A child-centred response to the sexual exploitation of children in street situations

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, Mama Fatima Singhateh, addresses the sexual exploitation of children in street situations. She examines the root causes and risk factors that contribute to children’s exposure to this form of exploitation, as well as the challenges surrounding its prevention, detection and reporting. The primary focus of the report is to assess how States and other child protection stakeholders are currently responding to this issue and to identify and promote effective, child-centred responses. The Special Rapporteur aims to provide concrete, rights-based recommendations to support the development and implementation of holistic strategies that are aligned with international human rights standards and strengthen the protection of children in street situations.

To inform the preparation of the present report, the Special Rapporteur sought contributions from Member States, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and academia. In total, she received 62 submissions.¹ In collaboration with the Consortium for Street Children, the Special Rapporteur also convened a series of regional consultations with civil society actors, academic experts and children and young people from all regions of the world. The Special Rapporteur wishes to thank all child protection stakeholders for their valuable contributions and collaboration. The Special Rapporteur also wishes to express her heartfelt thanks to the children and young people she met, whose candour and openness greatly enriched their discussions.

1. See www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2025/call-input-child-centered-response-sexual-exploitation-children-street. ↩

Information on the activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur since her report to the Human Rights Council dated 3 February 2025² is presented below.

2. A/HRC/58/52. ↩

During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur transmitted communications to Governments jointly with other mandate holders. The full list of press releases and statements issued is available on the mandate holder’s web page.³

3. See www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-sale-of-children. ↩

On 11 February, the Special Rapporteur participated in a dialogue with children and youth from across India, facilitated by the Child in Need Institute. She underscored the importance of child and youth participation in programming and decision-making processes that affect their lives.

On 13 March, the Special Rapporteur presented the above-mentioned report on sexual abuse of children in peacekeeping and humanitarian contexts to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-eighth session.

On 17 March, the Special Rapporteur organized a hybrid event on the sidelines of the fifty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council on combating sexual abuse of children in peacekeeping and humanitarian contexts. 1 See www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2025/call-input-child-centered-response-sexualexploitation-children-street. 2 A/HRC/58/52. 3 See www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-sale-of-children. 4/21

On 21 March, the Special Rapporteur spoke at a high-level round-table meeting on “Risks and opportunities of AI for children: a common commitment for safeguarding children”, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the World Childhood Foundation and the Institute of Anthropology of the Pontifical Gregorian University, in the Vatican City.

On 1 April, the Special Rapporteur delivered a keynote speech in a global webinar entitled “From shadows to spotlight: a global movement to protect boys from sexual violence”, organized by Family for Every Child.

On 3 April, the Special Rapporteur spoke at a global webinar on the regulation of voluntourism to protect children, organized by ECPAT International.

On 9 April, the Special Rapporteur delivered a keynote speech in a webinar entitled “Addressing child exploitation in Australia: findings of the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children”, organized by Anti-Slavery Australia.

From 12 to 31 May, in collaboration with the Consortium for Street Children, the Special Rapporteur convened a series of regional consultations to inform the present report. Civil society organizations, academic experts and young people in Europe, Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia engaged in the consultations.

On 1 July, the Special Rapporteur participated as a guest speaker at the Informal Conference of Ministers marking the fifteenth anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), organized by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe, which considered achievements, challenges and a way forward to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

From 14 to 24 April, the Special Rapporteur conducted an official country visit to the United Arab Emirates. The report of that country visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in March 2026. The Special Rapporteur extends her gratitude to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the cooperation extended before, during and after the visit.

The Special Rapporteur also wishes to express her appreciation to the Government of Botswana for accepting her request to conduct an official country visit. Owing to the ongoing liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations regular budget, the visit had to be postponed to 2026. The Special Rapporteur looks forward to undertaking the visit and engaging in constructive dialogue with the Government and other stakeholders.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of all children from abuse and exploitation, yet many continue to face violence, harassment, oppression, sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly children in street situations, who are especially vulnerable due to their lack of shelter, protection and access to essential services. In its general comment No. 21 (2017), the Committee on the Rights of the Child uses the term “children in street situations” to refer to those who depend on the streets to live and/or work, whether alone, with peers or with family members; and those who have formed strong social and economic connections with public spaces. This includes children who may not continuously reside or work in public areas but who are regularly present in locations such as markets, parks and transport hubs. For these children, the street has become, in various ways, a source of livelihood and connection.⁴

4. See www.unicef.org/iran/en/children-street-situations. ↩

Children in street situations are not a uniform group. They differ in age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability status and other identity markers. Their ties to public spaces range from temporary to long term, and are shaped by activities such as work, recreation or survival-based practices, including sleeping outdoors or substance abuse. These engagements may occur voluntarily, out of necessity or under coercion, and can serve either as coping mechanisms or pathways to further harm and exploitation.⁵

5. Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 21 (2017), para. 6. ↩

Due to the compounding effects of poverty, systemic inequality and intersecting discrimination, these children face a heightened risk of sexual exploitation.⁶ Frequently undocumented and highly mobile, they are often excluded from public policy frameworks and national data systems.⁷ Their lived environments, marked by instability and a lack of consistent adult supervision, expose them to serious risks, without the protection of legal safeguards or reliable access to services.

6. See A/77/140. ↩
7. Information provided during the regional consultations. ↩

The drivers that push children into street situations include poverty, displacement, family breakdown, climate change and structural discrimination related to gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation or migration status. Weak State infrastructure further erodes their access to safety nets. Once in street situations, their vulnerability is compounded by systemic barriers, such as a lack of identification documents, the criminalization of survival behaviours and exclusion from education and healthcare.⁸

8. See A/HRC/19/35. ↩

The Convention on the Rights of the Child serves as the primary global instrument for the promotion and protection of the rights of all children, in all settings and circumstances. Its near-universal ratification underscores the strong political commitment of States to uphold the rights of children. The Convention is the first legally binding instrument to take a holistic view of the child, recognizing them as rights holders and encompassing a full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It further articulates the general principles that guide its implementation: the best interests of the child (art. 3), non-discrimination (art. 2), the right to life, survival and development (art. 6) and the right of the child to be heard (art. 12).

