The problem of homeless children is not a new one in Russia. During the 1920s thousands of children took to the streets in the aftermath of the civil war, and following World War II millions were orphaned. The precipitating crisis in today’s case, however, is a decade of economic decline, and it encompasses the breadth of Russia. There are as many as 100,000 street children in Moscow.Homeless children in Russia today have good reason to distrust the adults in their lives. Many of them were abandoned by their parents--some directly to state orphanages out of economic necessity; some through neglect and abuse that causes the children to run away. One boy interviewed by Fujimura was told by his father that he was not allowed to spend the night at home if he did not return with a bottle of vodka. Other children simply fall through the cracks in the Russian legal system. Another boy interviewed by Fujimura traveled to Moscow from Kyrgyzstan with his family. Along the way, the father deserted the family, his infant brother died en route, and his mother was sentenced to seven years in prison for assault. Now the boy is trapped in a Moscow shelter without status, ineligible to go into a Moscow orphanage.
Once on the street, children develop a sense of power in providing for themselves, a sense of belonging in the street culture that they create, and a distrust of adults. The institutions and orphanages offered by adults are not perceived as alternatives, but as shelters of last resort to be used temporarily in times of dire need. Such places are under-financed and understaffed, and provide little more than shelter and mediocre food. When living on the streets, homeless children are driven by the need for immediate gratification. Once their immediate physical needs for food and shelter are met, they look for something to take away physical and emotional pain--drugs and alcohol being the most common solution. Engaged in crime and drug abuse, these children risk falling into the most abusive and threatening institution of all--prison.
Even in such terrible conditions, the children feel themselves empowered within their constructed culture of self-reliance. They further define their future success in opposition to the adult society that rejects them. Boys commonly dream of being well-paid killers, and girls routinely aspire to be prostitutes for wealthy westerners.
Well, it is open! The SL6B is under way.
Then a tp off to the display that Loki Eliot has set up with pictures of so hundreds of the sl children. It was so delightful. I came across some of the children standing on their own pictures enjoying the moment, “Here I am!!” was the shout with pride.
Looking closely I could see myself in there, but as a child. I have no idea what I will do with my avatars but it was great fun!'Sexual predators are acting out abuse of young children online in the virtual world Second Life - in an area called 'Wonderland'. Sky News reporter Jason Farrell investigates. Viewers may find some of the images in this video disturbing.'
We all know the darker side of Secondlife we know it exists, and most ignore it. Child avatars are one aspect of SL that is hard for many to understand, there is the family side of child avs and many are created for that purpose - but how do we avoid this side of it? How do we keep the Paedophiles out? One way would be to ban child avatars but would that solve the problem? I think not, Policing and recording chat and IM? Well what about voice and private calls? Just as in RL these people will find a way around it. Its up to US, as citizens of Secondlife, to report any activity we think is offensive and illegal, its up to US to keep our new world clean. I urge anyone to report anything they see, there is a report system in place, please use it and help us to rid 'our world' of these disgusting people!
Dana
Read the full story at the skynews website here