Des routards prisonniers dans la ville

• Main Author: Christophe Blanchard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ecole Nationale de Protection Judiciaire de la Jeunesse 2009-10-01
• Series: Sociétés et Jeunesses en Difficulté
• Subjects: vagrancy; social exclusion; youth; dogs; urban lefts
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/sejed/6292

In recent years, a phenomenon has been puzzling the political, social and medical players of western cities: juvenile vagrancy. More and more often, these transient young drifters live with complete packs of dogs, whose awkward presence raises many issues for the local governments.Indeed, these dogs have a direct influence on the live of these young dropouts. On the one hand, they make it easier for their owners to live (or survive) in a ruthless urban environment, be it as a practical help or an emotional outlet. Moreover, these animals create a major social link between their masters and the rest of the population. On the other hand however, the presence of these dogs is also an additional exclusion factor for an already vulnerable section of society. Most of the homeless shelters are not prepared to accommodate animals and since their young owners systematically rebuff any suggestion that they should part with their four-legged companions - be it momentarily - they most often end up sacrificing any medical or social benefits, thus worsening the unrelenting mechanism of marginalisation that entraps them in the street.