One of the repercussions of Mongolia’s changeover to a free market economy is the rise in unemployment which has widened the gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, hundreds of children live on the streets of the capital city, Ulaan Baatar. During the winter months when temperatures can drop as low as -30C, the children live underground for warmth in the manholes that house the hot water pipes for the city’s central heating system. Some children live on and off the streets by choice, but many children have turned to the streets to escape family abuse, starvation, and poverty.