Kigali — Startling figures indicate that more children are joining the street and are now estimated at 7,000, mostly in major towns with Kigali city having the majority.

This was revealed by Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Valerie Nyirahabineza, during a two - day meeting held in the conference room at the Prime Minister's office.

"Street children are vulnerable to poor health, malnutrition, violence, unwanted pregnancies, defilement and sexually transmitted infections like HIV/Aids. We have got many cases of street children being defiled," she said.

"Children have been denied rights by their families, which has led to the increase of street children in the whole country," Nyirahabineza observed.

She blamed the problem on diseases like HIV/Aids that have claimed parents, exposing children to hunger, diseases and bad habits. It was also said that children are pushed to the street by violence and abuse at the hands of foster parents, peers and relatives

"Strong measures are going to be taken by the government in collaboration with organisations like UNICEF so that the problem of street children is solved," Minister Nyirahabineza said.

The UNICEF representative in Rwanda, Bintu Keita, said that it is humans who continue to push vulnerable groups to the street, and called for better parental guidance and support for the children.

"Helping poor families can be one of the key issues in solving the problem of street children in developing countries and this can only be done through government partnership with NGOs.

"Children who are the future for this nation need much attention. They need access to education and are supposed to be given rights instead of being neglected," Keita said.

One of the street children said that the bad environment has turned them into pick-pockets and made them engage in vices like drug abuse and sex.