped player - "The Football Association commends initiatives such as the Deloitte Street Child World Championships which use the power of football to make a difference to people’s lives"
Lord David Triesman, F.A. Chairman - "The Street Child World Cup is a superb campaign, bringing to attention the issues faced by some of the most vulnerable children in the world"
Edith Bowman, BBC Radio 1 - "My career is testament to the global village that football has become. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is a groundbreaking campaign highlighting the essential rights that all children must be given. From Montevideo via Brighton and down to Durban – let’s spread the word!"
Gus Poyet, former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Brighton and Hove Albion Manager - "South Africa 2012 will be watched by most of the World. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is the ultimate opportunity for us all to invest in the grassroots of football. Great campaign."
Sam Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers Manager - "The power of football in the community is undeniable and football is now a global community. I support the Deloitte Street Child World Cup in raising awareness and support through football for the most vulnerable in our community: street children"
Owen Coyle, Bolton Wanderers Manager - "Throughout my career I have been an advocate of community development through football and the Deloitte Street Child World Cup is an excellent example of uniting through football in support of young people across the World."
Alan Curbishley, Former Charlton and West Ham Manager
