Millions of children call the streets their home.

Ignored by systems and failed by society, they face daily violence, hunger, and isolation. We're here to change that. We are a global movement demanding protection, justice and opportunities for street children – and with your help, we’re making it happen.

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children counted using CSC’s child visibility methodology.

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school retention in Kenya through our inclusive education pilot.

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street workers trained globally.

Street and working children are among the most vulnerable population groups the world over.

They experience rights violations, multiple adverse childhood experiences and harsh living and working conditions

However, we also know they are resilient, resourceful and want to be involved in decisions affecting their futures.

Learn about street children here

About the Consortium for Street Children

We believe every child deserves to be protected – no matter where they live or how they survive.

We supported young people with lived experience to help shape a vital international commitment to their rights: the UN’s General Comment 21. Their voices informed this landmark guidance to ensure street-connected children are not only protected, but empowered to shape the decisions that affect their lives – and we are ensuring their voices remain at the forefront of decisions affecting their lives.

But a promise on paper isn’t enough. Real change happens when action reaches the streets. That’s why we work both on the ground – supporting local organisations changing children’s lives every day – and at the highest levels – pushing governments to turn words into action.

Through our global network in over 100 countries, we’re making sure no street-connected child is forgotten. With your support, we can go even further.

Learn more about our network

Find out more about the General Comment

Find out more about life on the streets

How you can get involved

Sushmita's Story

Sushmita was 13 and living with her mother and younger sister on a pavement in central Kolkata when Anupriya, a street worker crossed her path. With her father working away from home and her mother cleaning long hours for little pay, the girls were coping with frequent evictions, illness, and a lack of food—pressures that disrupted their schooling and put their health at risk.

Click below to read Sushmita’s full story and discover how dedicated support can turn survival into leadership—and how you can play a vital role in that transformation.

Sushmita’s story

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Latest UN Submission

Submission on pre-primary and secondary education

Our submission reaffirms street-connected children’s right to “accessible, free, safe, relevant and quality education” as outlined in UN General Comment 21 on Children in Street Situations. It also celebrates the proposed optional protocol as a vital document in dismantling entrenched inequalities and discrimination facing street-connected children.

For street-connected children, meaningful participation is not only a right, but a transformative process.

As we mark the 15th International Day for Street Children, and approach eight years since the release of UN General Comment No. 21, one thing is clear: while progress has been made, we still have a long way to go in realising genuine, meaningful participation for street-connected children. Too often, their voices remain unheard in the very spaces where decisions about their lives are made.

Support with advocacy

Advocacy and Action Guide

Our Advocacy and Action Guide outlines how organisations can develop effective advocacy strategies to make rights a reality for street-connected children. It goes through conducting the initial research, how to plan a targeted strategy and identify who it is you need to influence, through to carrying out your advocacy work and monitoring the results

Legal Atlas

Visit the Legal Atlas

Street children are one of the world's most invisible populations. They are overlooked by governments, law and policymakers and many others in society. The Legal Atlas puts information about laws affecting street children directly into the hands of street children and their advocates. By gaining access to legal information, street children and homeless youth are put on the map so that every child can be treated fairly and with respect.

The World's Largest collection of research on street children

Visit our online Resource Library

This Resource Library is a free-to-use online library containing the largest collection of street-connected children related research, reports and articles, brought to you by the Consortium for Street Children (CSC).