INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Street Children as a special group of children in grave situation are helpless being
deprived of the basic necessities of life, such as food, shelter, clothing and psychological
supports. In the absence of the fulfillment of these basic needs, mere survival of the child
becomes impossible and they grow up as unwanted members of the society. Because of
the negligence they continue to suffer these children grow as child labor, beggars,
shoplifters, and pick-picketers, gangsters, low paid domestic servants, and so on. These
are the children of the urban poor who are most vulnerable, exploited and who face the
highest risks. They face untold hardship and danger on the streets. Living and working on
the streets exacts a terrible toll on street children. They are often preying to every
physical and moral danger and as they grow older they often become a danger to others.
After such precarious childhoods, most of them are condemned to spend their lives
excluded from mainstream society. These all together indicate the unintended side effects
of economic growth. This is a global phenomenon.

Regardless of definition, the phenomenon of street children is not new. It is not restricted
to certain geographical areas (Connolly, 1990). The street urchin, the runway, the street
waifs and stray children were part of the ‘’ urban landscape’’ during the process of
industrialization and urbanization in post-war Europe (Agnelli, optic; swart, 1986). The
phenomenal growth of street children across the populous countries of the third world,
particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, is a grim reminder of the failure of society
to protect and nurture its greatest asset and to tackle one of the most serious anomalies of
modern development of those countries. The UN has been attributed as estimating the
population of street children worldwide at 150 million, with the number rising daily.
Ranging in age from three to eighteen, about 40% are homeless. As a percentage of
world population, this is unprecedented in the history of civilization. The other 60%
work on the streets to support their families. Some are sent out by their impoverished

13
parents to work or to beg. They are unable to attend school and are considered to live in
"especially difficult circumstances”. Increasingly, these children are the defenseless
victims of brutal violence, sexual exploitation, abject neglect, chemical addiction, and
human rights violations (P A N G A E A: 2005)

The increasing number of street children has assumed serious proportions across the
world and more particularly in the developing world. Under the compelling
circumstances the international and national agencies as well as governments of these
countries have made concerted efforts to comprehend the reasons behind this so as to
evolve suitable means to address it ( Pandey, 1993).

The presence of large number of children in urban areas is virtually unnoticed prior to the
transition to a market economy. The hard reality about the street child is that they are
naked facing vicious poverty, sickness and exploitation. The tragedy is, that they are
themselves innocent, lonely and frightened young children. Street Children are those
unfortunate children who have basically only intermittent contact with parents or family
(usually mother or sisters) but live most of the time with other street children in the city
streets, They are also who are on the move and those who have run away from home.
Many of them have unpleasant experience at home.

They experience family problems¹ they are unable to solve. Their tolerance level has
been far exceeded, leading to the drastic decision to leave their family. The scenario
described above confirms a situation whereby the children on the street are the most
vulnerable, uncared and underserved. Despite current governmental and
nongovernmental efforts they continue to be excluded from the mainstream of different
development programs.

In order to fulfill the government’s commitment to

for most or all the children of the country, many more
alternative efforts must be made to recognize the needs of the Most Vulnerable Children

14
(MVC). Street children have to face a daily routine of exploitation and violence. They are
exposed to a world of crime with few viable alternatives. Rather than receiving protection
and security by those in authority, they suffer neglect and abuse. They suffer beatings,
arrest and imprisonment alongside adult offenders in harsh conditions- with no recourse
to a compassionate juvenile justice system. So, the aim of this study is to gain an
understanding of street children’s perspectives about their own situation to encourage
more appropriate and effective interventions.

The total number of street children in the urban areas of Bangladesh estimates as 682,882
by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS: 2004). The phenomenal
growth of street children in the Bangladesh urban centers, particularly in the metropolitan
cities of Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet, concerns the policy
makers and development practitioners. They are concerned as on rural poverty and
migration to urban centers, unemployment, landlessness, river erosion, family conflict,
law and order situation, disintegration of traditional family and community structures
have brought about changes in the socio-economic scenario thus giving rise to a new
vulnerable group of children in the metropolitan cities and towns. They are beginning to
become aware about the predicaments if street children who live and are grow up on the
margins of the society in a state of neglect and deprivation, often without education,
affection, care and guidance from the adult members of the families. The street children
live, work and struggle for survival in unhygienic environment. They do not have any
access even to the basic services required for their healthy growth and development; nor
they could enjoy opportunity to participate in the mainstreams of the community life in
Bangladesh.

1. The problems include: alcoholism, child abuse, and ill treatment by stepparents, unemployment and poverty.

15
Bangladesh is experiencing a high rate of urbanization paradoxically with a low of
industrial growth. As a response to rate, the major cities have been experiencing a
spiraling population growth over a short period of time, primarily due to rural urban
migration as a push factor. In Bangladesh many children are exposed to the scourge of
poverty and deprivation. The unacceptable health, nutrition, education and social
conditions, exposure to abuse, violence and child labor combine to produce a relatively
large number of children in especially difficult circumstances. In addition, the periodic
natural disasters like cyclones and tidal surges, floods and river erosions bring about in its
wake a large number of orphaned, homeless and destitute children.

The social unit of the family, however, provides a way for most children to fit into the
social system. But those with special advantages-street children, prostitute, abandoned
and orphans, disabled, may find themselves outside the normal social support system.
The situation of economic hardship contributes to the crisis within the family, which in
turns pushes children out into the streets and into a life of hunger, disease, violence, fear
and exploitation. They become street children, child laborers, and abandoned children,
abused children, beggar children, abducted children, child prostitute, deformed children,
children in domestic servitude. Whatever terms one uses to identify them is an
unacceptable phenomenon of human degradation.

Among the most neglected of the urban poor are the increasing numbers of children who
depend for survival on the streets. Within the context of the UN Convention on the Rights
of Child (CRC), street children have been identified as surviving in ‘grave situation’ and
being amongst those whose rights are the most commonly violated. Living on the margin
of society, relying entirely on their own efforts, and with no one to care for them, street
children remain as the most vulnerable group.

Street Children are often referred to as ‘’ floating’’ children because; they have no-where
to go and nobody to belong to. They are often runaways from villages, from domestic
violence, broken families and street slums. Many of these children are born illegitimate;
spend their childhood roaming around the streets. A floating child is called !

16
Many of the street children in the cities are victims of family break up, increasing rural
poverty and landlessness. Children as young as six and seven arrive in cities by ferry,
launch and boat from their village homes often unaccompanied, to face the hazads of city
life alone and remain unaided. Many of these children are approached by prospective
‘employers’ –from shopkeepers and hotel owners to pimps and

Against this backdrop this study is designed to understand the dimensions of the problem,
assess the physical, psychological, social and basic needs of the street children for their
growth and development, and finally to have an empirical database to help formulate the
future national policies and programs for addressing the problems of the estimated street
children. The Dissertation investigates the actual situation of the street children in which
they live on, identifying the existing services available for the street children, assessing
the gaps between the needs and available interventions of NGOs specially have been
involved in several services to the working children of urban areas in Bangladesh since
April 2000. This is to recommend interventions for NGOs working for street children in
Bangladesh.

2.Tokai is a commonly and verbally used term showing alters negligence and disrespect the floating children processing by picking up
from here and there as collecting bits of things by picking up from here and there is collecting bits of things by picking. It is the
floating children, scavenge, collect scrap of metal, broken glasses, empty tin cans and paper from the garbage in the cities.
3. Mastan means local gangstars.
The street children have to face a daily routine of exploitation and violence. Older children as well as adults, including those in
positions of public authority, may abuse them. They are also exposed to a world of crime with few viable alternatives. Rather than
receiving protection and security by those in authority, they are beaten and arrested to often and suffer and imprisonment alongside
adult offenders in harsh conditions-with no recourse to a compassionate juvenile justice system. This is because they are involved in
petty theft and take drug. Amongst all the children, moreover, adolescent girls are most exposed to the dangers of sexual abuse and
prostitution on the street, for which they are unjustly punished. As they reach adolescence, they become more vulnerable on the street.
Their young bodies become a burden. They face more terrible threats on the street.

17
 ! "# $

Produce a comprehensive document on the lessons learned from the organizations and
beneficiaries in the study area about delivery system of activities towards the street
children and recommend the most effective way to maximize benefits from limited
resources of the organization.
!

1. To get the conceptual understanding and definition of street and to give an

overview of the socio-economic background of the street children in six divisional
cities %
2. To study the nature and extent of the problems of street children and to assess the
needs & of street children for their growth and development;
3. To analyze the situation of street children and the constrains of effective
implementation of program activities due to discriminatory laws or practices at the
local level;
4. To review and explore the Govt. intervention to reduce multidimensional factors
creating vulnerable situation under which children find them in the street and
marginalized , exploited and victimized ;
5. To ascertain the NGOs working for the street children along with Government and
to assess the impact of those interventions on the daily lives of the street children in
six divisional cities of Bangladesh;

6. To overview the innovative and best possible practices adopted by NGOs for
improving street children’s environment across the region ;
7. To develop necessary policy recommendation for the effective interventions.
4.Socio-economic situation covers:
• Age and sex composition • Educational background • Reasons for leaving homes• Main sources of income • Level of skill •
Occupation• Views and attitude of street children towards stakeholders and vice versa

•Occupational hazards •Status of health and access to health care services. Prevalence and extent of STD/HIV •Living
Conditions and sanitation facilities•Psychological characteristics and psychosomatic problem • Prevalence, extent, type
and sources of substance abuse •Physical disabilities
' (( (
•Status of legal aid support •Rights and laws affecting street children •Trafficking, abuse, harassment and prostitution
•Violence•Exploitation by masters/law enforcing agencies• Protecting behavior/coping mechanism against police & others
) *
•Shelter•Food•Health care and health education•Education•Skill development & employment•Psychological counseling•Security
and protection•Re-integration with families

