Bambini in situazione di strada di Rio de Janeiro

The phenomenon of street children in Rio de Janeiro is little explored, even in the Brazil itself. Even there is a lack of reliable data about the number of children and we possess little information about the quantitative impact of the main factors of vulnerability, such as nutrition, health, child prostitution and drug use. This paper reports in summary the main findings of a field research conducted in the town, based on interviews administered to approximately 150 street children. After rebuilding the concept of children in "street situation", the work first describes the spiral of vulnerability, that is how the vulnerability factors perpetuate and reproduce themselves. We report an analysis of causality, conducted by methods of statistical inference, which allows the reconstruction of the remote and current causes of these conditions of vulnerability. We then report the recent swing of the public policies implemented in the city and the negative consequences that they have on the condition of these children.