Countless others have fled a home life punctuated by deprivation, brutality, and sexual abuse. All are undernourished. All are in precarious health. Most survive by stealing, begging, and engaging in both homosexual and heterosexual prostitution. Children's rights have taken a backseat to trade or diplomatic concerns.
Street children do commit petty crimes.
They also sniff glue. Most are severely malnourished, and the sensations induced by the glue help overcome hunger pangs and numb them against the chill of night. Over time, the fumes destroy brain cells and can cause death. They also produce hallucinations and the reckless courage to steal. At the foot of the majestic Agua volcano rests a small cemetery with whitewashed mausoleums and tired wooden crosses bent by age and neglect.