Improper economic policies is to be blamed for children’s daily struggle for survival that often sees them ending up as drug addicts, drug dealers or even as sex slaves in the case of girls  according to a study. The study, conducted by the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Children (SCMC), in cooperation with the Arab Council for Children and Development also mentions that poverty, job loss, high fertility rates, lack of social services, and lack of support for the poor by the government contributed to the crisis of street children.

The study was conducted in Sana'a, Aden, Taiz, Al-Hudeidah, Hadhramout, Ibb, Hajjah and Dhamar, and researchers chose 4,760 street children aged 6-17, as a sample group.

The condition is certain to get worse according to the study, which notes that most humanitarian associations are likely to avoid the crisis as most of the organizations that exist in the country do not deal with the problem.

The study also found that street children are affected by a number of diseases like diarrhea, malaria, backache, constant dizziness, chronic chest inflammations, ophthalmic, hepatitis and tonsillitis.

Among the many children interviewed in the study, one said that he had slept near a secondary school in Sana'a for almost a year without contacts with his family.

On the other hand, street children's problem is broader and affects an estimated 30,000 children, 60 percent of whom work and sleep on the streets, some living without contact with their families.

The phenomenon of street children in Yemen can be traced back to the early 1990s, when the country witnessed a serious economic crisis.