The rights enshrined in the Convention apply to all children, without discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or any other status (art. 2). Although the Convention does not explicitly mention children in street situations, all its provisions are fully applicable to them, including those related to protection from violence, including sexual abuse (arts. 19 and 34), an adequate standard of living (art. 27), the right to education (arts. 28 and 29), the highest attainable standard of health (art. 24), protecting the rights of children with disabilities (art. 23) special protection for 4 See www.unicef.org/iran/en/children-street-situations. 5 Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 21 (2017), para. 6. 6 See A/77/140. 7 Information provided during the regional consultations. 8 See A/HRC/19/35. 6/21 children deprived of a family environment (art. 20) and protection from economic exploitation (art. 32).

The Committee on the Rights of the Child has consistently addressed the situation of children in street situations through its concluding observations and general guidance. Most notably, general comment No. 21 (2017) on children in street situations provides specific and authoritative interpretation of States’ obligations toward this group of children. It reaffirms that children in street situations are entitled to the full protection of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and outlines concrete measures for implementation, grounded in a child rights-based approach. This approach rejects welfare or punitive responses in favour of policies and interventions that empower children as rights holders and respect their views, agency and evolving capacities.

Other general comments issued by the Committee have also addressed issues relevant to children in street situations, such as general comment No. 13 (2011) on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence, general comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, general comment No. 17 (2013) on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts, and general comment No. 24 (2019) on children’s rights in the child justice system.

In addition to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocols on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and on the involvement of children in armed conflict further reinforce the legal framework for protecting children from exploitation, violence and abuse. All core international human rights instruments apply to children,⁹ and many contain child-specific provisions, such as article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognizes the right of children with disabilities to express their views freely and to be provided with age-appropriate assistance.

9. Ibid. ↩

Other international legal frameworks complement the Convention on the Rights of the Child in protecting children in street situations. These include key instruments of the International Labour Organization, such as the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), which distinguish between acceptable forms of work and exploitative labour that must be eliminated. Children in street situations, given their high exposure to abuse and exploitation, also fall within the protective scope of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

The international legal instruments described above are complemented by global policy frameworks that reinforce States’ obligations to protect children in street situations, notably the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 2030 Agenda underscores the imperative to leave no one behind and prioritizes those most marginalized. Several Sustainable Development Goal targets are directly relevant to children in street situations: target 1.3 (ensure universal access to social protection); target 2.2 (end all forms of malnutrition); target 3.5 (prevent and treat substance abuse); target 3.7 (ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare); targets 4.1 and 4.5 (ensure inclusive and equitable education and eliminate gender disparities); target 5.2 (eliminate violence and exploitation); target 6.2 (achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene); target 8.7 (eradicate child labour and trafficking); targets 10.2 and 10.3 (promote social inclusion and eliminate discriminatory laws and practices); target 11.1 (ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing); target 16.2 (end violence against children); and target 16.9 (provide legal identity for all, including birth registration).¹⁰

10. See A/77/140; and www.ohchr.org/en/children/childrens-rights-and-2030-agenda-sustainable-development. ↩

The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that addressing the specific vulnerabilities of children in street situations is essential to the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to ensuring that no child is left behind. National, regional and international responses, including laws, policies and programmes, should reflect these priorities and be integrated into the processes for reporting on and reviewing the Goals.¹¹

11. See A/77/140, para. 86. ↩

Children in street situations face an increased risk of sexual exploitation due to intersecting and systemic violations of their rights. This section outlines the multiple and evolving manifestations of sexual exploitation affecting this group of children, as well as the consequences for their health, safety and development. It highlights how structural inequalities, social stigma and gaps in legal and policy protection contribute to a cycle of exploitation, invisibility and rights violations.

Manifestations of sexual exploitation of children in street situations

Children in street situations experience heightened exposure to sexual exploitation due to a convergence of structural risks that include poverty, displacement, systemic discrimination and inadequate social protection. These children often lack access to essential services such as education, healthcare and housing, and are frequently undocumented, factors that exacerbate their invisibility and reduce access to legal redress or protection mechanisms.

Climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly recognized as structural drivers of child displacement and street involvement, heightening risks of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Climate-induced disasters disrupt livelihoods and social protection systems, particularly in rural, Indigenous and low-income communities, forcing families to migrate and often leading to child separation.¹² Unaccompanied and undocumented children in urban or informal settings, including street situations, face increased exposure to survival sex and other forms of exploitation.¹³ Girls, children with disabilities and those of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity face heightened risks of sexual violence.¹⁴ Yet, most national child protection systems fail to integrate climate-related risks, leaving critical protection gaps for children displaced by environmental factors.¹⁵

12. Adapted from findings in United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index (New York, 2021). ↩
13. Adapted from findings in International Organization for Migration, “Addressing human trafficking and exploitation in times of crisis: evidence and recommendations for further action to protect vulnerable and mobile populations”, December 2015. ↩
14. Information provided during the regional consultations. ↩
15. Adapted from findings in Save the Children, “Feeling the heat: child survival in a changing climate”, 2009. ↩

Cross-border trafficking is a critical concern. Many children in street situations, particularly those without legal identity or guardianship, are targeted by traffickers who exploit their precarious conditions and lack of protection. Trafficking often occurs under false promises of employment or safety, and children are transported across borders and within national territories into situations of forced prostitution, forced labour, domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation. The absence of reliable cross-border coordination, child-sensitive migration procedures and protective infrastructure enables traffickers to operate with impunity, especially in informal economies, transit hubs and border regions.¹⁶

16. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. ↩

Transactional and survival sex is widespread among street-connected children, particularly among girls and young people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities, who are often compelled to exchange sex for food, shelter or protection. These practices are frequently normalized within street communities, leaving children exposed to ongoing cycles of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Due to the stigma and criminalization of survival behaviours, their experiences often remain invisible and unreported.¹⁷

