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Voices from streets to the United Nations: A Dialogue with UN special Rapporteur

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3 April, 2026

Kolkata: Street Champions, i.e. street-connected children and young people trained by CINI as peer leaders, were actively engaged in two significant virtual consultations with Mama Fatima, the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children. These sessions provided a critical platform for the voices of children, especially Street Champions, to be heard at an international level.

In response to Mama Fatima’s Call for Input, (22nd May, 2025) the Street Champions led the second session by presenting solutions they have developed over the years to improve their circumstances. They emphasized the participatory tools they have used—such as the Problem Tree and the Social Resource Map—which have enabled them to accurately capture the perspectives and needs of their peers.

The children underscored the importance of a solution-oriented approach that meaningfully includes children’s voices. They called on Mama Fatima to ensure safer cities by integrating street children’s perspectives into urban planning processes. While acknowledging the vulnerabilities faced by children from diverse backgrounds, they chose to focus not just on the challenges but on their aspiration to be active contributors to change.

They professed their wish to be part of the global solution, working hand in hand with decision-makers to build a safer, more inclusive world for every child. Mama Fatima invited 2 children from the Streets of Kolkata to meet her personally in New York later this year.