Rehabilitating street children

According to conservative estimates, there are half a million street children in Bangladesh with half of them eking out a meagre existence in Dhaka. With urbanisation growing at a rapid rate the number will increase and relevant reports suggest the figure will cross the million mark in a few years. Few of these children are literate and most do not have any kind of parental supervision. They have to live alone in the streets which can be dangerous places for them with rampant sexual and other kinds of abuses and violence being the norm.
According to a recent social welfare ministry report about 41 per cent of the street children have no sleeping beds, 84 per cent have no warm clothes, 54 per cent don’t get nursing and 75 per cent can’t go to the doctor when sick. About 44 per cent street children are addicted to smoking, 40 per cent don’t take a bath every day and 35 per have no access to toilet facility. The majority of these children have run away from home because of crushing poverty and physical and emotional abuse. Ironically and tragically, living in the streets have only led to further abuse in the forms of highly exploitative child labour, prostitution, begging, etc.
They are also used as pawns by crime syndicates who use them to peddle drugs and force them to indulge in arson. And most of these children grow up unloved and uncared for and adults become involved in anti-social activities. In developed countries the state takes care of the child if they are not safe in their family environment. The parents get their custody back after proving their commitment and ability to look after their children. Such a policy is perhaps not quite feasible at present in Bangladesh but the state obviously can do more.
It goes without saying that these children constitute one of the most vulnerable and marginal groups in Bangladesh. We believe that the most urgent necessity for these kids is appropriate need-based education. Article 17 of the Constitution of Bangladesh recognises the right to education for all, including the disadvantaged children. Bangladesh’s National Poverty Reduction Strategy prescribes education as a means of empowerment of disadvantaged groups, which obviously include these children. Unfortunately currently there is no comprehensive government policy specifically to help street children. The relevant government agencies must formulate a programme to bring the light of education to these children, provide them with shelter and also to make a concentrated effort for their gradual uplift. While the onus is on the government if the government takes concrete steps many individuals and NGOs will join together to make the programme sustainable and successful.

 

Rehabilitating street children

According to conservative estimates, there are half a million street children in Bangladesh with half of them eking out a meagre existence in Dhaka. With urbanisation growing at a rapid rate the number will increase and relevant reports suggest the figure will cross the million mark in a few years. Few of these children are literate and most do not have any kind of parental supervision. They have to live alone in the streets which can be dangerous places for them with rampant sexual and other kinds of abuses and violence being the norm. According to a recent social welfare ministry report about 41 per cent of the street children have no sleeping beds, 84 per cent have no warm clothes, 54 per cent dont get nursing and 75 per cent cant go to the doctor when sick. About 44 per cent street children are addicted to smoking, 40 per cent dont take a bath every day and 35 per have no access to toilet facility. The majority of these children have run away from home because of crushing poverty and physical and emotional abuse. Ironically and tragically, living in the streets have only led to further abuse in the forms of highly exploitative child labour, prostitution, begging, etc. They are also used as pawns by crime syndicates who use them to peddle drugs and force them to indulge in arson. And most of these children grow up unloved and uncared for and adults become involved in anti-social activities. In developed countries the state takes care of the child if they are not safe in their family environment. The parents get their custody back after proving their commitment and ability to look after their children. Such a policy is perhaps not quite feasible at present in Bangladesh but the state obviously can do more. It goes without saying that these children constitute one of the most vulnerable and marginal groups in Bangladesh. We believe that the most urgent necessity for these kids is appropriate need-based education. Article 17 of the Constitution of Bangladesh recognises the right to education for all, including the disadvantaged children. Bangladeshs National Poverty Reduction Strategy prescribes education as a means of empowerment of disadvantaged groups, which obviously include these children. Unfortunately currently there is no comprehensive government policy specifically to help street children. The relevant government agencies must formulate a programme to bring the light of education to these children, provide them with shelter and also to make a concentrated effort for their gradual uplift. While the onus is on the government if the government takes concrete steps many individuals and NGOs will join together to make the programme sustainable and successful.