Probing the Contributory Factors to the Phenomenon of Zimbabwe Unaccompanied Minors and Streetism in Musina Town

Abstract

Migration is a global phenomenon prompted mainly by political and economic conditions. Many people migrate to other countries in search for better living conditions. However, migration may also bring about the problem of unaccompanied minors. As a result, many of these unaccompanied children end up in the streets because they have no one to fend for them. Street children are usually vulnerable to victimization, exploitation, and abuse of their civil, economic, sexual and health rights. This poses a serious challenge for the host country. This study aims to probe the contributory factors to the phenomenon of Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors and streetism in Musina town in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study is also aimed at identifying intervention measures to address the impact of Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors and streetism in Musina town. The study uses a qualitative approach to get in-depth information on the contributory factors and experiences of streetism and Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors in Musina Town. The respondents of this study will be both male and female Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors between the ages of fourteen to seventeen in Musina. Face-to-face interviews will be used for data collection. Purposive and snowball sampling will be used to identify ten key respondents (street children) and eight complimentary respondents (stakeholders) to elicit data on the experiences of unaccompanied migration and streetism among Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors.