So what's so wrong with being a street child?

Critical reading of much of the research on street children shows that many writers regularly disregard their own findings in favor of predetermined conclusions based on largely Northern hemisphere, middle-class mores. This article highlights some of these under-reported findings and suggests three reasons why they may be overlooked: (adult) society's fear of the children of the poor; differences between Northern and Southern constructs of childhood; and ethnocentric premises of developmental psychology. It is concluded that if, instead of regarding street children negatively, their strengths are examined, then, in effect, their way of life can be seen as a liberation movement empowering them to surmount their poverty. Some recommendations for collective action based on this thesis follow. © 1998 Human Sciences Press, Inc.