17. Submission from the University of Dundee. ↩

Worryingly, online exploitation and grooming present increasing threats. Shared access to mobile phones and public Wi-Fi, combined with limited digital literacy and adult supervision, leaves children and young people vulnerable to grooming, coercion and abuse on social media, messaging apps and gaming platforms. Perpetrators use these tools to manipulate, blackmail and recruit children into both in-person and virtual forms of sexual exploitation. Young people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities and those seeking online communities for support are at particular risk.¹⁸

18. Submission from ECPAT International. ↩

Children in street situations may also be sexually exploited within the travel and tourism industries or pushed into organized commercial exploitation, including live-streamed performances and online pornography, sometimes facilitated through digital platforms. In addition, sexual exploitation by authority or institutional actors, including police, shelter staff or border agents, has been documented in some contexts, pointing to abuses of power and breach of trust.¹⁹

19. See ECPAT International, Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism 2016 (Bangkok, 2016); and ECPAT International, Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism: Regional Report – North America (Bangkok, 2016). ↩

Certain groups of children face compounded vulnerabilities that are often misunderstood or overlooked in response systems. These include undocumented and migrant children, Indigenous and minority children, and young people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities. Gender norms also influence both the forms of sexual violence experienced and the ability to access services and protection. For instance, boys subjected to sexual exploitation may be less likely to report abuse due to social stigma,²⁰ while girls may face coercion from peers or caregivers within exploitative networks.²¹

20. A/76/144, para. 45. ↩
21. Information provided during the regional consultations. ↩

Children with disabilities, from marginalized communities, or with diverse sexual and gender identities face elevated risks of being targeted by individuals or organized networks. The stigma surrounding their situation, coupled with criminalization and institutional neglect, hinders their access to justice and protective services. Over time, the trauma of exploitation can lead to cycles of harm, psychological distress and further exclusion.²²

22. Ibid. ↩

Children in street situations also endure multiple and overlapping risks, such as unsafe sleeping conditions, hazardous informal work, substance abuse and the 16 Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. 17 Submission from the University of Dundee. 18 Submission from ECPAT International. 19 See ECPAT International, Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism 2016 (Bangkok, 2016); and ECPAT International, Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism: Regional Report – North America (Bangkok, 2016). 20 A/76/144, para. 45. 21 Information provided during the regional consultations. 22 Ibid. absence of care and support structures. For example, in urban settings, children report sleeping near train stations or under bridges, with minimal protection from violence or exploitation. Substance use often emerges as a coping mechanism but further exposes children to harm and dependency.²³

23. Submission from the Child in Need Institute. ↩

At a structural level, the absence of legal identity remains one of the most significant obstacles. Without birth registration or documentation, street-connected children are routinely denied access to schooling, refused treatment at health facilities and excluded from formal protection systems. In many cases, retroactive registration procedures require parental presence or consent conditions that are frequently unattainable for children disconnected from family support. This legal invisibility is mirrored in policy and service delivery systems.²⁴

24. Ibid. ↩

Children in street situations are also frequently excluded from national data collection exercises and household-based surveys, rendering them invisible in public planning. As a result, they are often not factored into national strategies addressing health, education and child protection, reinforcing cycles of neglect and marginalization.²⁵

25. Submission from the University of Dundee. ↩

Street-connected children avoid engaging with service providers and law enforcement authorities as a result of reported experiences rooted in stigma, shame and mistrust. These feelings are not unfounded – many children report past experiences of discrimination or abuse by service providers, including being judged or dismissed by teachers, refused healthcare or mistreated by police. Fear of retaliation and systemic power imbalances prevent most children from reporting these violations, deepening their isolation and trauma.²⁶

26. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. ↩

Barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare are particularly acute. Many public facilities require proof of residence, guardian accompaniment or online appointments, criteria that often exclude children in street situations. Where services are accessed, children and young people frequently face moral judgment, denial of care or breaches of confidentiality, resulting in delayed treatment, unaddressed trauma and increased risks of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. These challenges are compounded by a severe lack of adapted mental health and psychosocial support. Children with substance abuse or trauma histories rarely find accessible care, as services are often privatized, cost-prohibitive or ill-equipped to meet their complex needs.²⁷

27. Information provided during the regional consultations. ↩

Educational systems similarly fall short in providing inclusive and equitable learning environments. Children in street situations frequently report being overlooked or dismissed by educators, especially when they appear untidy or attend irregularly due to their circumstances. Instances of peer bullying are rarely addressed, contributing to hostile school environments that ultimately drive many children away from education altogether.²⁸

28. Submission from CRC Coalition Philippines. ↩

Alarmingly, access to information remains a critical gap. Many street-connected children, especially those with disabilities or language barriers, are unaware of their rights or the services available to them. The digital divide further compounds this, as children without phones, data or technical knowledge are excluded from online 23 Submission from the Child in Need Institute. 24 Ibid. 25 Submission from the University of Dundee. 26 Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. 27 Information provided during the regional consultations. 28 Submission from CRC Coalition Philippines. 10/21 platforms where appointments, applications or information may be available. Paradoxically, while many children lack regular digital access, occasional or unsupervised Internet use through public Wi-Fi or shared devices exposes them to new risks.²⁹

29. Submissions from CRC Coalition Philippines, Yayasan Kampus Diakoneia Modern and Human Trafficking Front. ↩

Housing and care arrangements also fail to meet the needs of children in street situations. Shelters often impose strict conditions, such as adult accompaniment or renunciation of street ties, that many children cannot fulfil. Specialized support for children with disabilities is rarely available, and most public care structures are not equipped to accommodate their unique requirements. The fragmentation of services is further exacerbated by the reliance on civil society organizations. While these actors play a critical role, their reach is limited, and government-run services often target only children with formal addresses or legal guardianship. As a result, children in street situations are excluded from national safety nets and are left to navigate complex, unwelcoming systems on their own.³⁰

30. Adapted from findings in UNICEF, “Child protection systems strengthening: approach; benchmarks; interventions”, September 2021; and regional consultations. ↩

Protecting children in street situations from sexual exploitation requires a holistic, rights-based and child-centred framework that addresses both structural causes and individual vulnerabilities. This section outlines key response strategies grounded in the principles of prevention, protection, accountability, participation and inclusion. It emphasizes the need to strengthen national child protection systems, enhance access to services and justice and ensure that children’s voices shape the policies and programmes intended to safeguard them.

