A/HRC/19/35 school, but we needed help financially and I knew it wasn‟t supposed to be that way but if you don‟t work, things just aren‟t going to fall out of the sky to feed you (...) I continue to do it because I like it and not just because we need the money. It is something that I learned to do (...) and I don‟t want to give up doing it just for the sake of it.” 53. In general, children self-identified as strong, positive and engaged, able and willing to make positive contributions within wider society. They showed pride in helping others, being good citizens and supporting themselves and their families. B. Access to support 54. In Ethiopia, another boy said, “the public does not like to see us. They inform the police to take us away”, and in Ecuador, one older street-connected youth noted, “sometimes I felt rejected by other people, they didn‟t want to be close to me because they thought I would hurt them because they think that all people that work on the street steal, murder and smoke drugs.” 55. Trust is a major issue. One street girl in Morocco reflected, “I don‟t tell anyone. For me, I get used to it, whatever troubles me. There is no one I can really trust so it just stays inside me, even if it gets worse that way.” 56. When asked what would help, children in Uganda said they wanted someone “who will always identify with them, approve of them, and is able to help and guide them.” They also wished for “more time, patience and a listening ear.” 57. In general, children said they relied largely on support from each other and the organizations they come into contact with. They had little support from statutory services and often, but not always, met with rejection from the public and the police. C. Access to rights 58. In Morocco, facilitators observed „when the topic of rights was brought up the participants either had little clue (noticed among the younger participants) or felt uncomfortable discussing this topic, refraining from participating, not wanting to get involved and moving on the next topic of conversation (noticed among the older participants)‟. 59. In India, in comparison, children demonstrated that they clearly understood their rights – to survival, protection, development and participation - while in Uganda and Ethiopia the „right to love‟ (to be loved and cared for, and belong to a family) was mentioned by several participants. 60. When asked if they had ever reported any violations of their rights, one child in Uganda responded: “No, because before I came here I did not know my rights”. In India, a child reflected that „their reports are not taken seriously because they are children and don‟t understand anything‟. 61. In general, children‟s understanding of and access to rights seemed to depend on local socio-cultural context and the use of rights-based support by specialized interventions. VIII. Conclusions and recommendations 62. It is not known how many children depend on the streets for their survival or development. Numbers fluctuate according to socio-economic, political and cultural conditions, including growing urbanization and inequalities, as well as terminology 14