18
 +
Non -Government Organization sector is a significant phenomenon from the standpoint
of development. By playing an important role in development, this sector has earned its
own identity. Though there are a huge number of case studies of individual NGOs
working for street children’s development issues, but similar theoretical and empirical
works on the NGOs in developing countries is only beginning to emerge (Paul, 1991).
There are a few studies focusing on the potential role of NGOs in development studies
have also been undertaken by the international donors who are very much interested to
involve the NGOs in the development process. They have undertaken a very few careful
assessments of NGOs collaboration with international donors.
The World Bank undertook a study to identify the common goals that strengthening
relations between the Government and NGOs. This World Bank report identified a
number of ways and means of moving closer to effective GO-NGO partnership in
Bangladesh. The World Bank report suggested that GO-NGO collaboration is excellent
sense in fulfilling the country’s development goals, but it required good governance.
(Begum, 2003). Considering the suggestion of World Bank, Government of Bangladesh
and UNDP has started the collaborative ARISE, project in Bangladesh with commitment
at different times keeping in view for overall welfare of the Street Children to involve
them with the main steam of the population of the country, so that they could lead a
normal and healthy life, likewise the other members of the society. But their effort was
not implemented successfully according to desired goals.
So this study focuses the actual situation of the street children in which they live on,
identify the existing services available for the street children, assess the gaps between the
needs and available services and thus to recommend interventions for GO-NGOs working
for street children in Bangladesh.
In the area of " # a research has undertaken by ARISE project. The main
focus of the study was limited to the size of street children and their projection for major
urban areas of Bangladesh. There is no other study in a particular field on $ !
" % &'( &' ) * Thus this study is a potential
field of research.

19
 % " )
While the distinction between children ’’on the street’’ and ‘’of the street’’ has been
useful, some overlaps and gray areas still remain. Some children ‘’ of the street’’ may
have been abandoned and rejected by their families while other may have left their
families due to prevailing circumstances. Muchini (1994) noted that in a ‘’sense they
abandoned the family’’. Other children may stray and wander the streets, becoming
involved in street activities with other children.
Muchini also notes that there are also ‘’ children of the street’’ who maintain links with
family members while others have totally served family connections. Some ‘’children of
the street’’ may visit their mothers staying with ‘’step-fathers’’ once in a while or may
visit other siblings and, return to their street ‘’homes’’ .Muchini further observes that the
degrees to which filial linkages are maintained also vary for different children. The
quality of contacts also differs .
The same can be said of ‘’ children on the street’’. Children classified as ‘’ on the street’’
include those staying with distant relatives and those who stay with employers. Thus,
categorizing street children into only two categories may cloud the continuity of the
children connecting with their families.
Problems associated with the last part of the widely accepted definition of the street
children. ‘‘…and who are inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible
adults ‘’. I observed that part fails to acknowledge the role played by children in shaping
their own destiny. This part reflects society’s perception of a child as someone who must
live within boundaries delineated by adults.
The term ‘’ street children’’ and its mutants such as ‘’street kids’’, parking boys,
’’Tokai’’ ,’’car washer’’ , Teenage beggars’’. ‘‘Street bums’’ etc refer to a complex
phenomenon. The term sites emotions and focuses on the ‘’problem’’. It is a problem
whose manifestations are seated in several casual factors.
The NGOs have to face obstacles to the smooth functioning of the organizations from
bureaucrats as they think the NGOs have hampered their importance and also their
interest (Hasan, 1993). Thus there is a general feeling of mutual mistrust among the
members of the GOB and the NGO functionaries. There seems to be a noticeable gap in

20
terms of policy guidance to utilize potentials of the NGO sector. As, a result the NGOs,
to a great extent, are working in isolation.
Lack of Government Policy on Street Children and utilization of the NGO sector, Lack of
co-ordination between the NGO and GOB, Lack of proper interaction between the GOB
and NGOs has identified as research problem from general observation and available
research reports. .

& ( - ) . /
The concept of Most Vulnerable Children on the Street seems to be complicated rather
perplexing. The presence of street children in Bangladesh is a symptomatic of under
development. The main causes of such underdevelopment are cited as chronic poverty,
unemployment, over population, landlessness, illiteracy, natural disasters like floods,
typhoons, cyclones, river erosion, etc, malnutrition, exploitation and social conflicts in
the rural sector. Recently these antecedents forced the rural people to migrate to urban
centers for employment opportunities, better livelihood, social security and welfare. But
this continuous migration from rural to urban areas results in an uneven and unplanned
urban population growth. These migrating families in search of alternative employment
are forced into more vulnerable and tragic situation. This is particularly true of women
and children who are hard hit.

Sometimes children and women are lured into migration from rural homes to the cities
and towns with the promise of giving jobs. When they reach the cities they find that no
such jobs are available as promised to them. Very often they are forced into prostitution
or allowed to work household as aids; they do not get what is due to them as wage in
recognition of their hard labor. As a result, many of them run away and take shelter on
the street and start more hazardous life including begging, rags collection and other odd
jobs. In the non-formal sector, many of the children work on the streets that are very
often termed as ‘Street Children.’

It also found that many children migrate from their villages as their parents desert them.
Sometimes rivalry in villages also results in eviction after the death of parents, especially
the father. Some of those children have often run away from home after quarrel or ill

21
treatment. Since the British regime Bangladesh has seen child labor both in urban and
rural sectors prior to industrialization during the British rule. The peasant families
worked in the fields over a period of time when become destitute; they used to move to
the urban centers for better income from the industrial and other economic enterprises.
This is also one of the causes of migration from rural to urban sector. In the process of
urbanization and pauperization, the migration of rural poor to urban areas is increasing in
Bangladesh. Changes are taking place not only in the family structure but also in kinship
relations putting the parent and child in the different worlds and also in the different
classes. This dramatic change in the parental relationship leads to insecurity for the
children. Consequently, creates a new vulnerable group of children in urban areas called
Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) offer. They live and grow up on the margins of the
society, in an estate of neglect and deprivation, often without guidance.

The variety of circumstances in which street children find themselves and problems they
face, suggest that it interventions are to be effective they need to guided by asset of
principles leading to frame work for practice. The CRC provides a ready framework for
any intervention in the lives of children, including street children. The CRC represents an
international standard for children’s rights, survival, development, protection,
participation and freedom from discrimination, within overall context of the best interests
of the child.

Following the almost universal ratification of the CRC, efforts have been directed to
monitoring its implementation and to the development and refinement of what is
commonly referred to as Child Rights Programming (CRP). A CRP framework provides
guidance in how to use implement the CRC (and other international instruments) in the
best interests of children everywhere CRP combine legal based responses to international
conventions on child and human rights with perspectives of childhood and development.
The CRP frame work utilizes sociology (paradigm of childhood), cross cultural
psychology(Childhood Development) , provision (Care and Protection as well as
education and health services) , citizenship , governance and good practice in the areas of
child participation. and field based youth and community work. Further CRP uses a

22
rights-based analysis of the situation of children that seeks to identify the duty bearers
responsible for protecting and supporting those rights . The purpose is to recognize
children as rights holders, not as passive beneficiaries. Similarly, there is a need for
accountability for children’s right.
As signatories to the CRC, state parties are required to bring their legislation into line
with its provisions. In Bangladesh, appropriate legislation is in place, but mechanisms for
effective implementation are absent. State parties too often lack either capacity or
financial or other resources such as a cadre of trained social workers. Similarly, a
country’s social context may be adverse to the realization of child rights, such as where
the public or some state apparatus (e.g. particular, are perceived as nuisances, if not lesser
beings. There is need for awareness raising and behavior change among adults and
society as a whole to realize the full scope of children’s rights. There also is need for
sensitization and training in a range of professionals including police and judiciary.
Unfortunately, Departments or Ministries with overall responsibility for children and
children’s rights are often the weakest and most under –resourced units in national
bureaucracies .One important issue is hostility to children’s rights in some places, often
from religious groups, but also it seems, based on a misunderstanding of what children’s
rights entail. Some misconceptions are articulated in suggestions that children’s rights are
about children staying up late and ‘disrespecting others’ going out and taking drugs
(which are not in the CRC) rather than rights to protection from abuse, torture and
exploitation. Sensitization and training need to involve a variety of social grouping.
With respect to implementation of the CRC, two principles predominate, protection and
participation. Protection is fundamental and constitutes the main reason for seeking
interventions suggesting more preemptive approaches in enabling the development of
children’s skills and knowledge and in building support structures and mechanisms that
improve children’s environments, making them safer and less vulnerable. One aspects of
protection is preventing children from moving to the street,
Protection demands children’s participation. Participation means allowing children to
express their views and to be involved in decision making to the extent of their capability.
It should be obvious that street children know far more about their reasons for choosing
to leave home or to migrate to the streets than anyone else. They certainly know far more

23
about survival and making the most of street life through a variety of coping mechanisms.
They also know what they want in terms of care, reintegration and acceptable work.

