Voices from the Margins: A Study on the Lived Experiences of Street Children in Islamabad

Abstract

This study focuses on the life experience of street children in the capital city of Pakistan (Islamabad), especially in the commercial area of I-8 Markaz, where they labour to work and live daily. Data were gathered using a qualitative ethnographic approach by participant observation and in-depth interviews with 20 street children (12–18 years). Thematic analysis is used to elucidate key themes: resilience, social marginalization, health issues, psychological implications, and economic recognition. The study attributed this to poverty and breakdowns of families that prevent the children from institutional support such that they are forced to seek informal labour like trash collecting, begging and petty vending. They suffer through a complicated life filled with social stigma, lack of access to healthcare and education, marginalization, and abuse. They have survival strategies, resilience, and adaptability, with which they overcome those hardships and hope for a better tomorrow. It proves necessary policy changes to offer protection and healthcare and education services according to realities on the streets of Islamabad. This study demands different health attitudes and a more extensive approach to advocating for child development in the urban milieu to empower this child population.