Why are we unable to address the plight of street children?

It was a scorching hot day. The air felt dry, not a speck of grey cloud in the bright, white sky. Some rickshaw pullers were resting under the shade of a tree, while some local buses plied the road. 

I spotted a young boy with a pale face near Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka. The 14-year-old's name was Shaju.

Shaju does not know where his parents are. He used to live with them in Ashulia but one day, they just left. "I searched for them for one whole year. But I am clueless where they are. I accepted my fate and moved to Old Dhaka," he said. 

He is not alone in dealing with a precarious existence. UNICEF's recently published report titled 'A Qualitative Study on Children Living in Street Situations in Bangladesh 2024' revealed that the number of children without parental care is a staggering 3.4 million, at least.

Shaju was carrying a sack full of plastic and other waste on his shoulder. Every day, he collects waste and sells them at the recycling shops in Weisghat. Sometimes, he refills water bottles and sells them at Shadarghat. He earns around Tk100 per day.

He showed me a wound on his foot; he was beaten by someone the previous night. I asked him if he wanted to have lunch with me but he refused.  

But he let me take him to a nearby hospital. The nurses dressed the wound, but their faces were full of disgust; everyone thought he was a drug addict.  

This was also mentioned in the UNICEF report, according to which street-connected children, and street-living children in particular, are highly disadvantaged in terms of receiving love and care. People consider them a disgrace.

However, it is also true that many street children are drug addicts. The report says that the most common reason for taking drugs is peer influence, lack of parental supervision, curiosity, etc.

13-year-old Aminul's biological mother used to torture him a lot. When she remarried, she intended to give him up for adoption but his aunt decided to take him in. 

He had to drop out of the madrasah due to poverty. Now, he assists his aunt in selling flowers at Rabindra Sharobar in Dhanmondi. She confessed to us that she sometimes beats Aminul when he skips work and plays around.

Like Shaju and Aminul, most of the street children are involved in various income generating activities that often cause accidental injuries, sicknesses, and trauma.

Street-connected children, and street-living children in particular, are highly disadvantaged in terms of receiving love and care. Photo: TBS

We spoke to Chowdhury Md Mohaimen, manager of the social welfare directorate's child helpline under the Child Sensitive Social Protection in Bangladesh (CSPB) Project. He has long experience in working with the street connected children in Bangladesh.

"We have to work on the root causes with a community-based approach. We have already taken initiatives to form community based committees for that purpose," he said.

The UNICEF report also recommends strengthening collaboration between the government, NGOs, and civil society for a multifaceted policy response that addresses the root causes of children living on the streets.

It is, however, easier said than done. 

Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) acts as a networking entity to bring together and assist child rights organisations in pursuing common goals. As per its website, it has brought 273 member NGOs under the same umbrella till date. 

Unfortunately, most of the member organisations are either inactive or are not directly involved in child rights activities, an investigation by a Dhaka-based English daily found in 2013. More than 90% of them work on issues related to women, the environment, rural development and microcredit.

The NGOs claim to work for child rights, but they hardly do anything for children. However, the organisations remain flexible with their agendas to fulfil the conditions for BSAF membership, the report revealed.

"I had seen BSAF be very strong and active once. But now their contribution is little to none. I don't know – there might be valid reasons, they can say better," Mohaimen opined.

To learn about the possible 'valid' reasons, we visited the BSAF office at Adabor only to find a padlock hanging on the door. The officials could not be reached either.

The UNICEF report underscores the vital importance of NGOs, indicating that street children have shown gratitude and acceptance towards NGOs that have really helped them.

The number of street children is huge. Can the government support them all? As per the report, almost all stakeholders opine that the government can change the fate of children and families. 

They believe that the government has the power, resources, and distribution structure to support them. "There will be street children as long as the push factors exist. But we have to keep working on reducing the number," Mohaimen said.

The Department of Social Services has plans to establish a total of 22 hubs across the country to help street children. The purpose is to provide them with a secure environment for some time and then assess them with a view to reuniting them with their families. Only four hubs have been established so far, of which three are in Dhaka and the other is in Rangpur.

The fate of such previous projects paint a concerning picture. According to the UNICEF report, government service centres like Shishu Poribar and the Sheikh Russel Training and Rehabilitation Centre have been accused of abuse, exploitation, and serving inedible food. Therefore, ensuring the quality of service in the hubs is a primary concern.

"At present, there are 13 Sheikh Russel Training and Rehabilitation Centres in the country. These centres have a combined capacity of 2,600 children, while currently 2,224 children are there," Abu Abdullah Mohammad Waliullah, deputy director of the child protection unit at the Department of Social Services shared with TBS.

Ariful Hasan Shuvo. Sketch: TBS

The UNICEF report recommends the government amend and strengthen sections III, IX, and X of the Children's Act, 2013. Further, awareness campaigns should be launched to educate the public on street children's challenges and promote sensitivity towards them.

It's our shared responsibility to ensure a healthy childhood for every child. The time to act is now.