Marcel
Theroux: life with Ukraine's street children
Ukraine has spend £
440 m. to rebuilt the Olympic Stadion in
Kiev for the Olympics 2012 , while
thousands of children live on the streets. They are called “social orphans”, that’s
the name children are called when their parents are unable to take care of
them. The children have a history of alcohol abuse, beatings and parental failure. Seeking for
some warmth (it’s -8C at this moment)
and a place to live, they come together in basements, under bridges, or under or on
top of hot water pipes. They do not only
have no home, they also use glue (for resoling shoes) as a form of drug; it
suppresses the feeling of cold and hunger for a while and gives them a short
high. The street children are also disproportionately affected by Ukraine’s HIV epidemic; 1 in 10 tested
children turn out to be HIV positive.
Some
citizens of Ukraine think the Olympics will yield a profit and they are also
proud that the Olympics come to their country.
The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger and bigger. Brands and
shop from Western Europe: Marks and Spencer, Heineken, coffee shops; there all
there. And yet, on the other hand there is so much poverty and hardship,
especially for the youth. I don’t think the Olympics can help them in anyway.
That the government can’t take, or worse; don’t want to take care of these
children is horrible, but I don’t believe Western Europe should boycott the
Olympics for this reason, after all; the Games are about sports, not politics.
But I sincerely hope that all the attention Ukraine is getting know, will be a
wake-up call for the authorities.
What a terrible story. I agree with you let's hope all the attention will help these children.Doing all these blogs makesyou aware of the fact that there are so many terrible things happemning around the world.
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