Child runaways ‘flee from unhappy homes’
Around one in nine youngsters in the UK will run away for at least one night before they turn 16, according to a report on youth homelessness released today.
| It got to the point where I slept rough in an old bus in the middle of winter, just so I didn’t have to go home. |
The Children's Society study said that poor relationships between parents and their children are the major cause of young people running away from home.
The research comes ahead of a government report on young runaways, due to be published by the Social Exclusion Unit. Children's Express reporters interviewed young runaways, as part of the SEU's consultation process. These are their stories.
Kevin, 18, from Birmingham, first ran away from home when he was 11 because of his poor relationship with his stepfather. He has run away many times since and now lives in a hostel.
"I would never have run away if it wasn't for my stepdad, I used to go home when he wasn't in to see my mum", he said.
"It got to the point where I slept rough in an old bus down the road - in the middle of winter with no blankets, just so I didn't have to go home".
Kevin never told his mother that he was living on the streets. He describes the experience as "incredibly lonely and scary", and says he does not want anyone to go through what he endured.
"Before considering running away young people should speak to someone first to get to the core of the issue", he advises. "My life would have been much better if I hadn't run away."
He now helps the Children's Society with promotional work aimed at warning other young people about the dangers of running away.
John, 18, from London, ran away when he experienced troubles at home a year ago. He spent about a month living rough on the streets of central London.
"I slept in a subway next to Charing Cross station and managed to get blankets from homeless friends I'd met on the streets," he said.
During his time on the street John saw drug abuse, violence and young people - boys and girls - forced into prostitution.
A homeless friend told him about The London Connection, a day centre for homeless young people, where he presently spends the majority of his time. Project workers have helped him find accommodation in various hostels. He has completed a computer course and applied to go to college.
"I could never recommend running away," he says. He feels that the authorities do not do enough to help people in his position.
"Independence is about the only positive thing this experience has taught me. But I'd still like to go home soon."
Ruth, 18, from Birmingham, had been in care since she was 6 and first ran away from a children's home at the age of 12. She says that running away was partly due to her unhappiness within the care system.
She found places in hostels but is unsure of their merits:
"They're not always a better alternative to living on the streets. Often girls live with the constant threat of rape. I was actually threatened with a machete on one occasion. It was terrifying".
Ruth believes that many young people prefer to live on the streets because of the atmosphere in hostels. She encountered many runaways who committed crimes or harmed themselves just so that their admittance to hospital or custody would give them a safe and warm place to stay.
Some of the names above have been changed.
About the team
This article was produced by Alisha Fuller, 15, Andrew Saul, 12, Jonathan Hudson, 14, Jo Taylor, 15, and Michael Williams, 11. It was published in Guardian Unlimited, the website of the Guardian newspaper.