+ , Casual Analysis Framework of street children Phenomenon

24
A careful analysis of the street children phenomenon reflects a number of immediate,
underlying and basic causes. Available literature on street children in Bangladesh from
academic presentations, journal articles, books by researchers and situational analysis and
survey reports, show a plethora of causal factors and effects to the street children
problem. + , shows the Casual Analysis Framework of street children.
There is tension between the principles of protection and participation, given that adult’s
perceptions of protection and dangers may be quite different from those of children. But
children’s participations in protection is crucial for any intervention to be effective: what
appears risky and dangerous to adults (especially those with secure homes) may be
negotiated safely by children. A clear paradox is the removal of a child from the street for
his or her safety and subsequent placement in a family home or other accommodation that
is abusive and exploitative. In some cases, children might be better off on the street
because available alternatives bring no real improvements to their lives (or best interests).
Such decisions, however, can only be made through careful analysis of a child’s
particular context with the active participation of the child, again according to his or her
capabilities to participate in decision-making. However putting into practice the
principles of the best interests is not easy, particularly in institutional or bureaucratic
settings.
The question of the best interest also is linked to ethical practices. Street Children are
visible and elicit a diverse range of reactions from sympathy and regarding street children
as victims, to disgust and regarding street children as criminals or inhuman beings. The
CRC denotes children’s as humans under the age of 18 years, to whom all human rights
conventions apply , taking into account the special circumstances regarding age, but
emphasizing their humanity and rights , including respect for their person , privacy and
identity. Ethical principles require respecting children’s view and decisions, while taking
into account their best interests. Such principles also mean that street children should not
be objected or sensationalized in newspaper and other media accounts or expected to
recount their histories or to continually be subject to viewing by project visitors (even the
visitors are donors).

25
The nature of provision designed for street children also poses significant challenge. The
most common form of provision is shelter, which may fulfill children’s need in part but
in fact may more fulfill adult perceptions of children’s needs including adult feelings
about the importance of a home or not wanting children to ‘sleep rough’. For a child, the
main issue may be a haunting traumatic experience or family relationship breakdown,
rather than nights on the street. The particular context or circumstances may well be
taken into account and including children’s own perceptions of the benefits and dangers
of street life.

Highly varied street circumstances necessitate action- based research. Different

circumstances create problems of process and place, which in turn create, difficulties for
practice. While there is tendency to focus on the lives of those children who remain on
the street, such an approach ignores the reality of transitions that street children’s lives
are not static and that street children respond to opportunities and constrains, to coercion
and to their own growing older. A clear difficulty is mediating varying responses to
individuals and groups through constrains of staffing and overall resources of project as
well as the local context.
01 '$ $

The study has been conducted keeping in view the objectives of the study and a
combination of methods have been used to collect relevant data. They were both
consultative and participatory.

' %

To get survey data more reliable, accurate and authentic, observation method has been
used. Observation method has been applied at the time of interviewing through
questionnaire. Usually, gesture, posture, mode of expression of the informants has been
observed at the time of interaction between the interviewer and interviewee.

26
+ " %

The study was started with the conduction of a baseline survey, carried out to identify the
GOs and NGOs who were offering services to street children. In the process, senior
officials of children networks, donor agencies and some stakeholders were discussed.
After a through investigations 9 partner NGO partner NGOs of ARISE project were
identified who were involved in Improving Street Children’s Environment services
related to street children. These were the targeted organization for this study.

To conduct the survey method, two sets of questionnaire were administrated. The first set
of questionnaire was administered on the organizations that are associated in rendering
support services to the street children particularly and the children in general (Appendix-
A). Organizations offering services to the street children identified through baseline
survey were conducted to seek their cooperation in the review of services, Printed
questionnaire was mailed them for information on their program activities, nature of
services offered, strategies, coverage, constrains encountered, staffing pattern, nature and
future plans. Information provided by these organizations were analyzed and thereafter
synthesized with data /information obtained through other sources-literature review, PRA
and FGDs.

The second set was administered on the street children who are involved in different
types of occupation, NGO activities and in connection with their age, gender identity etc
(Appendix-B). Some of the street children were identified with the help of the
organizations who are rendering services for them and others were selected randomly
from different pockets of street children.

) !" :

A semi –structured interview schedule having both and open-end and closed end
questions was designed and developed for getting data from the Street Children. The
questionnaire was pre-test before its final application outside the study area so that the

27
desired information to be collected were not divulged or lacked out. A panel of experts
and researchers who are knowledgeable in this sector were consulted for more clarity of
concepts and ambiguity, if any. A separate questionnaire was also designed for
interviewing the NGOs and other stakeholders

+ & - +&- %

A focus group discussion meeting was organized with a group of stakeholders who have
specific programs on the street children as well as children networks (list of participants
in Appendix C. the study further assessed from them about the needs of the street
children, the future interventions required and the appropriate strategies to undertake the
activities for improvement of the condition of the street children. The FGD was
conducted with members from GO and NGO networks working on and children issues

. /

The Head Count Method involves physically counting the children up to 18 years of age
who live/or work in the street, under four categories of operational definition of street
children of the study. There are only a few formal pockets/concentration spots for street
children except, perhaps, places such as railway/ bus stations, parks and Mazars.
However, one can come across children on any street and at almost every hook and
corners. Further problem is in order in that it is difficult to identify exactly those who live
/or work on the street with or without families and who return to their or other families at
night simply by observation rather than through interviewing. In order to minimize
double counting, those children who appear to be commuting or traveling from one place
to another are excluded from counting. In other words, only those who are relatively
settled on the streets in question, that is, those who appear to be spending considerable
amount of time living/or working in the street are included in the counting. The survey
has been carried out at daytime. The time before noon is considered most convenient as
generally in the afternoon the children start to disappear, perhaps, to their shelter or
residence. While conducting the counting, the street children working in formal
enterprises/units have been excluded. In other words, those working in temporary
restaurants /shops/settlements have been included in the count. For every spot, the

28
counting was started from the head and ended at the tail of the spots. Thus, the children
on the streets included ‘tokais’ (collectors of waste papers and other materials) , beggars,
floating prostitutes, those trading in cigarettes, cold drinks and other similar items; tiffin
carriers; brick/stone choppers; coolies and porters; shoe shine boys; temporary
hotel/restaurant boys; those working in motor/rickshaw garages ; those living in
rickshaws and bus stands; tempo helpers and rickshaws pullers.

( / %

The capture –recapture method is more scientific method (but often adopted by
biologist).The method is basically a ration-estimate method , which involves first taking
hold a sample of target children and making them through some method(in our case,
marked by a permanent maker-pen on the nail of left thumb) . As a test case, the first
step of this exercise , which may be called ’capture’ exercise , was carried out to the
children at 30 specific locations of six divisional cities 0.

0" 1 /

Dhaka:
Kamalapur Railway Station , Saydabad Bus station, Sdarghat,Osmani Uddan , Ramna park,
Tajgaon Railway Station

Chittagong:
Chittagong Railway Station, Chittagong Port, Bahaddar Hat Bus Terminal , Sholashahar Railway
Station, Fishary ghat

Rajshahi
Railway station, rajshahi court, stadium/bangri patti,bus terminal, shaheb bazaar

Khulna
Rupsha ferryghat ,IETA Launch Ghat,, daulatpur railway station, KDA New market , Sonadanga
Bus Terminal

Barishal
Stadium, , natun bazar, IWTA launch terminal, old collectorate, kaunia.

Sylhet
Railway station, new bridge point, keen bridge point, kodamtali bus stand, shahjalal mazar

29
The method requires two visits at a reasonable time interval. The ‘recapture’ exercise in
our case was conducted a day after the ‘capture’ exercise, to the available children the
same way across the same locations identified, through checking if they had marked sign
given the previous day. The survey was conducted by a group of investigators to a sample
30 spots. Finally, an estimate of the size of the street children for various spots, N, was
arrived at by using following formula: N=(n1xn2)÷m

Where

N1=Number of Street Children given an identification mark during the first round of the
survey

N2=Number of Street Children given an identification mark during the second round of
the survey,

And

m= Number of Street Children during the second round who also had received an
identification mark in the first round of survey.

To attain the objectives of the study, the team (formed with local volunteer headed by
me) has undertaken the quantitative assessment and analysis for the study taking into
consideration of the three methods: SWOT, PRA and FGD, which have been adopted to
conduct the study.

( $ (( 2 3

PRA sessions were organized with the stakeholder groups (GO and NGOs ) . The issues
considered in PRA sessions are :

a. Definition of Street Children

b. Existing services of street children
c. Street children’s services distribution by gender
d. Social mapping of service delivery location for each organization
e. Barriers and overcoming strategies for services to street children.

30
A total of 6 sessions were conducted following techniques of PRA and FGD with three
different stakeholders group of the project e.g. the representative of GO/NGOs, their
beneficiary street children and with some non beneficiary street children and a group of
poor parents of the street children .In particular the following five techniques were used:

Rapport Building

Social Mapping

Billboard Voting

Case study

Focus Group Discussion (FGD)

SWOT Analysis

Triangulation

The research team ensured the informal, easy atmosphere in each session. Facilitator
always encourages the participants to sit on the ground or anywhere possible. The team
gave responsibility to the community to arrange the street children to participate. As a
facilitator I have explained the objectives of the visit. Team followed some golden rules
such as:

-Listen and Learn

-Respect the participants

-Facilitating –no directing and imposing

-Ensure learning interactively.

" /

Participants were requested to visualize the present services related to the street children.
Ward areas were shown identifying each of the activities. Also, future /potential services
they will offer to the community were visualized.

31
* %

Street Children participants were asked to make a list of problems that they are taking in
respect to the problems of normal life. The participants provided vote by using dots
(Sticker) for each decision-making. Concentration of more dots in the area provided the
analysis of more emphasized decision-making

"

Listening to the beneficiaries and non-beneficiary children were documented to explore

the contributing factors, gap of services, needs and aspirations of the children and
concern of the parents using a semi structured questionnaire (Appendix: D) to analyze
following the structured method mentioned in figure 2 .-

-' ! $

Problem Discovery

Selection of
Exploratory Research
Techniques

Secondary Data Pilot Study Experience Survey Case Study

Problem Identification
( Statement of research objectives)

Source: Miles & Huberman, AM 1994:12 Qualititative data Analysis, London SAGM

32
Conducted 18 Case Studies of street children who are beneficiaries of selected GO

and NGO programs in Bangladesh . Figure 3 shows the case study data analysis .

Fig : 3 Case study Data Analysis

Data Collection

Data Reduction

Conclusion:
Data Display
Drawing/Verifying

Source: Miles & Huberman, AM 1994:12 Qualititative data Analysis, London SAGM

"2' 3 3 ' 4 %

SWOT is the acronym for strengths, Weakness, opportunities and threats. In SWOT
analysis the following framework was followed:

Positive factors Negative factors

Internal data Strengths Weaknesses
External data Opportunities Threats

The strength and opportunities were highlighted undertaking SWOT analysis and to
maximize the external opportunities and minimize the threat.

Triangulation means analysis of emerging information/issues from many different angles.

Crosschecking has been done to make the outputs more qualitative .A number of separate
sessions including evaluation of existing NGO activities was arranged according to the
issues through score card(Appendix: E). Figure 4 shows the multiple source of evidence .

33
Fig: 4 Multiple source of evidence
THE TRIANGULATION
Archival Records
Documents
Open Ended Interviews
-
Focused Interviews
Observations
Structural
Intervention &
Surveys

Source: YIN,RK 1994 Case study Research: Design and Methods (2nd ed) Thousand oaks :SAGE

In arriving at estimates of street children, some triangulation techniques were applied in

order to test their validity. Thus, attempts are made to obtain a range of estimates for the
same parameter, through adopting different methods.

" "4 " - :

The study is exploratory in nature. So its design was purposive with quota sampling.
Accordingly, a total of 540 street children respondents were randomly chosen taking 30
from each Divisional Cities. This sample size of (Boys 270 Girls 270) was selected
randomly from a large universe of population. The other reasons for limiting the sample
size were resource constraints. Other 60 street children were identified as sub sample in
collaboration with other NGOs now providing services to street children (girls and boys
together) such as emergency/temporary shelters, counseling, legal aid, non-formal
education and vocational training.

Besides,9 partner NGOs of ARISE those who are working in six Divisional
Cities(Dhaka,Chittagong, Khulna,Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal) of Bangladesh were also
interviewed to assess their organizational strengths.

An effort was made to see that all the participants were between 6-18 years of age. The
other inclusion criteria varied depending on the group the participant belonged to.
Operational definitions were used as guides to decide how to choose the participants.

34
" /

The respondents for the study were chosen using purposive sampling, which is a non-
probability sampling technique. In purposive sampling, the participants for a study are
hand picked by the researchers according to some initially decided criteria, to serve the
purpose of the particular study.

The sample characteristics of the entire sample (N=600), are presented in the table :1
bellow:

Table : 1 Number of Respondents with Categories in entire sample

' ( )"
(
1 Street Boys on the Street (Institutionalized) 90
2 Street Girls of the Street (Institutionalized) 90
3 Street Children with Disabilities (Institutionalized) 25
4 Street Boys on the Street (Non Institutionalized) 45
5 Street Girls of the Street (Non Institutionalized) 45
6 Street Children with Disabilities 20
(Non Institutionalized)
7 Sub Sample from other NGO’s working for street 45
children
Total- 360

&

On the whole, the sample consisted of 180 female participants (50%) of the total sample
and 180 male participants (50%) of the total sample.

/ - %

35
The participants were mainly interviewed in order to understand their current socio-
economic status and aspiration for the future.

This study was conducted on a sample that hailed from the lower socio-economic strata
of society. The interview method (as opposed to the questionnaire or survey method)
enables one to reach out to illiterate subjects who cannot read or write. It also facilitates
probing, provides opportunities for clarification if needed, facilitates motivation of the
subjects to respond and helps ensure that the subject has responded to all the items. It also
gives the interviewer an opportunity to observe non-verbal cues and reactions to specific
questions.

Prior to start to starting with the actual interview, each participant was told the following:

- Reason for the interview – To learn about their socio-economic

status and their aspirations for the future, so as to see if any
interventions could be planned to facilitate their achievements of
the same.
- Time likely to be taken –approximately 10 minutes.
- The respondents had a choice of whether or not to answer the
questions.

The participant’s consent was then obtained and each interviewer proceeded with asking
questions pertaining to their personal and family background. This gave the participants a
chance to feel comfortable and relaxed before moving on to more detailed questions on
the topic of concern. On an average, each interview was completed in ten minutes.

5 -

Data were collected from both secondary (Existing reports and documents of the GOs,
NGOs through discussions with the stakeholders and library work) and Primary sources
through quantitative survey, SWOT, FGD Sessions and PRA exercises etc .

Primary Sources of Data Collection:

Several PRA sessions, FGD meetings and workshops were held and SWOT analysis
undertaken. For an in-depth understanding of the quality of services /facilities being
provided to street children, a number of case studies (Purposive Sample) have been done

36
from beneficiaries. Case studies of several non-beneficiaries using participatory approach
were taken in order to show the severity of situation in the absence of such services.

- The primary data were collected from the most vulnerable street children using a
semi structured interview schedule through face –to- face personal interaction. The
other methods, such as focus group discussion, case studies and participants
observation, physical visit to the living area were also followed in order to cross
examine the information collected through the use of interview schedule. Secondary
data were also collected from different sources, such as project documents, annual
reports Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics etc. Review of relevant documents/reports
of the identified Government Department, International and National NGO on Street
Children.
The questionnaire and other checklists were designed, developed and pre-listed outside
the study area so that the information desired to be collected were not leaked out. The
opinions and comments of a panel of experts and researchers knowledgeable in this
sector were also sought on the clarity of the questionnaire. Besides, the questionnaire and
all other checklists were also sent to the clients (high officials of the ARISE project) for
their considered opinions and comments, if any, before those were firmed up.

A part from a 7 member of consultation team headed by me as team leader, 5 research

investigator assistants (from selected NGO) research team were formed for each
Divisional Cities.
All research assistants were given two days orientation training on data collection
procedure, how to ask unambiguous questions to the respondents, how to approach them
and how to record responses and also build up quick rapport and cordial relationship with
the respondents in order to make them feel at home without any fear and intimidation.
Similar approaches were also followed in collecting relevant data information from
NGO’s POs and GO’s where deemed appropriate. Data Collection took 90 days (10 Days
for a Divisional Cities) .
Data were collected, screened, compiled and analyzed using simple statistical measures
like percentile, average, mean etc. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques have been
used to analyze the data. But emphasis has been given on qualitative techniques.

37
Quantitative techniques have also been used to supplement the qualitative analysis in
table, chart and graphical presentation.

" " - :

Existing reports and documents of the GOs, NGOs have been reviewed. In the review
process, the following steps were undertaken:

1 Identification of literature /documents through discussions with the stakeholders

and library work.
2 Collection of the documents and literature
3 Review of the documents and literature

1 )

The tool consisted of two parts. The first consisted of ten items eliciting information
about the respondents personal and family background, and the second, consisted of 8
main items eliciting information related to the topic under study. The proposed tool was
initially developed through a process of brainstorming, by a few researchers from the
research and documentation center. After this, it was handed over to a few experts
(working with street children) for their comments and suggestions. Their feedback was
taken into account and few changes were made in the tool. The study was then carried out
on five children using this tool.

4 $ 5 (

The Street Children within the age of 3-18years who were perceived as the most
vulnerable, abandoned, homeless and under-served children on the street, have been
taken to be the primary unit of analysis while the NGOs who are proving holistic services
with Government of Bangladesh constitute secondary unit of analysis. The socio
economic situation of these street children and NGOs providing services to them for the
improvement of their life style are the central to the ARISE project and therefore they are
considered as the crucial point of analysis and observation for this study. All respondents
were asked about their age and sometime estimated by the field investigators through eye

38
estimation and guess from the symbols of physical growth and symptoms of maturity.
This process was followed as correctly as possible. Then, they were purposely
categorized into 4 age groups: 3-6,7-9, 10-12, and 13-18 years respectively.

A data analysis workshop was conducted in Chittagong to guide the team in data
processing, quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data and interpretation of findings.
Data checking, verification, processing and production of output tables were done. Data
analysis was done by developing a database for processing of the data for production of
useful tables and completing all relevant activities.

6 $

The study was conducted in six Divisional City Headquarters (Dhaka, Chittagong,
Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet Metropolitan Areas) of Bangladesh (Fig: 1) in order
to estimate the size of street children population available in those cities under reference.

39
Fig : 1 Map of Study Area

40
Fig 5.1, Fig 5.2, Fig: 5.3 Fig: 5.5, Fig 5.6 shows the key study areas of each Divisional
Cities in Bangladesh where the street children were concentrated.

Figure: 5.1 Estimated Numbers of Street Children in Key Areas of Dhaka City Map

41
Figure: 5.2 Estimated Numbers of Street Children in Key Areas of Chittagong City Map

42
Figure: 5.3 Estimated Numbers of Street Children in Key Areas of Khulna City Map

43
Figure: 5.4 Estimated Numbers of Street Children in Key Areas of Rajshahi City
Map

44
Figure: 5.5Estimated Numbers of Street Children in Key Areas of Barishal City
Map

45
Figure: 5.6 Estimated Numbers of Street Children in Key Areas of Sylhet City Map

46
 CORE CONCEPTS AND APPROACHES

! ( .

The concept of street children is associated with the age of children, their living
arrangement and working place. Different laws in Bangladesh lay down minimum a
range of age for child. For example, minimum age for working children in a shops and
other commercial establishment is up to 12 years, for factories 14 years and for railways
15 years (UNICEF, 1997). Considering the different age limit for defining a child in
various status in Bangladesh, the National Children Policy, 1994 provides street children
are young people who spend considerable time living or and working in the street of the
urban areas.

The most common definition of a street child or youth is ‘’any girl or boy who has not
reached adulthood, for whom the street (in the broadest sense of the word, including
unoccupied dwelling, wasteland etc.) has become her or his habitual adobe and/or sources
of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible
adults’’ (Inter-NGO,1985). This definition was formulated by the Inter-NGOs in
Switzerland in 1983.

Bequele A. and W.E. Myers (1993: 2) point out that the street children are those who
spend a minimum time of four hours on the street in a day on habitual basis that includes
tokais, beggars and floating prostitutes.

Pandey, R,(1993) defines street children as, 63 !

! ! # ! #! #
7 ! ! 8 9

According to Armpoor,J ( 1992), street child can be categorized into three broad group
consisting of those children who have continuous contacts with their parents and stay
with them on public pavements in urban area. They are described as 6
”. The second group comprises of working children who spend all their days and
some of their nights on the street or in public places and have occasional contacts with

47
their families. This group has been described as 6 9 The children in
the third group have on family contacts- they include orphans, runaways, refugees,
abandoned, deserted, displaced persons or those lost in transit while traveling with their
parents. This is the most crucial group as these children have no protection whatsoever
from the vagaries of nature or a hostile society. Because of chronic poverty, destitution,
or ill treatment by parents/ stepparents and the apathetic attitude of the society at large, a
sizeable number of these children are forced to stay and work on the streets away from
their families. UNICEF also levels this group of streets children as ‘children in difficult
circumstances’ or ‘children at high risks’.7

In the same vein, Rao, BVR and B. and Mallik (1992) defined ‘street children as those
who spend their days and nights on the streets or in the public places’. They argued that
all street children are not abandoned or declined with their families. They classified them
as:
a) , who spend their total time on the streets and have occasional
family contacts. For them the street is their home. They have not abandoned their families
nor have their families abandoned them.

b) , who spend most of there time on the streets and maintain

contact with their families. They spend most nights with their families and work on the
streets with or under the supervision of employers inside or outside their family.
Pelto, Bert(1997) said that street children are the product of broken families which turn
away from the family frustrations and violence and in search of a carefree life style with
no security what so ever of food, clothing and shelter.

* Street – living children of the street –who spend most of their time on the streets, away
from their families, or who have no families.
-Street-working children/children on the street-who spend some of their day time on the
street for earning money and return home to their family /home most evening

6 This distinction in certain situations may create a problem of defining the street child in the widest sense of the terms. Considering
street children in compare learned based on such distinction is confusing be may use both ‘’ Children of the street ‘’ and Children on
the Street “

48
The concept of working children does not necessarily mean street children , but definitely
overlaps with street children and all are genuinely conceptualized under especially
difficult circumstances. The typical street children fall into two
groups(UNICEF,1992:77);
i) Those who work on the street, but usually maintain regular relations and live with
their families ;and
ii) Those who consider street as their home and the place to work, eat, sleep, play
and make friends.
The second group are those who have been abandoned or driven away or left home
because of neglect, abuse, violence etc. at home. Two other groups, quite significant in
size, are included among the working children. Another consists of domestic workers
(mostly girls) who work in other homes but are deprived of protection; the second one is
the group of child workers in various shops and establishments earning small wages
under exploitative conditions of labor without having and safety or any other rights.
The United Nations defines street children as ‘’ boys and girls for whom ‘the street’
(including unoccupied dwellings , wasteland ,etc ) has become their home and/or source
of livelihood , and who are inadequately protected or supervised by responsible
adults.’’(M.Black, 1997). The definition suggests that a child in the street may be a
working child, a school dropout, or a homeless boy or girls.

Some agencies argue that the term ‘’street children ‘’ is inappropriate because it creates
an artificial category and diverts attention from the interconnected dimensions of child
vulnerability. Obviously, the street children phenomenon cannot be analyzed in isolation
(world bank, 2003). However, as shown in figure 1, not all working children and school
dropouts spend most of their time in the street, many street children are not homeless, and
some of them still go to school. Several other intersecting circles are added to this
graphic, such as juvenile offenders and child prostitutes.

At the same time, street life has specific kinds of problems(drug addiction, sexual
promiscuity and abuse, work exploitation, involvement in criminal activities, and
violence by police , other adults , and rival gangs and attractions(freedom, adventure ,
peer solidarity) that call for ad hoc interventions.

49
-' 0 Intersecting circles of street children

No term has yet been coined to capture both the peculiar nature of street life and its
interconnection with other aspects of vulnerability. The study will keep adopting the term
street children, aware of its partially unsatisfactory character.

A recent study from the World Bank Institute (“Street Children: Promising Practices and
Approaches” Elena Volpi, WB, 2002) also uses several pages to discuss the definition
issue. Volpi refers to a UN definition from 1993 saying that street children are 6
! : ! #! #
7 # ! 8
9 ; # <

Volpi presents a figure, which shows that on one hand some street children are working
children, homeless children, school drop outs, while on the other hand others are not
homeless and still going to school. In the middle of the figure you will find a group which
unites all conditions. Furthermore, street life has other problems such as drugs, sexual
abuse, work exploitation, delinquency and violence. Volpi states that she uses the term
street children - being aware of its many aspects and complex nature.

50
Another contribution to the definition issue comes from Benno Glauser8, who has worked
and made research on Street Children in Paraguay. Glauser describes many different
situations of children who use the street in one way or the other. Some are ‘in the street’
working, but they seem to be ‘of the street’, because they use the street in parts of the
week or the year as a street living due to transportation problems or the year’s changing
temperatures. His/her situation is different from the street living child, because s/he has a
family and a home. Others are street living (of the street), but in periods they live with a
‘protector’ (e.g. young girls live with older men who abuse them sexually and as
housekeepers) or they spend time in jails or children’s homes.

Glauser finds that the absence of well-defined distinctions between subcategories of

street children has consequences for the understanding of the problem. 6
! *
# #
! ! #
!
9 & # ,=>

This makes us return to the somewhat provoking question from the Handbook on
Children and Adolescent in development co-operation (DUF m.fl. 2000):

6) !
?
!
@3
# !
9 # 00

----------------------------
8
Rachel Hodgkin and Peter Newell: “Implementation Handbook for the Convention on he Rights of the Child”, Unicef 1998 (681
pages)

51
Some Danish organisations have chosen not to use the term ‘street children’. They use
descriptive or thematic definitions such as ‘children in conflict with the law’, ‘girl
prostitutes’, ‘homeless children’, ‘working children’, ‘children at risk’, ‘orphans related
to HIV/AIDS’, etc. Others - like UNICEF and e.g. Red Barnet Denmark - use a rights
based concept, meaning that programmes work for the rights of specific groups within a
general strategic line of addressing : . Rädda Barnen Sweden uses in
their Publication Catalogue (2004) the term: ‘ ! ’ or
‘" ’. These organisations also include several specific topics such as
‘" A A and as programmes or focus areas.

Still, some of these broader demarcations of groups include subcategories of children

(e.g. working children, orphans or prostitutes), who have the street as their only survival
possibility or their only provision. Their realities are different – and as such they might be
addressed in a distinct way.
However, the operational definitions of the most vulnerable children on the street
considered as follows;

i) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street day and night without
their family;
ii) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street with their family;
iii) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street and return to other family;
and
iv) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street and return to other family

!! ( )
The term environment is used to refer to what a child encounters in daily life. It refers to
the political, legislative, legal, economic, social and cultural context of the Childs life,
including opportunities to get an education and gain livelihood skills as well as the
opportunity to develop positive relationships with other people. This broader
environment influences behavioral choices. The creation of supportive environment is to
promote positive behavior among street children.

52
! + (( " 7
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has been described
as ‘a statement of ideals’. However, those who advocate its wide ratification will argue
that it is more appropriately described as a strategy to realize their rights. If the
international and national initiatives that the Convention contemplates for enforcement of
child rights can be pursued with commitment, this strategy will surely create a new and
positive environment for realizing human rights. The convention can indeed become a
seminal contribution towards prioritizing respect for these rights by people and
governments. The convention adopts a very positive concept of the child’s right to
privacy, honor and reputation, since these appear as the only rights, which are treated as
absolute rights demanding the highest standards of protection.
The CRC Committee has identified four CRC articles as ‘foundation’ principles that
underpin all other articles: Non –discrimination, Best interests of the child, Right to life,
Survival and Development and Views of the child
, ? <%
The principle of non-discrimination (on the basis of race, color gender, language,
religion, opinion, origin, disability, birth or any other characteristic) means that all
children have the same right to develop their potential. To identify discrimination, data
should be broken down and analyzed by age, ethnic group, geographic area and gender
.For instance, only when school enrollment data are broken down by gender does it
become clear that girls in many countries are not receiving a basic education. Such
breakdowns are essential for making rights sensitive decisions regarding policies,
services and allocation of resources.

<* ) B
The convention on the Rights of the Child refers to the best interests of the child as
‘primary consideration’ in all actions regarding children, relative to the best interest of
others in the society and balancing the child’s autonomy rights with his or her need for
protection.
This principle means that certain factors should be taken into consideration in
determining outcomes and guarantees and that other interests such as those of the state,

53
parents or others, will not automatically prevail. This principle also emphasizes the right
of children to express their views in all matters related to their lives, in accordance with
age and maturity. The CRC encourages appropriate participation of children in making
decisions The principle of the ‘best interest of the child ‘ is applicable in three main
ways:
- First, it supports a child –centered approach in actions and decisions affecting
children.
- Second, it serves as a mediating principle, and can help to resolve confusion
between different rights.
- Third, the ‘best interests’ principle provides a basis for evaluating the laws
and practices of states parties with regard to the protection provided to
children. The ‘best interests’ principle contends that basic services for
children and women must be structural adjustment and other economic
reforms.

