Stratégies d’intervention communautaire et insertion sociale des enfants de la rue

Abstract

This thesis analyses the paradoxes of the street as an 'ambiguous' and 'dangerous' environment, but also as a 'transitional area'. The presence of the street child is often perceived in terms of a rupture in the child/family relationship that may induce a primitive or narcissistic wound, which affects the child's sense of self and often manifests itself in emotional and behavioural problems, as well as difficulties in his or her relationships with relatives. Current research focused on working on the subject's symbolisation capacities shows that, although the attachment style is disorganised or ambiguous in the family, it is possible for the child to transform his or her stay in this context since he or she can resort to more solid support from which he or she will take hold. The research therefore hypothesised that factors such as interpretive patterns, norms and resources interfere with the social inclusion of street children. In order to test this hypothesis, the research was based on a comprehensive paradigm. The aim here was not to focus on the causal relationship of variables, but to seek the meaning that the subject gives to their meaning on the street. The research allowed for an in-depth study of the cases on the street which satisfied the criterion of reproducibility and favoured the reading of the identity trajectories of the cases. The main results obtained from the analysis of the cases are: firstly, the creation of a community of BDUs, an approach to the community organisation of this space, which consists of expressing frustrations and desires, translating them into rights, and codifying them in norms. Secondly, a reorganisation of the family setting becomes necessary in this context, as families need to be taught how to care for the child. Thirdly, education needs to be moved to the streets to give these children the chance to become good citizens. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the status of victim that is attached to BDU is a perception asset and consolidates the view of the street phenomenon. The street as a "margin" can also offer opportunities to grow, to develop as a socially shared and common human space in a social context. From these results, if educational intervention is to allow a person to move forward and evolve, it must at the same time be prepared with one or more methods that increase the chances of success.