Prevention, protection and access to information and services

Effective prevention of the sexual exploitation of children in street situations begins with ensuring their equal and non-discriminatory access to essential services, including education, healthcare, adequate housing or shelter, and legal identity. Yet these children are routinely denied such protections due to a combination of legal and administrative barriers, persistent stigma and the systemic invisibility of their circumstances within national frameworks. To address these risks, States must adopt targeted, rights-based strategies that guarantee access to services and build protective environments responsive to children’s realities.

In this context, comprehensive sexuality education, when delivered in a manner consistent with children’s evolving capacities and cultural context, plays a pivotal role in enabling children to make informed decisions, recognize sexual abuse and gain access to support. It is equally essential to ensure that front-line professionals, including educators, health workers and police officers, receive continuous training on trauma-informed, child-sensitive and gender-responsive approaches to service provision.³¹ Such training should be added as permanent modules within the mandatory curricula of professional certification courses for the relevant professional groups.³²

31. A/76/144, paras. 73, 79 and 80; and submissions from the Gujarat National Law University Centre for Women and Child Rights and the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France). ↩
32. A/HRC/49/51, para. 68. ↩

To ensure protection, access to legal identity through birth registration should be guaranteed to all children in street situations, regardless of legal or migration 29 Submissions from CRC Coalition Philippines, Yayasan Kampus Diakoneia Modern and Human Trafficking Front. 30 Adapted from findings in UNICEF, “Child protection systems strengthening: approach; benchmarks; interventions”, September 2021; and regional consultations. 31 A/76/144, paras. 73, 79 and 80; and submissions from the Gujarat National Law University Centre for Women and Child Rights and the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France). 32 A/HRC/49/51, para. 68. status. Simplified, cost-free registration procedures, mobile outreach units and the engagement of civil society actors in registration processes represent effective, rightscompliant strategies. For children who lack documentation or whose papers have been lost, expedited and confidential processes for obtaining or restoring identity documents are imperative.³³

33. Submission from the Fondation Apprentis d’Auteuil International. ↩

In parallel, safe, accessible and non-stigmatizing spaces must be established to support children in street situations exposed to or at risk of sexual exploitation. These spaces can provide immediate protection and integrated services – psychosocial care, legal assistance, education, and health support – delivered through a child-friendly, confidential and inclusive environment. The development of such spaces should be informed by the lived realities of children and adapted to local contexts.³⁴ Voluntary, low-barrier shelters with trained trauma-informed staff and flexible conditions, including family accommodation options, should be prioritized. Mobile outreach services and drop-in centres offering coverage of basic needs and individualized case management are equally essential, particularly for reaching children in highly transient or informal settings.³⁵

34. Joint submission from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council. ↩
35. Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 21 (2017); and information provided during the regional consultations. ↩

Protective responses must also address the environments in which sexual exploitation occurs. Contextual safeguarding strategies, such as those around transport hubs, demonstrate how outreach, risk mapping and community guardianship can reduce exposure to harm. Proactive digital safety measures are likewise essential to prevent online sexual exploitation. Such measures include increasing educational and community campaigns and raising public awareness about the serious nature of technology-facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation and how to navigate the digital environment safely, including the promotion of healthy and positive sexual behaviour and demystifying the idea that only strangers sexually abuse children. These measures must place the onus on traditional and social media platforms, including online communities, in order to raise awareness of the importance of digital safety.³⁶

36. A/79/122, para. 85. ↩

Integrating child protection into urban planning, education, health, social protection and poverty reduction strategies strengthen systemic prevention. Inclusive laws and policies should be supported by sustained public awareness campaigns to challenge harmful social norms and advance children’s rights.³⁷

37. Submission from Railway Children. ↩

The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that all efforts must be embedded in comprehensive national child protection systems and supported by coordinated, cross-sectoral collaboration among government agencies, law enforcement, civil society and the private sector. Establishing child-sensitive National Referral Mechanisms, grounded in non-discrimination and the best interests of the child, is essential for the prompt identification, referral and protection of victims. Equitable access to inclusive education, vocational training and sexual and reproductive health services must be guaranteed for children in street situations. These measures lay the foundation for sustainable recovery and the prevention of future harm.

The realization of justice for children in street situations who are victims of sexual exploitation requires the establishment and effective implementation of legal and institutional frameworks that recognize and uphold their rights. Such frameworks should explicitly criminalize all forms of sexual exploitation, including trafficking, transactional sex and online sexual abuse, while ensuring that children are never treated as perpetrators for behaviours arising from survival strategies.³⁸ To this end, States must repeal laws and policies that facilitate the harassment, detention or criminalization of children in street situations for activities linked to homelessness, subsistence or migration status.³⁹

38. Submission from Railway Children. ↩
39. See Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 21 (2017); and Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. ↩

The legal system should be accessible, child-friendly and rooted in the principle that children are rights holders entitled to due process and reparation.⁴⁰ As noted by the Special Rapporteur in her report on reparation for child victims and survivors of sale and sexual exploitation, information on rights, remedies and reporting mechanisms should be communicated in a child-centred, trauma-informed and gender- and culturally-sensitive manner. A coordinated, multidisciplinary model that brings together child protection, legal, medical and therapeutic services under one roof is essential to ensure a holistic response.⁴¹

40. Joint submission from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of OSCE and the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council. ↩
41. A/HRC/52/31, para. 109 (i) and (j). ↩

In this context, law enforcement authorities play a critical role in both prevention and response, and their practices must be fundamentally reoriented to reflect a victim-centred, non-punitive approach. Migrant children in exploitative situations must be recognized as victims of trafficking, irrespective of their migration status, and shielded from detention, deportation or penalization.⁴²

42. Submissions from the Migration Youth and Children Platform. ↩

To support this shift, accessible and confidential mechanisms for reporting sexual exploitation must be available, including child-friendly helplines, peer-led support and trusted community advocates. These channels should be widely disseminated and integrated into child protection systems, and accessible to street-connected children to report harm safely and without fear.⁴³ The Special Rapporteur highlights that particular attention must be given to children facing intersecting forms of discrimination, such as those with disabilities, Indigenous children, children belonging to minority groups, youth of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and those who are stateless, undocumented or displaced, who often encounter additional barriers to justice and protection. Reporting mechanisms and support services must be responsive to their specific needs to ensure that they are not left behind or further marginalized.

43. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children and information provided during the regional consultations. ↩

In addition, and as previously noted, law enforcement officials must be held to high standards of conduct, including through independent oversight mechanisms capable of investigating sexual exploitation, negligence or discriminatory practices. Training and capacity-building should be mandatory and regular, addressing the complex realities of sexual exploitation and equipping authorities to act protectively and in the child’s best interests. Police and judicial actors should be trained in child rights, trauma-informed practices and victim identification to ensure that children are not retraumatized or marginalized through legal proceedings.⁴⁴

44. Submission from Human Trafficking Front. ↩

The Special Rapporteur further highlights that justice for children in street situations will depend on a transformative, child-centred approach grounded in human rights and dignity. Legal and enforcement systems must protect, not punish children, and actively dismantle structural barriers to justice. A rights-based response must prioritize accountability, meaningful child participation, non-discrimination and the best interests of the child in every aspect of law and practice.

Participation, inclusion and empowerment

Measures must be put in place that allow for children in street situations to be meaningfully involved in all stages of policy development, programme design and implementation. This can be done through participatory platforms that allow them to co-design services and influence policy. Their involvement is not only a right but also a protective mechanism that strengthens resilience, fosters accountability and leads to more effective responses to sexual exploitation. Peer-led initiatives and child protection committees can enhance child autonomy and community trust, while efforts to build children’s understanding of their rights and available protective systems are essential for meaningful participation.⁴⁵

45. Joint submission from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of OSCE and the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council; and submission from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). ↩

Empowerment efforts can also focus on strengthening the protective capacity of children’s environments. Community leaders, educators, peers and service providers need adequate training and support to recognize and respond to sexual exploitation, helping foster cultures of guardianship and solidarity. In contexts such as transport terminals and informal settlements, long-term community engagement has proven vital in building safety and trust.⁴⁶

46. Submission from Railway Children. ↩

Reintegration programmes must be holistic and sustained, addressing children’s psychological, social and economic needs, including access to education, housing, family support and mental healthcare. Support must be tailored to each child’s circumstances, recognizing the trauma they may have experienced and the diverse challenges they face. Reintegration should be understood as a long-term process of recovery, empowerment and rights restoration, not as a one-time intervention.⁴⁷ It requires ongoing accompaniment and support, enabling children to rebuild trust, develop life skills and reclaim their sense of agency and belonging.

47. Submission from UNICEF. ↩

Inclusion also requires confronting harmful social norms that perpetuate stigma and exclusion. National communication strategies and public education campaigns are key to shifting public attitudes. By challenging stereotypes and promoting empathy-based narratives, such efforts foster greater understanding of the structural factors that lead children to the streets and encourage more supportive, rights-based responses. When aligned with broader efforts to advance gender equality and child rights, these strategies contribute to building more protective, inclusive societies.⁴⁸

48. Submission from UNODC. ↩

The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that participation, inclusion and empowerment are not ancillary elements but fundamental to protecting children in street situations from sexual exploitation. Responses must be grounded in children’s lived experiences, enabling them to shape the policies and systems intended to protect them. By supporting their autonomy, challenging stigma and strengthening community-based protections, States can create environments in which all children are safe, heard and empowered to thrive.

Reliable, disaggregated data are essential to making children in street situations visible in national protection systems and designing effective, evidence-based responses to sexual exploitation. However, these children are often excluded from official data due to systemic underreporting, compounded by social stigma, fear of retaliation and the risks associated with engaging with formal institutions. The highly mobile, diverse and often invisible nature of street-connected children further exacerbates these challenges, as they are typically excluded from traditional data collection mechanisms such as censuses and household surveys.⁴⁹

49. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. ↩

The absence of a comprehensive and coordinated data system significantly hinders States’ ability to assess the true scale and nature of sexual exploitation affecting children in street situations. Without reliable data, policymakers, law enforcement authorities and service providers are unable to design evidence-based interventions that respond effectively to children’s lived realities. The lack of disaggregated information also obscures the specific vulnerabilities of groups, including girls, children with disabilities, youths of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities and those affected by displacement or statelessness.⁵⁰

50. Submission from the Office of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia. ↩

The Special Rapporteur notes that, in many contexts, available data on children in street situations are often outdated, fragmented or insufficiently disaggregated to capture local realities and the nuanced needs of specific child populations. The lack of context-sensitive research further impedes the development of culturally and socially responsive protection strategies.⁵¹

51. Submissions from Yayasan Kampus Diakoneia Modern and Voice of Children Nepal. ↩

To close these gaps, regular and systematic data collection, disaggregated by age, gender, disability and other relevant factors, should be institutionalized. Data-gathering methodologies should be adapted to the specific circumstances of street-connected children, including their mobility, informal living arrangements and mistrust of institutions. At all points of service engagement, including healthcare, education, child protection and justice, protocols should be established to identify and record the status of children as being in street situations.⁵²

52. Submission from CRC Coalition Philippines. ↩

In addition, data collection methodologies should be participatory, ethical and adapted to the specific realities of children in street situations, including their limited trust in formal institutions.⁵³ Such methodologies should also distinguish between urban and peri-urban settings and children living with families versus those who are unaccompanied.⁵⁴ Data gathered at key points of service provision, such as shelters, health centres, police stations and outreach teams, should be harmonized across sectors and used to shape evidence-based policies, resource allocation and monitoring of interventions.⁵⁵