B # 0
Children have a right to life, survival and development. In this regard, it is crucial to
ensure access to basic services, and equity of opportunity for all individual to achieve
their full development, based on, among other things, the principle of distributive justice.
Positive measures that policies truly cover are all vital.
C ; ! ,<
This principle calls for the views and voice of children to be heard and respected. Closely
linked to the best interests of the children, this principle means that children’s opinions
are important and their views and voices must be taken into account concerning the
realization of their rights. They should also participate in decision-making processes that
affect, them according to age.
The NGOs behind the B&U Network made in 2000 a booklet titled “Children and
adolescents in development co-operation – A handbook on right based development work
for and with children and youngsters.” The book introduces the principles of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (hereafter referred to as CRC) and points to the
importance of discussing the values and strategies of the partnership between

54
organisations in developed and developing countries. Also, the importance of the
participation of children and youngsters in all stages of the co-operation is stressed in all
paragraphs of the book.

The right-based approach forms part of the general framework of the review team,
including attention to the issues mentioned in Annex 2. The child’s rights approach,
which implies the role of the state, lobby and advocacy and children’s participation – as
well as the concrete interventions (approaches and methods) of present street children
projects – guided the review and the workshop discussions.

The CRC can be used as a very concrete framework for dealing with street children’s
situation. A lot of articles of the CRC can be used. Just to exemplify some of them are
mentioned below:

. which is a general principle for the whole CRC. According

to UNICEF’s Implementation Handbook1 the term entails a general
comment from the Human Rights Committee, which 6 4 " !

D (Handbook, p.19) Based on the 68 Initial Reports from states,

the Committee has identified a long list of grounds of discrimination. Among these we
find many relevant for street children, such as: homeless children, abandoned children,
children placed in alternative care, institutionalized children, children living and/or
working in the streets, children involved in juvenile justice system, working children,
children subjected to violence, child beggars, etc..

which in its first paragraph

establishes that “states parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her
right of access to (..) health care services.” It is mentioned in the comments that “
”
(ibid, p.323). The comment mentions ‘Children living in poverty’ as such a discriminated

55
group. Although street children are not mentioned directly, organizations working with
street children might easily evidence that these children have no access to health because
of their social status, separation from their family, lack of identification papers, etc. – a
lot of examples of rights, which street children do not enjoy.

! ! " # $ % This means that if the

population has a minimum of access to public health care, however limited it is, street
children should have the same right. Probably they do not know it and if they know, a
health centre will probably not accept them, if an adult does not accompany them. In
relation to all paragraphs, where it is obvious that developing countries do not have the
same economic and human resources as developed countries, it is mentioned 6
A A #! #! !
9 9(ibid, p.347) 6 !
!
9 # B=,

! $ & 6" 5

#
! # 9 ) # B==

! ' 6" 5 4
# ! ! 8
# # %
E 9

The Articles 31: Child’s right to leisure, recreation and culture; 32: Child labour; 33:
Children and drug abuse; 34: Sexual exploitation of children; 35: Prevention of
abduction, sale and trafficking; and 36: Protection from other forms of exploitation; - all
deal with specific issues, which are extremely relevant for street children.

56
Why should we care for all these rights when we know that states parties do not care; that
extreme poverty, unequal distribution of resources, etc overwhelm the capacity of small
NGOs and powerless street children? First, because the reference to the CRC can
demonstrate in concrete terms the discrepancy between a specific government’s
ratification, the laws and the states’ reports to the Committee in Geneva. Second,
providing information from alternative reporting and analysis - and linking failures to
fulfill obligations with the reality of street children’s lives, can be an effective advocacy
tool in the long run. Joined efforts has proven effective in leading to changes of laws or
procedures, agreements with state institutions or changed behavior from public health
services or social workers. Partners and projects supported by Danish organizations
provide excellent examples of this.

Using the CRC suspends the model of ‘assisting’ street children in the sense of looking at
them as beneficiaries. In stead it introduces the approach of a role as children’s
advocates, defending and promoting their rights, and – when possible – the role of
children to be their own advocates.

!% 8 4 9 $( '$ 5 '
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is a synonym for private voluntary organization
that provides services or material benefits to the poor and underprivileged sections of the
population. They generally work with various groups of target beneficiaries comprising
the urban and rural poor, the landless and disadvantaged women or children. The services
they provide range from distributing relief during national disasters, to arranging credit
for income –generating activities, to raising the consciousness of their target groups
through education and motivation. They are almost exclusively funded by foreign donor
agencies.
The term ‘NGO’ refers to ‘any voluntary no-profit agency involved in the field of
development cooperation or in education and policy advocacy activities’(Brodhead,
1987) The NGOs are also defined as organizations that are ‘established governed by a
group of private citizens for a stated philanthropic purpose and supported by voluntary
individual contribution’(OECD,1988) .

57
The term ‘ NGO’ also include all those organizations which are involved in various
development activities with the objectives of alleviating poverty of the rural and urban
poor(Task Force Report, 1990; Islam and Hussain,1993)

In the Asian Institute of Technology, the NGO workshop highlighted the various
definitions of NGO. Definitions that were presented in the following box:
BOX : 1 Definitions of NGO
• It is an organization of private individuals who believe in certain basic social
principles, and structure their activities to bring about development to the
communities that they are serving.
• An organization or group of people working independent of any external control with
specific objectives and aims fulfill task that are oriented to bring about desirable
change in a given community., area or situation.
• An independent democratic organization working for the empowerment of
economically and/or socially mobilized groups.
• An organization not affiliated to political parties , generally engaged in working for
the development and welfare of the community.
• An organization committed to address the root causes of the problems and trying to
improve the quality of life , the oppressed and marginalized in the urban and rural
areas.
• Organization established by and for the community without or with little intervention
from the government; they are not only a charity organization but work for socio-
economic and cultural development
• A non-profit , voluntary , service-oriented/development-oriented organization for the
benefits of the poor.
• An organization that is flexible and democratic in its organization and attempts to
serve the people without profit for itself.

Source: Begum, 2003 P-23

(") " $ *+ , ! - %
Structurally there are different types of NGOs (Table2.3), which can be differentiated on
the basis of certain factors, such as, size, class, life span, location, and status of personnel
and characteristics of the beneficiaries. There are NGOs organized only by and for
women, some NGOs might be ‘enduring’ providing significant services on a regular basis
and playing a vital role in ensuring community participation while some other NGOs may
be ‘ad-hoc’ functioning to achieve only a particular goal. Although most of the NGOs in
the development world are formed in the rural areas, a large number are also found in the
urban areas. A large number of NGOs are interested in religious, cultural and welfare
activities with a very narrow focus. Human resource development including education

58
skills development training , and health and family planning has been very popular area s
of concern for these organizations. Recently, environment and conservation of nature
have become areas of interest for a good number of NGOs all over the world.

To attain development, NGOs have developed several institutional programming

strategies all over the world. These strategies have been developed in the light of the
experiences of the past activities of NGOs that have been rendered to the poor indifferent
situation,. And all these emerged in four generations and are categorized into the
following four major programming strategies(Korten, 1987;1988;1990)

& ' %. $ / $
Under the first generation strategy the NGOs deliver services to meet the immediate
deficiencies of the beneficiaries, such as, need for food, health care or shelter. The
assisting NGOs develop direct relationship with the individuals or families. The benefits
delivered depend entirely on the availability of funds, staff and administrative capability
of the NGO. In the first generation strategy the NGO is the doer, while the beneficiary is
passive. The management capability required to work under this strategy is primarily a
capacity in logistics management.

& ! %- - - $ 0 1 )
The main thrust of the second –generation strategy is to develop the capacity of the
target group in order to meet their own needs though self-reliant local action. Because of
their attention to sustainability, true second –generation strategy is development in
concept and is referred to as community development strategy. It emphasizes on the
development of local self-reliance to make sure the benefits will sustain overtime through
community self –help beyond the period of NGO assistance. This strategy is sometimes
described as an attempt to ‘empower’ the village people. This feature distinguishes the
‘first’ from ‘second’ strategy.

The second generation strategy focuses on groups; usually a village or some sub-groups
within it, such as women or land-less agricultural workers. The work revolves around a

59
partnership between the NGOs assistance. This strategy calls on the NGOs to be more
‘mobilizer’ than an actual ’doer’.

Figure ;8 Programming strategies of NGOs

& % -! # -" 1 )
The third generation strategy looks beyond the individual community and seeks changes
in specific policies and institutions at local, national and global level. The decision to
pursue a third generation strategy often grew out of frustration with the limitations of the
second generation strategies based on a growing realization that the befits generated by

60
its village interventions depend on a continued NGO presence and the availability of
donor subsidies, and acting on its own, the NGO can never hope to benefit more than a
few favored localities.

The third generation strategy may involve the NGOs in working with the major agencies
to help them reorient their policies and work modes in ways that strengthen local control
over resources. The strategy may also involve the creation of some new institutions of
significant size to provide essential local services on a sustained, self –financing basis.

The third generation strategy focuses on creating a policy and institutional setting that
facilities rather than constrains. The more an NGO embraces third generation program
strategy , the more it finds itself working in a catalytic , foundation like role, rather as an
operational service provider .It will need to develop in depth knowledge of the system
and also need to develop relations with the system’s key players and the necessary
technical competence to establish its credibility with them.

& + %2 )
The fourth generation strategy seeks changes in specific policies and institutions. The
achievement of sustainable development depends on accomplishing such changes almost
in every sector in every nation. It is an essential, but clumsy process that must be
replicated hundreds of thousands, even millions of times to achieve the needed
transformation of the institutions of global society.
The critical deficiency of the third generation strategy parallels at the macro-level, the
deficiency that the second generation strategy’s critical flaw is that it requires countless
replications in millions of communities, all within a basically hostile political and
institutional context. It is much the same with third generation strategy, only at a more
micro-level.

