Introduction
Homeless youth are referred to as those people who do not have anyone to take care of them. They face several problems, and it is never easy for them to survive in those severe conditions. There are scores of females who feel trapped in their own houses, and they run away so that they can get an escape. Homeless and runaway youth are one of the most underserved and disadvantaged groups in our society because they decide to run away from appalling environments in their homes.
Types of Mistreatment
There is a general misconception that all the adolescent females who run away from their homes are doing it for a wrong purpose but the reasons vary from person to person. However they face a lot of troubles, and people take advantage (Wright, Attell & Ruel, 2017). Homeless females usually face the following mistreatments which lead the government to hire social services to deal with such issues.
- There is a high probability that these females get involved in illegal activities like drug abuse and unprotected sex which will make their lives more miserable. They do not realize the severity of their mistakes when involved in these malpractices.
- There is an increase in anxiety, depression, and deterioration of self-esteem, which eventually lead to suicide attempts.
- According to the latest research, almost 36% of people today are involved in activities like exchanging food for sex. Many homeless females engage themselves in exchanging drugs to earn money so that they do not starve to death.
- Adolescent homeless females are sexually abused. Sexual abuse is a pervasive yet ignored matter in many countries. They experience more violence on the streets than anyone else.
- Homelessness is never easy on these females, and they are usually mistreated because no one cares about them. They start skipping school and as homeless youth, getting an education becomes difficult due to which they do not get a career and are exploited by society.
Role of Social Services
Social workers play a very important role in the situations mentioned above. When the government notices an increase in the rate of these incidents, the social services are alerted to ensure that these females do not have to compromise their education. Social services are designed in a way that they use a proper protocol to deal with the issues facing these homeless adolescent females.
These social services are engaged in a range of support activities for such populations. They provide counseling sessions for abused females, advocate for the rights of these females, and provide living arrangements for homeless women. Homeless people especially women are considered the most vulnerable population in society (“Homeless and Runaway Youth”, 2016). These social workers fight for the rights of these homeless people. Every organization has its approach to dealing with such issues.
The authorities, however, have made sure that in all these years they developed an appropriate system to address the troubles of homeless females. At the macro level, these social workers plan strategies to minimize the harm brought to this group by society and implement these strategies appropriately. Social services not only fight for the rights of these females but also provide therapeutic services for these females. In most of the cases, the victims are traumatized by all the things they face in their lives after running away. It is the main reason why they need counseling and therapies to make sure everything gets better ahead in their lives.
Social service interventions also include providing income for homeless females, shelter to the maximum number of people, mental health services, and legal services. The government directly administrates Many social services interventions (Gwadz et al., 2017). On a micro level, these volunteers send their agents for home study to determine if the parents are doing everything right. The safety of these females is necessary, and they ensure they support this homeless population of females.
Moreover, certain workers in the social services department are assigned to keep a check and balance of everything. They evaluate all the home studies so they do not miss any detail. These social interventions focus on every possible aspect of these issues which have been mentioned in this paper. There are a number of social services interventions that help these homeless by improving the quality of life they are being provided in their homes so that the females especially do not feel the urge to escape from their own homes. They make sure they prevent and control abusive acts not only on the streets but in the homes as well so that none of the females want to leave their houses in the first place.
Conclusion
To conclude, there needs to be a check and balance on everything that the social services do to ensure they are doing everything right. Social services focus on protecting the homeless adolescent females. They aim to provide safety and rights to these females so that they can decrease the number of females who get sexually abused on the streets and get involved in illegal acts to earn money. Therefore, social services play a significant role in protecting the rights of homeless adolescent females.
References
Wright, E., Attell, B., & Ruel, E. (2017). Social Support Networks and the Mental Health of Runaway and Homeless Youth. Social Sciences, 6(4), 80-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/socsci6040117. Accessed 9th February 2018.
Gwadz, M., Cleland, C., Leonard, N., Bolas, J., Ritchie, A., & Tabac, L. et al. (2017). Understanding organizations for runaway and homeless youth: A multi-setting quantitative study of their characteristics and effects. Children And Youth Services Review, 73, 378-410. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.01.016. Accessed 9th February 2018.
Homeless and Runaway Youth. (2016). Ncsl.org. Retrieved 10 February 2018, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx. Accessed 9th February 2018.
