Children's issues have become the concern o/national governments as well as therninternational community during the last/ew decades. Children in Difficult circumstancesrn(i.e. orphans, handicapped, Displaced children, Abused Children, and street children)rnwhich are increasingly becoming common in almost all parts 0/ the developing worldrnhave now gained the attention 0/ policy makers and programme initiators both in the jrndeveloped and developing countries. Among other social problems, the ever -andrnalarming increase in magnitude Of street ism in the developing regions 0/ Africa, Asia andrnLatin America called/or special/ocus on research and action aiming at ameliorating thernexisting problem.rnThis thesis is an empirical study aimed at identifying the basic demographic, economicrnand social determinants 0/ Streetism among children in Awassa town, the capital 0/rnSouthern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNP).rnFirst, all the available literatures were reviewed which later helped the development 0/rnjive important hypothesis and the conceptual frame work. A questionnaire, consisting 0/rnabout 53 items, was developed and a two days-training session was organized lorrninvestigators and supervisors. A pilot test was conducted on fifteen children who werernselected through pwposive sampling which helped the modification 0/ the questionnaire.rnA Case-Control,study design, which is known/or treating both exposed (cases) and nonrnexposed (controls), was used i.e. /or each street child, included in the study, there wasrnone corresponding non street child (control). In selecting the 540 cases and 540rncontrols, cluster sampling technique was used. Upon the successful completion 0/ thernjield 'work, the data entry and analysis were done using the SPSS computer softwarernpackage. Both descriptive and inferential statistical lechniques were used 10 analyze therndata. The univariate analysis was used to see the percentage share 0/ backgroundrnvariables. The relative contribution or the net effect 0/ each independent variable to therndependent variable, controlling and confounding factors, was examined using thernmullivariate analysis.rnThe jindings 0/ the bivariate analysis using chi-square test, showed the exislence 0/rnassociation between fifteen explanalory variables and streetism. The multivariaternanalysis using the logistic regression clearly revealed that age 0/ the child, sex o/Ihernchild, migralion status, Marital instability o/parents and number o/sibling were/ound tornbe velY important demographic delerm inants 0/ streetism. Furlher, Educational level 0/rnchild's parents, exposing children to heavy work load and severe physical, punishment atrnhome, and the occupational stall IS of/ather were found to be important socio-economicrndelerminants 0/ streetism.rnFinally, on the basis o/thejindings, /ew policy recommendations were given byrnclassifYing them into preventive and rehabilitative measures. The need/or advocacy,rneducaling parents and the communily aboul child rearing, strengthening the exisling lawsrnand policies related to street child, strengthening the extended/amily system, poverlyrnreduction through devising income generation activities and/amily re-unification werernamong Ihe most imporlant policy recommendations suggesled by Ihe sludy