With a view to addressing the problems of the third generation strategy and to develop
interdependent systems, the whole NGO community attempts to promote an alternative
development paradigm effectively . This alternative development paradigm is the central

61
concern of the fourth generation development strategy. There is a need to energize
decentralized action towards a people centered development vision on a much broader
scale. This is the current challenge for the NGOs that are committed to achieve people
centered development on a global scale. They must become facilitators of people’s
development movement. the job of the fourth generation NGO is to coalesce and energize
self-managing networks over which it has no control. The following table presents
different strategies of the NGOs:

Table :2 Strategies of Development –Oriented NGOs: Fourth Generations

- -
8 8 8 8
)) $ " (
4 () $ ) 1 )
4 ()
Problem Shortage Local Inertia Institutional and Inadequate
Definition Policy Constrains Mobilizing Vision
Time Frame Immediate Project Life Ten to Twenty Indefinite Future
Years
Scope Individual Neighborhood Region of Nation National or Global
or Family
Chief Actors NGO NGO Plus All Relevant Loosely Defined
Community Public and Private Networks of People
Institutions and Organization
NGO Role Doer Mobilizer Catalyst Activist/Educator
Management Logistic Project Strategic Self Management
Orientation Management Management Management Network
Development Starving Community self- Constraining Spaceship Earth
Education Children help Policies and
Institutions
Source : Korten, 1999

The NGO movement has become matured and gained both momentum and support. The
recent world has witnessed the emergence of the NGOs as an increasingly visible and
forceful presence on the international development scene (Paul,1991). The role of NGOs
is well accepted because it is believe that the difficulties, faced by the government in
providing its services can be relieved by closer collaboration with the NGOs (Farrington
and Bebbington ed.,1992) . Thus, the NGO sector is a significant phenomenon from the
standpoint of development and has proliferated as an effective complement to
government agencies in providing social services.

62
!& ( $- ) . / ) ' 8
Capacity is one of those words that mean all things to all people, and NGO have
approached and interpreted capacity building in many different ways. As a starting point,
therefore, the team developed a “Capacity Framework’’ to provide a common vison and
vocabulary for Most Vulnerable Children’s Capacity.

The Capacity Framework, defines NGO capacity in a pyramid of seven essential

elements: three higher-level elements-aspirations, strategy, and organizational skills-three
foundational elements-systems and infrastructure, human resources, and organizational
structures- and a cultural element which serves to connect all the others Figure : 9 and 10
bellow outlines steps in the capacity enhancement process, with emphasis on feedback
and evaluation form clients.

Figure : 9 Capacity Building of NGO

63
 Figure : 10 The Process of Capacity Enhancement

To ensure sustainability and local ownership requires a third step in the process: the
adoption-as needed – of such learning activities (or the tailoring of existing activities) by
country –level institutions, both institutions of training and institutions charged with
policy development and implementation.

In fact Capacity building is a continuing process that creates an enabling environment

with the appropriate policy and legal framework in place. It is not just training but rather
a combination of interventions focused to improve an organization's performance in
relation to its mission, environment, resources, and sustainability. Its primary goal is to
increase an organization's access to information and technical know-how by improving
internal management structures, processes and procedures, as well as strengthening
partnerships among the various players in the development process. It also involves
making the necessary legal and/or regulatory changes to enable organizations, institutions
and agencies at all levels and in all sectors to enhance their capacities.

) ' 8
Several Theories have been developed by the western social scientist to explain the
emergence of the NGO sector (Weisbrod, 1988 ; Hansmann,1980; Ben-ner,1986). The
dominant approach in this context is to explain the phenomenon the NGOs terms of the

64
failure of the state and the market. The following theories are well known to explain the
emergence of the NGO sector-

" :
Weisbrod developed the " # which asserts that institutional form of the
NGOs is a response to the many implicit and explicit subsidies made available to the
NGOs by state. Support and donation to the NGOs through a variety of subsidies
encourages the activities of the NGOs such as education, health, poverty alleviation and
welfare. The deductibility of donations on the donor’s tax returns stimulates giving
because it reduces the after tax-cost to the donor. Similarly, the tax subsidies to the NGOs
increase the amount of output (different services that society values) available to society
beyond what might have been produced without subsidies (Weisbrod, 1988).

5 & %
The public goods theory presents a different view of the rationale of the NGOs. The main
theme of the public goods theory is that the NGOs exist because they have to satisfy the
unsatisfied demand for public goods in society. The theory argues that the state tends to
provide public goods only at the level that satisfies the median voters. Where demand
exceeds this level or where heterogeneous demands exist, the NGOs step in to fill the
gaps. But this theory doesn’t explain why the NGOs provide services like health care,
education etc without characteristics of public goods (Paul, 1991).

+ %
The + suggests that the NGOs arise where ordinary contractual
mechanisms do not provide the public with adequate means to public procedures
(Hansmann, 1987). The contract failure theory views the NGOs as a response to possible
opportunistic behavior by both private and public service providers. The main argument
of this theory is that, when contracts are difficult to define, people are likely to trust the
NGOs more than commercial firms. When the public fails to monitor or evaluate certain
outputs and services, they are likely to turn to organizations with no profit motive for

65
producing and delivering the outputs and services. The values and goals that people
perceive in the NGOs explain this public behavior (Paul,1991)

%
The consumer control theory explains the existence of a category of the NGOs in terms
of the superiority of direct consumer or patron control when the government and the
market are unable to ensure the desired performances (Ben-ner, 1986). It is argued that
consumer control may help eliminate information asymmetry and the adverse
consequences of monopoly for members.
The above theories provide alternative explanations of why the NGOs have emerged and
survived in society and point to the conditions under which the institutional form is likely
to perform better than the state and the market (Paul,1991).

!08 * 8 " 4$ ) 4 ()
GO-NGO collaboration has become a powerful strategy in developing world. Throughout
the developing world, opportunities are growing for the NGOs to work together with GOs
in helping people improve the quality of their lives (World Bank, 1990). It is more openly
recognized that in certain circumstances especially in Latin America and in South Asian
Countries, where the state was extremely weak, deliberately ignored the needs of the poor
of had unacceptable political agenda, the NGOs have been doing bulk of development
work at the grassroots. But it is not possible for the NGOs to do all the development
activities of a country without involving the government. GO- NGO collaboration would
essentially bring the process of institutional dialectics in operation by smashing the
comparative advantages of the one with the other , through which scare resources can be
utilized properly. NGOs are considered to be strong in identifying local people’s needs,
taking rapid decisions on how to respond to the local needs and support local initiatives.
Government has a potentially complementary set of advantages in that it controls major
policy instruments, possesses a broad revenue base and has the capacity of large scale
infra –structural investment and address complex technical issues (Farrington and
Bebbington ed.,1993). A strong collaborative relationship is conceived only where both
parties share common goals ; where the government has a positive social agenda and

66
NGOs are effective in their activities. Collaboration is a genuine partnership between
NGOs and the GO to work on a problem facing the country or a region based on mutual
respect, acceptance of autonomy independence and pluralism of NGO opinions and
positions. Collaboration ensures utilization of knowledge and ability of both the
counterparts, the expansion and replication of successful programs, cost effectiveness and
the potentials of all sectors.

The interest for GO- NGO collaboration stems from the growing attention to the factors
that have made NGO initiated strategies successful as well as fear of over funding and
over-extending of NGO activities to institutional capacities (Salmen,1992) These
institutional linkage help to avoid institutional difficulties that arise from program that
require both operationally empathetic outreach and strict financial discipline and
efficiency (Dessing,1988).

The NGOs are identified as partners because of their local base, experience, institutional
capacity and effectiveness. At the community level, they take at least partial
responsibility, in establishing information and communication network with the poor, in
providing education and to improve the overall quality of life of the disadvantaged. One
of the main reasons for involving the NGOs in large scale programs is to utilize the inter-
institutional linkages with the existing strengths and expanding the scope of the NGO
activities (Salman, 1992)

The existing factors of the recent global perspective encourage GO-NGO interaction as
well as collaboration. The following figure focuses on the existing factors that encourage
GO-NGO collaboration –
Figure : 11 GO-NGO Collaboration : A Thematic Model

67
 Source: Begum, 2003 P-2

The present global policy encourages minimal government and also highlights the
unsatisfactory performance of public and market sectors (Paul,1991) . To scale up NGOs
limited potential impacts on development, GO-NGO collaboration is needed. GO-NGO
relationship is only conceived where both parties share common objectives, where the
Government has a social positive agenda and where the NGOs are effective, there is the
potential for a strong collaborative relationship. Such relationship does not mean the
subcontracting of placid NGOs, but a genuine partnership between the Government and
the NGOs to work together based on mutual respect, acceptance of autonomy
independence.

! 6 ' :" - ) . / / '. ((

Within the right-based framework, there are two basic approaches to working with street
children-human development and service provision. The human development approach
takes a long –term perspectives and concentrates on equipping street children with the
skills and confidence required to reintegrate to society, fulfilling their human rights to
self –realization and independence.

Examples include non-formal education and vocational training projects; programs aimed
at helping children return to their families if they wish; and efforts to build community’s
capacity to manage and maintain long-term projects aimed at improving the lives of
children, thus preventing them from abandoning their families in favor of street life.

68
In many cases, long-term programs combined with short –term service projects to fulfill
the provision and protection rights of children living on the streets; meeting their
immediate needs and protecting them from danger, abuse, and exploitation. Striking a
balance between human development activities and service provision is maintained to
consider interventions for street children. An overview of current street children program
implemented in the region indicates following three major strategies:
1. Correctional and Curative Strategies
2. Ameliorative Strategies
3. Preventive Strategies

, "
Conventional approaches, still employed by some governments, often as part of
juvenile justice administration, consider street children as ‘ vagrants’ or ‘delinquents ‘
and ‘threat’ to society. The criminalization of street children results in the use of
outdated, punitive correctional methods such as placing street children in jail,
correctional homes and similar institutions where conditions are often poor,
opportunities for educational and psychological development either minimal or non-
existent, and human rights violations prevent.

