Authorities in Kano, Nigeria, have started evacuating over 5,000 street children, viewed as a security threat amid the region’s economic crisis.

The Hisbah police force has conducted midnight raids to remove these children from motor parks and markets.

Many of the children are from broken homes and have no access to education or parental care, with many begging or selling items to survive. Kano has the highest rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Authorities plan to rehabilitate and provide psychosocial support, with some children to be enrolled in school or trained in trades, CBS News has reported.

Past efforts to clear the streets have failed, but a new approach includes rehabilitating children before reintegration.

Written by B.C. Begley