53. Information provided in the regional consultations. ↩
54. Information provided in the regional consultations and adapted from findings in Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, revision 3 (United Nations publication, 2017). ↩
55. Adapted from findings in Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, revision 3 (United Nations publication, 2017). ↩

Reliable data are essential not only for monitoring progress and ensuring accountability, but also for making children in street situations visible within national child protection systems and responses to sexual exploitation. States are urged to strengthen the enumeration of this group in national data systems using inclusive, child-safe methodologies; ensure that child-led qualitative research informs programme 49 Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. 50 Submission from the Office of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia. 51 Submissions from Yayasan Kampus Diakoneia Modern and Voice of Children Nepal. 52 Submission from CRC Coalition Philippines. 53 Information provided in the regional consultations. 54 Information provided in the regional consultations and adapted from findings in Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, revision 3 (United Nations publication, 2017). 55 Adapted from findings in Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, revision 3 (United Nations publication, 2017). design; and track both access to and outcomes of services provided. These measures are a prerequisite for building evidence-based, rights-respecting and child-centred responses.

The aim of this section is not to advocate for a particular approach but rather to showcase some examples of promising practices associated with various measures taken by government and non-governmental actors to protect children in street situations who are victims of or vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

In Chile, a pilot initiative led by the Undersecretariat for Children and implemented in Santiago in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) aims to identify and support children and adolescents in street situations through local children’s offices. The project includes the development of models for identification and care, with participatory consultations gathering children’s views to inform service design.⁵⁶ Brazil has launched the “Visible Streets” national plan, which includes a dedicated pillar on children and youth. Through the Unified Social Assistance System, specialized services such as outreach, psychosocial care and shelter support are provided to children and families in street situations, fostering early identification and coordinated protection responses.⁵⁷

56. Submission from the Permanent Mission of Chile. ↩
57. Submission from the Permanent Mission of Brazil. ↩

In India, a rights-based approach is operationalized through multiple community and institutional mechanisms. Childline 1098 provides emergency assistance to children at risk, while the Ujjawala scheme focuses on prevention, rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked and sexually exploited children, including street-based interventions.⁵⁸ In Georgia, the State programme for social rehabilitation and childcare includes a subprogramme specifically targeting homeless children. It combines mobile outreach, daycare services and 24-hour shelters, reaching hundreds of children with psychosocial care, reintegration support and safe accommodation.⁵⁹

58. Submission from the Permanent Mission of India. ↩
59. Submission from the Office of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia. ↩

In South Africa, the 2019 national childcare and protection policy offers a holistic framework for protecting children in need of care and protection. Its emphasis on prevention and early intervention is particularly relevant for children in street situations. By encouraging integrated, community-based support and child participation, the policy reflects key international human rights principles and offers a foundation for more responsive and sustainable interventions.⁶⁰

60. South Africa, Department of Social Development, National Child Care and Protection Policy: Working Together to Advance the Rights of All Children to Care and Protection (Pretoria, 2019). ↩

Egypt, through coordination between the Tahya Misr Fund and the Ministry of Social Solidarity, has implemented the Homeless Children Protection Programme. This initiative combines non-governmental organization partnerships and State services to provide care, rehabilitation and reintegration for street-connected children, with a focus on early intervention and long-term sustainability.⁶¹

61. Submission from the Permanent Mission of Egypt. ↩

In North Africa, the Amen programme in Tunisia and the national integrated child protection policy in Morocco offer coordinated approaches to reach children in street situations. These include mobile outreach, shelter, psychosocial support and 56 Submission from the Permanent Mission of Chile. 57 Submission from the Permanent Mission of Brazil. 58 Submission from the Permanent Mission of India. 59 Submission from the Office of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia. 60 South Africa, Department of Social Development, National Child Care and Protection Policy: Working Together to Advance the Rights of All Children to Care and Protection (Pretoria, 2019). 61 Submission from the Permanent Mission of Egypt. 16/21 reintegration services.⁶² 62 In Bangladesh, UNICEF and the Department of Social Services established child protection hubs in Dhaka, providing children in street situations with psychosocial support, temporary shelter, education and healthcare. Social workers conduct outreach in identified hotspots to increase reach and facilitate family reintegration efforts.⁶³

62. Submission from UNODC. ↩
63. Submission from UNICEF. ↩

France has established paediatric reception units in hospitals for children at risk to provide coordinated care following the disclosure of violence or exploitation. These units bring together judicial, medical, psychological and social services. The units offer a protective environment, particularly suited to cases of sexual exploitation and children in highly vulnerable situations, including those in street contexts.⁶⁴ The Government of Mexico has adopted a national code for the protection of children and adolescents, which encourages hotels to take proactive measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in street situations. This includes implementing strict age verification protocols to reduce the risk of abuse and exploitation in the hospitality sector.⁶⁵

64. Submission from the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France). ↩
65. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. ↩

In Madagascar, the Ministry of Population, Social Protection and the Advancement of Women, with UNICEF support, has established Vonjy Centres, a promising model of integrated care for child victims of sexual violence, including children in street situations. Located within hospitals, these centres provide free, coordinated medical, psychosocial and legal support in one place, reducing barriers to access for highly vulnerable children. Since 2015, over 11,000 children have been assisted.⁶⁶

66. Submission from UNICEF Madagascar. ↩

In Nepal, the National Child Rights Council has spearheaded a nationwide programme focused on the protection and reintegration of children in street situations. The programme follows a comprehensive approach from identification and rescue to rehabilitation, family reintegration and skills development. To date, over 2,400 children have been rescued, with 1,181 reintegrated into their families, 812 receiving vocational training and 184 gaining employment.⁶⁷

67. Submission from Voice of Children Nepal. ↩

In India, the Child in Need Institute has supported the emergence of “Street Champions” in Kolkata: peer leaders among children in street situations who have been trained in child rights, service entitlements and advocacy. From 2019 to 2021, 30 Street Champions co-led a participatory research project, supported by the Wellcome Trust and StreetInvest, to map vulnerabilities and access to services.⁶⁸ In Uganda, civil society actors such as SALVE International and Save Street Children Uganda have implemented a range of community sensitization efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of street-connected children. These include training peer leaders, educating communities and police, developing school clubs and using culturally resonant tools such as music, drama and media messaging.⁶⁹

