Page Two

“They rove in gypsy bands, sleep in construction pipes, in rat-​infested cellars of abandoned buildings or on street corners in miserable heaps. Their beds are torn newspapers, their clothing mere scraps of cloth. Their days are spent in hustling, prostitution and petty crime. They prey upon each other as well as passersby.” Who are they? Street children who inhabit a large Latin-​American city, reports Time magazine. But they could be the homeless youth of almost any major city in the world. There are millions of them, and their number is increasing at a record rate.