Social construction and identity formation of 'street children' in the Malaysian context

• Main Authors: Ahmad, Yarina, Abd Hamid, Siti Nur Fathanah, Tahir, Nor Suziwana, Ahmad, Jasmine, Aziz, Nur Amalina, Mustapha, Siti Zulaikha
• Format: Article
• Published: Taylor's University 2022
• Subjects: H Social Sciences (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/44092/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Children’s issues in particular related to “street children”, is under-researched; therefore, thorough fundamental research is undertaken to provide constructive feedback in dealing effectively and holistically. An explanatory research design using a qualitative approach was used in this study. This study gathered data from 54 street children in five states in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur; Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; Penang; Johor Bahru; and Sarawak); and 14 key persons representing relevant government agencies that deal with street children issue in Malaysia. The sociological research undertaken in this study discovered several significant findings. The main factor contributing to street children is poverty; followed by social problems, parents’ attitude, working, parents who migrated from outside countries (external migration, school drop-outs, peer influence, unable to go to school, at-risk as street children, parents or self-migration (internal migration), family problems, bullying, runaway cases, undocumented, ex-prisoners, chronic diseases, and orphans. A new proposed definition of street children is developed based on the key findings. Finally, this study revealed a different social pattern of street children in the Malaysian context. This calls for more attention from various parties particularly government agencies which deal with street children in the country. © School of Engineering, Taylor’s University.