68. Submission from the Child in Need Institute. ↩
69. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. ↩

In Nepal, Voice of Children has pioneered the “Ladder Approach”, a comprehensive framework for rescuing, sheltering and reintegrating street-connected children. Notably, Voice of Children has trialled foster care as a protective alternative to institutionalization, offering psychosocial support and long-term reintegration. 62 Submission from UNODC. 63 Submission from UNICEF. 64 Submission from the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France). 65 Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. 66 Submission from UNICEF Madagascar. 67 Submission from Voice of Children Nepal. 68 Submission from the Child in Need Institute. 69 Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. Since its inception in 2000, Voice of Children has supported over a million children and worked preventively with more than 25,000 families.⁷⁰

70. Submission from Voice of Children Nepal. ↩

In Peru, Casa Generación, in coordination with the municipality of Lima, has implemented the “Jardineritos de mi ciudad” programme. This initiative provides street-connected children with vocational training, psychological support and part-time employment in gardening. Children earn a salary while receiving daytime education and counselling, facilitating their progressive exit from the streets.⁷¹ In Kenya, Pendekezo Letu, as part of the Family for Every Child coalition, has been leading the annual Blue Umbrella Day campaign on 16 April to raise awareness about the sexual exploitation of boys, particularly those in street situations. The campaign challenges stigma and silence, with the 2025 theme calling for April 16 to be internationally recognized as a United Nations day for the protection of boys from sexual violence.⁷²

71. Submission from the Fondation Apprentis d’Auteuil International. ↩
72. Submission from Pendekezo Letu. ↩

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection works in preventing the online exploitation of migrant children in street situations. Through initiatives such as Project Arachnid, which detects and removes child sexual abuse material, and Cybertip.ca, a national reporting platform, the Centre addresses digital risks faced by vulnerable children. Importantly, its Youth Advisory Committee includes migrant voices, helping to ensure that awareness campaigns reflect the realities of street-connected children from diverse backgrounds and heightened risk profiles.⁷³

73. Submission from the Migration Youth and Children Platform. ↩

The Consortium for Street Children’s “Street Champion” model empowers children in street situations as rights holders through participatory research and advocacy grounded in their lived realities. By centring their voices, the model strengthens children’s resilience, confidence and ability to claim their rights. It builds on years of experience with partners in Kolkata, India, and network members in Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone, demonstrating its adaptability across diverse contexts.⁷⁴

74. Submission from the Consortium for Street Children. ↩

The CLARISSA programme (Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia), led by the Institute of Development Studies, used systemic action research to identify and address the root causes of the worst forms of child labour. Implemented in Bangladesh and Nepal, the programme focused on the leather sector and adult entertainment sector, respectively, paying particular attention to the commercial sexual exploitation of children in street situations. A key feature was the meaningful participation of children, using child-friendly methodologies such as storytelling and community dialogue.⁷⁵

75. Danny Burns and Marina Apgar, “A synthesis of systemic action research processes in the CLARISSA programme on worst forms of child labour”, CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper 20 (Brighton, Institute of Development Studies, 2024). ↩

The Special Rapporteur notes that civil society organizations in diverse contexts have adopted innovative, participatory and rights-based approaches to empower children, raise awareness and provide essential services such as psychosocial support, vocational training, family reintegration and legal advocacy. However, persistent structural barriers, including poverty and inequality, continue to limit access to education, healthcare and justice. Many civil society organizations operate without sustained public and financial support, while some State responses remain punitive, criminalizing rather than protecting children in street situations. These challenges highlight the urgent need for comprehensive, well-resourced and gender-sensitive national frameworks, developed in partnership with civil society organizations, to address the sexual exploitation of this group.

The sexual exploitation of children in street situations represents one of the most acute and underaddressed manifestations of child rights violations globally. It stems from and perpetuates cycles of poverty, discrimination, displacement and exclusion, disproportionately affecting children already living at the margins of society. Despite their resilience and agency, these children are often rendered invisible within legal, policy and data systems, denied access to protection, stigmatized for their survival strategies and frequently criminalized rather than supported.

The Special Rapporteur underscores the imperative of a comprehensive, child-centred response that upholds the dignity, rights and best interests of every child in street situations. This entails removing structural barriers and legal barriers to education, healthcare, housing, legal identity and justice; embedding child participation in policy design and implementation; ensuring accessible, trauma-informed services; and integrating contextual and digital safeguards into broader child protection strategies.

Accountability and justice must be grounded in non-discrimination and child protection, rather than punitive measures. States are urged to repeal laws that criminalize children for behaviours linked to homelessness or migration and instead adopt legislative and institutional reforms that recognize and respond to the vulnerabilities of these children to sexual exploitation in all its forms. This includes affirming the rights of girls, boys, young people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities, children with disabilities, children belonging to a minority and Indigenous children, whose experiences are too often overlooked.

Reliable, disaggregated data remain critical to making these children visible in national systems and informing targeted, rights-based interventions. Governments must invest in inclusive, child-safe data collection, supported by child-led research and cross-sectoral collaboration.

The Special Rapporteur recognizes the indispensable role of civil society in driving innovation, outreach and advocacy, often filling gaps left by public systems. These efforts must be met with strong, well-resourced public partnerships that institutionalize best practices and ensure sustainability.

The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the efforts of Member States to address the needs of children in street situations through targeted policies and services, reflecting a growing commitment to child protection and inclusion. However, intensified action is urgently required to ensure consistent, rights-based, and sustainable responses that uphold the dignity and rights of all children vulnerable to sexual exploitation. A truly child-centred approach must be rooted in children’s lived experiences, guided by their voices and sustained through coordinated national action.

The Special Rapporteur underscores that addressing the sexual exploitation of children in street situations is essential to the realization of the 2030 Agenda. Ensuring access to protection, justice and inclusive services directly supports global commitments to end violence against children, reduce inequality and expand social protection. Aligning national responses with the Sustainable Development Goals reinforces accountability and helps build more resilient, rights-based child protection systems.

