During the course of the war in Guatemela, over 35,000 women were widowed and 200,000 were left orphaned. These orphaned children had no choice but to migrate to areas such as Guatemala City where it is was probable that they could at least work to make money and survive. For children not involved or orphaned by the war, poverty plays a large role in the decision to leave home. In 1995, more than 83 percent of children were estimated to live in poverty. Out of the 1.9 million families estimated to live in Guatemala, 75.5 percent are defined as poor, and 54 percent are evaluated as being extremely below the poverty line. Children in Guatemala are expected to work, and on average,expected to bring in over 30 percent of the earnings in a family. There is a heavy load of economic pressure put on children, and many leave home in the belief that it would be easier to support only themselves. This is a common misperception among children and those who leave are inexperienced on the streets and unaware of the skills needed to survive. Abuse and neglect within families often are more causes of why many children in Guatemala chose a life on the street. In Guatemala, there are 5,000 to 6,000 children who live on the street. These children are very young, and mostly between the ages of 7 to 10. All children in Guatemala do not have terrible home lives, but the ones who are living on the streets do so because of their family situations. Some children are punished harshly for mild disobedience and receive harsh beatings as punishments. At times, some children feel that they have made mistakes too great to tell their parents, and further believe that living on the streets is a better alternative to the punishments they would receive at home . Journalist Ann Birch conducted interviews with several children who faced extremely abusive situations at home. She describes a child named Felipe, age 9, who was forced to leave home due to an overly violent father who would beat his head against they wall. Birch also talked to a woman named Carminia who ran away from home after being raped by her step father. Many children are punished physically and are sexually abused, and to escape, they run away.