Street children in Bangladesh

A street child in Bangladesh is a young person "for whom the street (in the widest sense of the word, including unoccupied dwellings, wasteland, etc.) has become his or her habitual abode and/or source of livelihood; and who is inadequately protected, supervised, or directed by responsible adults”.[1]

A street child in Srimangal Railway Station, Bangladesh.

Definition clarification

Street children sell things on the streets or do other jobs because their parents earn little money or don't work. It's estimated that more than 600,000 children live on the streets in Bangladesh, of whom 75% are in the capital of Dhaka.

In a country ranked 135th[2] on the Human Development Index and where 50% of the population live below the poverty line, these children represent the absolute lowest level in the social hierarchy. Bangladesh is the most densely populated nation in the world; as its population has increased, the number of street children has also increased to an estimated 4 million.[3][4]

Causes

Bangladeshi children are being pushed onto the streets due to extreme poverty, lack of access to contraception, and lack of education. From a governmental perspective, childhood poverty in Bangladesh may also be the result of corruption, dysfunction, and neglect.

Street children do not have definite living or sleeping places, and many die young due to neglect, malnutrition, and disease. They can sometimes be seen selling flowers, books, or knick-knacks on the street, especially to cars stuck in traffic.[5][6] As elsewhere, street children often do not have access to healthy foods, which leads to the consumption of unhygienic food. Starvation is an ever-present problem in the region, and each year, approximately 110,000 children die of water-borne diseases in Bangladesh.

Organized crime

Street children often have to work to survive. Some do so within the lower echelons of organized crime groups, whose leaders are called mastaans. These groups operate in slums across the country, particularly in Dhaka.

In her book, The Gangs of Bangladesh: Mastaans, Street Gangs and ‘Illicit Child Labourers’ in Dhaka, criminologist Sally Atkinson-Sheppard conducted an in-depth study about the involvement of street children in organized crime.[7]

Organizations serving street children

Street children often do not have the means to earn money because they are not educated. Fortunately, they are sometimes assisted by government agencies and local and international non-governmental organizations.

INCIDIN Bangladesh has been working for the development of street children, especially those who are abused and sexually exploited.[8] The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has also provided basic assistance[9][10] and organized fundraising campaigns to better serve the needs of street children.[11][12]

Education

In general, street children in Bangladesh cannot go to school and miss out on a proper education. This often leads them to lives of hardship, but some non-government organizations offer educational opportunities to provide them with training in basic subjects.[13][14]

See also

References
  1. Thomas de Benítez, Sarah (2007). "State of the world's street children". Consortium for Street Children. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  2. "Human Development Report 2019" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. Children in Bangladesh. "Street Children - Bangladesh".
  4. End Poverty in South Asia. "World Bank Blogs".
  5. "Street children in Bangladesh". That Knowledge. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013.
  6. "Ten Facts about Children in Bangladesh". Children of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Development Research Center (BDRC).
  7. Atkinson-Sheppard, Sally (18 March 2018). "When crime is the best of many bad options". D+C Development and Cooperation. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  8. Celebrating International Street Children Day 2012. "INCIDIN Bangladesh".
  9. "Some Organizations that Help Children in Bangladesh". Children of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Development Research Center (BDRC).
  10. Celebrating Victory through Volunteerism 2013. "One Degree Initiative".
  11. Donate today to keep Global Voices strong!. "Global Voices".
  12. Study reveals inadequate access to EmONC facilities in 24 districts of Bangladesh. "icddr,b".
  13. JAAGO Schools now powered by Bangladesh’s first ‘Online Classroom’!. "JAAGO Foundation".
  14. Bangladesh: Helping the street children of Dhaka. "Plan UK".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.