The Special Rapporteur particularly highlights the essential contributions of the private sector and donors towards a child rights-based response to the sexual exploitation of children in street situations. Their engagement is crucial to ensuring that all measures are adequately resourced, sustainable and responsive to the complex realities these children face. By supporting inclusive services, promoting child protection safeguards and investing in prevention and accountability, the private sector and donors help strengthen systems and create safer, more enabling environments for all children, in line with international human rights standards.

In this regard, the Special Rapporteur recommends that Member States:
(a) Strengthen legal and institutional protections by enforcing laws against sexual exploitation, trafficking and related offences, and ensuring access to child-friendly legal aid, confidential reporting and trauma-informed remedies. Establish specialized, multidisciplinary units trained in rights-based approaches to children in street situations;
(b) Put in place and institutionalize a systematic, disaggregated data collection system and research mechanism to monitor the prevalence, drivers and manifestations of sexual exploitation of children in street situations;
(c) Ensure that all data collection efforts are guided by ethical, child-sensitive methodologies that prioritize the safety, dignity and voluntary participation of children, giving special consideration to reaching marginalized and hard-to-reach groups, including through inclusive and context-appropriate approaches;
(d) Harmonize data across sectors and ensure findings inform evidence-based policies, laws and budgets;
(e) Formally recognize children in street situations as a distinct category of children in need in national laws and policies, in accordance with general comment No. 21 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and allocate adequate resources to implement measures relevant to them;
(f) Refrain from criminalizing survival behaviours (e.g. loitering and survival sex) and repeal laws that contribute to the stigmatization, exclusion or detention of children in street situations;
(g) Put in place measures and policies that allows for inclusive access to essential services, such as education, healthcare, housing and social protection, which are age-, gender- and disability-sensitive. Ensure that services such as drop-in centres, mobile units and outreach teams are inclusive and trauma-informed;
(h) Put in place measures to guarantee universal access to birth registration and legal identity documents and remove administrative barriers. Such documentation must not be a precondition for accessing services;
(i) Put in place measures that would allow for inclusive, flexible and accelerated educational opportunities, including vocational and digital learning, to support reintegration of out-of-school children and improve life outcomes;
(j) Integrate HIV prevention, harm reduction and substance abuse rehabilitation into accessible and non-discriminatory public health services for children in street situations;
(k) Prioritize family strengthening, economic support and social protection to address structural drivers of children’s street involvement and exploitation. Support mediation and reintegration in the best interests of the child;
(l) Develop and implement climate-resilient social protection measures and emergency preparedness plans that address the specific needs of children in street situations, including those displaced by environmental crises such as floods, droughts and climate-related migration. Ensure that disaster risk reduction strategies are inclusive, child-sensitive and responsive to the heightened vulnerabilities of children in street situations during emergencies;
(m) Invest in public awareness and gender-sensitive, age-appropriate campaigns to combat stigma, discrimination and harmful social norms, including those related to online sexual abuse and exploitation. Promote digital literacy and online safety education for children in street situations. Hold technology platforms accountable for implementing robust child protection safeguards;
(n) Establish safe, accessible and inclusive mechanisms for the meaningful and voluntary participation of children in street situations and survivors in the design, implementation and monitoring of laws, policies and programmes. Ensure ethical safeguards and child protection throughout;
(o) Create and adequately resource interministerial task forces and integrated national child protection systems to ensure coordinated responses across relevant sectors. Promote decentralization and empower local authorities and municipal protection bodies to identify and address local needs;
(p) Provide regular, mandatory training for law enforcement, judiciary, social workers, health professionals, educators and other front-line State personnel on children’s rights, child protection, gender-sensitive approaches and trauma-informed care, adding such training as permanent modules within the mandatory curricula of professional certification courses for the relevant professional groups;
(q) Establish independent oversight mechanisms to investigate misconduct and ensure accountability for sexual abuse or sexual exploitation by law enforcement or institutional staff;
(r) Enhance international and regional cooperation to combat transnational sexual exploitation, including cross-border trafficking. Facilitate joint investigations, knowledge exchange and alignment with international human rights standards, including in humanitarian contexts.

The Special Rapporteur also recommends that child protection stakeholders:
(a) Collaborate with community and faith leaders to challenge harmful norms, reduce stigma and promote positive social attitudes toward children in street situations. Promote civic education and engage the public in prevention efforts;
(b) Support family tracing, mediation and reintegration processes, complemented by psychosocial follow-up to prevent revictimization;
(c) Facilitate meaningful child participation by creating safe spaces and consultative platforms where children in street situations and survivors can co-design and evaluate protection strategies. Train and support peer educators, mentors and survivor advocates to lead outreach, referrals, awareness and feedback;
(d) Institutionalize multidisciplinary collaboration, including partnerships with universities in research and service delivery (e.g. legal clinics, case follow-up and mobile outreach);
(e) Provide continuous training and capacity-building for social workers, teachers, health professionals and protection committees on identifying, responding to and reporting cases of sexual exploitation of children in street situations;
(f) Align with government systems and coordinate with other stakeholders through formal memorandums of understanding, referral pathways and shared data protocols.

Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the private sector:
(a) Engage technology and telecommunications companies to uphold child rights through staff training and robust online child protection measures;
(b) Partner with civil society and Governments to co-develop digital platforms for confidential reporting, prevention awareness and tailored service access for children in street situations;
(c) Support vocational training, internships and employment programmes for former children in street situations, including recognition of informal skills and non-formal certification pathways.

Lastly, the Special Rapporteur recommends that donors:
(a) Provide sustained, flexible and child-sensitive funding to community-based and civil society organizations working directly with children in street situations, particularly in fragile or politically constrained environments;
(b) Support inclusive national child protection systems through investment in capacity-building, integrated services and data infrastructure that reflects the realities of children in street situations;
(c) Invest in innovation, participatory monitoring and evaluation and survivor-led initiatives for prevention and response, ensuring accountability to affected children and communities.