Ukraine was apart of the Soviet Union, until 1991 when they obtained independence and began the long process of transitioning from a command economy to a market economy. The period of transition was a difficult one. Unemployment was high. The social services and job security of the Soviet Union vanished. Rates of alcoholism and drug use increased alongside poverty. These factors placed increasing pressure on families.
At-risk youth is a broad term encompassing youth from a variety of backgrounds living in a number of different situations. At-risk are youth that are at a higher risk of engaging in destructive or anti-social behaviours, such as crime, drug and alcohol abuse, survival sex, human trafficking, etc. For the purposes of this project, at-risk youth are youth living in state run orphanages, living on the streets, and lacking adequate parental care.
In Ukraine, youth are "aged out" of the system at the age of 16 and must leave the orphanages. At this point, these youth may not have sufficient education, income, life/social skills, or adequate support system to transition from living in the orphanages to living independently. These youths leave the orphanage with little or no employable skills.
In Odessa, there are an estimated 12, 000 youth living on the streets, whilst an estimated 120, 000 youth live in state-run orphanages. These youth are more vulnerable to nefarious influences and more likely to participate in high-risk behaviours. Boys are more likely to become involved in gangs, violence, and crime, whereas girls are more likely to be sex trafficked. The streets without the love and care of adults, friends, and family is not place for a youth to grow and mature into adulthood.
These young women may encounter someone offering her a good job. In reality, these bring these girls to brothels, strip them of their identification papers, and force them into prostitution. Lacking their official identification documents, these girls cannot escape. In the brothels they are used and mistreated until they become diseased. When they are too diseased to work, many of them simply disappear.
The orphanages are under-funded, lack programs, and even the resources to adequately feed, clothe, and educate the youths in their charge. Youth in these institutions receive inferior education to those in the regular system. Furthermore, there are no programs to address the special needs, behaviours, and previous trauma of these youth. Options for youth once they leave the orphanages are limited. There is a high rate of suicide, prostitution, and crime among these youth, much higher than the national average. HIV/AIDS is also high among street and orphanage youth. Drugs, alcohol, and even sniffing glue are common means of coping with these difficult life situations.
Though this paints a grim picture, much of what these youth need is quite simple: love and care. The Lifestart Odessa Project is intended to provide these simple elements in addition to core skills. Though we are may look at these youths as victims, they are, in fact, survivors. With some basic assistance, many of these youth can beat the odds and statistics of living on the streets.
