Street children a ‘time bomb’

 By TONY PALME KIP 

VOLUNTARY charity organisation Life PNG Care (LPC) fears that the country’s future human resources wandering the urban-centre streets could create problems for the country.

LPC national director Collin Pake said street children out-of-school may become a “time bomb” and they were already causing problems for the Government.

Pake, who looks after street children and sends 75 to school in Port Moresby this year, said there were hundreds of thousands of children not in school and roaming the streets.

“We do not have an exact figure on how many underprivileged children we have in the country,” Pake said.

“They are the future leaders of this country.

“As a country, we have a moral obligation to send them to school so that they have a better future and contribute meaningfully to the development of this country.

“They have been neglected and are a lost generation and could create problems for the country.

“Who do you think puts a graffiti to the wall of a new building when you see it the morning?

“This is what street children do and if we can give them a chance to go to school, social problems could be minimised.”

Pake called on the Government to have a policy for street children.