TITLE:
The Role of Parenting in the Proliferation of Street Children: Evidence from River Oli Division, Arua City, Uganda
AUTHORS:
Laloyo Stella Apecu, Ndaru Zabibu
KEYWORDS:
Parenting, Street Children, Child Protection, Poverty, Uganda
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.2,
February
6,
2026
ABSTRACT: Street children remain a persistent social and child‑protection challenge in many urban areas of Sub‑Saharan Africa. This study examined the role of parenting in the proliferation of street children in River Oli Division, Arua City, Uganda. Using a qualitative case‑study design, data were collected from 30 street children through in‑depth interviews and focus group discussions, alongside parents and community leaders. Thematic analysis revealed that inadequate parenting characterized by poverty, neglect, abuse, limited supervision, and weak parent-child bonding significantly contributed to children’s transition to street life. Push factors included hunger, poverty, domestic violence, orphan-hood, and mistreatment by caregivers, while pull factors included perceived economic opportunities, peer networks, and relative autonomy on the streets. The study concludes that parenting practices are central to understanding and addressing the street‑children phenomenon. Strengthening family‑based interventions, community child‑protection systems, and parental economic empowerment is critical to reducing children’s vulnerability to street life.