< 3 "
Street and center based strategies aimed at Helping Street and working children access
basic amenities such as health care, appropriate education, recreational activities etc,
are implemented either directly by the government or through NGOs. The objectives
is to mitigate the negative efforts of street life and thus engage the children in a
constructive and dynamic relationship to help them build self –confidence and
communication skills, expand their life choices, development personal ambitions and
set and pursue achievable goals. These strategies have worked well in many
individual cases in many cities and are therefore very useful programming strategies.
However, they often lack the capacity to adequately address the complex, broader
causal factors of street migration linked to mass poverty etc.

69
B 5 "
Methodologies include community level awareness raising and social mobilization
that promote thrift savings, micro-credit and small enterprise development. While
long-term poverty reduction interventions are the main focus of these strategies, they
also encourage the incorporation of ameliorative actions to fulfill the need for short-
term emergency relief. Care must be taken to ensure the excluded and marginalized
children (who fall beyond the socio-economic infrastructures through which broader
poverty alleviation strategies operate) are included in such schemes. Also, broad-
based community poverty reduction schemes may not necessarily reach the specific
group of children at high risk of street migration; not all poor children become street
children-there is often a particular combination of push and pull factors involved
including neglect, violence and shifting power structures within families in addition to
extreme poverty.

Methods of Implementation identified by world Bank within three broad categories:

prevention, Intervention on the street, helping children move on from situations of risk,
abuse, or exploitation and General (World Bank, 2003).

, 5
Prevention strategies cover a wide area, including public awareness raising, capacity
building, and financial or other support to poor families to enable their children to stay at
home. Strategies need to be linked to harm reduction so that children are better equipped
to make informed decisions about their own best interests. Peer education has proven a
particularly effective means of raising awareness about child rights, as well as the threats
confronting children. Public discussion about the core principles of child rights and
information about trafficking mechanisms similarly can help reduce the incidence of
trafficking as well as other situations of abuse at all levels, including families
communities, community leaders, teacher, police and the judiciary, and other government
institutions, increased knowledge of children’s rights is an important starting point, but
the work also must include information about the reality of life in cities, including the
risk of trafficking.

70
Prevention can require behavioral changes regarding, for example , parenting styles, and
support for children to stay in school-which may require changes to the education system
and schools so that children are able to attend , want to attend , and find schooling both
enjoyable and useful. In many developing countries in the region , this might mean more
flexible school calendars to allow children to assist their families during planting or
harvesting seasons- a broadening of the current nation of ‘child-friendly schools’.

< ) "
Establishing and maintaining contact wit street children is the starting point for
interventions. An immediate removal from the street might not be in the best interests of
the child. Harm reduction and child protection are twin basic strategies that can be
applied. For example, it may not be possible to stop street children from having sex or
being involved in sex work in the short term, but the associated risks can be reduced
easily through appropriate counseling (including by peer educators). The same can be
done with substance use, where harm reduction involves knowledge about the effects of
drugs and promoting their safe (or safer) use as a means of aiding street children’s
survival and potential future development.

Children’s rights to health care and education can be addressed by taking into account
their current circumstances and offering service provision on the street or in close
proximity to where they live and work, and at times and in places which are accessible to
street children. The might entail ‘street work’ methods including both outreach and
detached terms making direct contact with street children. Work in street situations also
might include helping and supporting the development of children’s own organizations.

Whereas outreach work generally involves teams of staff operating from drop in centers
and shelters detached work takes provision such as healthcare and education to children
where they are on the street. While outreach workers may work with children on the
street, they also offer possibilities for the use of other facilities, including residential
accommodation. Efforts also are required to address the needs and rights of children in

71
sensitive or generally invisible areas, such as domestic servants or commercial sex
workers. Principles of protection and harm reduction must be involved where ‘rescue’ is
not possible or would lead to children shifting to even worse circumstances or more
exploitative situations. Encouraging children to help decide what is in their own best
interests is essential.

In order to establish contact and make service provision available, drop in centers need to
be open at appropriate times for children, respecting their working day and lives. The
same tenet of accessibility applies to both outreach and detached work.

Part of street work , either through detached teams or drop in centers, includes ensuring
that children have the opportunity to access available services including medical and
hospital services , training and education including literacy , numeracy , and vocational
skills , legal aid and advice and refuges at times of risk or danger.

B 1 " / '
In order to children to successfully move on from the street they need to be involved in
decision making about the opportunities available to them. Returning to their families
often requires more than transport, and may entail some preparation of both children and
family, as well as support for reintegration into families and communities. ‘Moving on’
expresses both physical and emotional progress, and encompasses a range of processes
and possible destinations, with some consideration given to the child’s best interests for
the future.

Several steps may be required in the process of ‘moving on’ including provision of
temporary accommodation when children are not able to return to families, or alternative
care, such as foster families. For older children who may be moving on to independent
life, considerable preparation may be required through appropriate training to enable
them to earn a living off the street. An important principle is that such vocational or skills
training are realistic, given economic and work opportunities actually available in a
particular country or setting.

72
In the process of moving on, shelters for street children are a wide spread component of
practice, based on the notion (mostly by adults) of returning children to settled life.
Shelters should involve children in their design and daily operation. Shelters need to be
appropriate to the local economic conditions in order that they do not attract additional
children, or that parents might send their children to such shelters as a way of providing
their children with education or healthcare or simply to receive the costs of care. That
shelters can provide better conditions than ordinary home life is one reason why other
causal factors need to be addressed, such as support for poor families to be able to keep
and provide for their children at home. In addition, shelters need to avoid the
‘institutionalization’ of children, which reduces their competency and compromises their
opportunities for future independence. This can be done by setting minimum standards
and children’s participation in the organization and day –to-day running of shelters or any
residential care.

Shelters must not be seen as final ‘ends’ for children but rather part of a longer process of
moving on, which means also moving back into community life. Children and young
people who have been away from communities, or enter new places but whose past is
known are often stigmatized because of real or perceived involvement in sex work. Again
principles of participation are important, with the recognition that it may be difficult to
some children to be off the street. Forcing coercing children to live in residential or other
accommodation often fails.

Street children are the most excluded sector of the 40% of the population in Asian
countries that is under 18 years of age (ADB, 2003). Although each child follows a
unique path of street life, improvement is an element in every story, relating this group
directly to the overall country aim of poverty reduction. For example, ADB has
established five areas of intervention within social protection: labor market, social
insurance, social assistance and welfare, micro-and area based schemes to address
vulnerability at the community level, and ‘child protection to ensure the healthy and
productive development of the future Asian workforce’. As a social group that is only

73
loosely related to the labor market, children are particularly vulnerable to development
shocks and other crises, because they have no direct access to social protection ADB’s
social assistance aim is ‘to create comprehensive social assistance and welfare services
for the most vulnerable groups with no other means of adequate support.’(ADB, 2001).
There is considerable overlap between human development as a long –term response to
street child prevention, and mainstreaming street children components in activities under
both grant and loan schemes. Meanwhile loans and grants for specific,’ stand-alone’
activities for street children correspond more or less to relatively short-term service
provision.

Traditionally street children rescued from the street and placed in orphanages or other
institutions. In the 1980s, realization that this solution was not cost-effective and tended
to fail to develop children’s capacities, led to the development of street –based
intervention methods, which aim to encourage children to leave street life in phases,
focusing on drop-in centers, with the end result of reintegration with families, schools,
and communities. Street children service delivery programs are increasingly linked to
prevention activities through development of children-focused programming in poor
urban communities. For over 20 years, NGO programs for mainstreaming street children
have often been based on promoting and supporting organizations of street and working
children, which promote their interests locally, nationally, and sometimes internationally,
involving them in program planning, implementation, and evaluation (Swift, 1999). From
the NGO experience, the guiding principles of working with street children to
mainstreaming them in the society are as follows –
5
Integration of the street children issue should not concentrate on stand-alone projects to
meet the immediate needs of children already on the street, but focus within communities
on preventing children at risk from becoming street children.

2 !
It is not possible to force children to leave the street- except as a temporary measure. The
most successful approach is through phased –in transitional programs, which work first

74
with children on the street, provide drop in-service centers and temporary shelters, and
finally facilitate the decision to leave street life to take up an alternative package of
positive opportunities to mainstreaming in the society.

Children’s involvement in decision-making is a right that must be tempered by adult

awareness of their duties, not only to listen to children but also to protect them and to
provide for their needs.

3 / "
Given the range of associated with street children and principles of good practice two
approaches were identified by the ADB. These are as follows-
a. Street Children and Human Development Approach:
b. " " 5 3

a. Street Children and Human Development Approach:

Children who are visibly living or working on urban streets are the tips of an iceberg of
unknown proportions. Poor children are vulnerable to family, social, and economic crises
that may propel them into street life. Protection against these shocks is a vital prevention
strategy, especially through strengthening family and community resources to meet such
shocks, but also through crisis preparedness that is sensitive to the special rights and
needs of street children related to mainstreaming in the society.

$ " %
Rather than focusing on rescuing children from the street, it may be important to
acknowledge their needs for income and to respect their economic independence (Ennew,
J .1994).

-Program responses for street children include formal education, life skills, and
vocational training

-Micro finance and other support to parents can prevent children from leaving home.

75
 5
-Program include continuous training for supervision of volunteers and staff
-Experience in working with street children has developed professional skills in this area,
which shared through training, capacity building, and study visits

+ %
Street children are on the street as a result of the vulnerability of their social environment
in families, schools, the labor market, and their communities.
-In principle, reuniting a child with his or her family is the most desirable outcome of a
program, assuming the child wishes to return and the family is capable and willing to
receive him/her (with or without program support).
-When a return to the natural family is inadvisable, alternatives such foster home,
adoption, or community home should be identified.

-Reintegration through non-formal education with a timetable and curriculum relevant

to their work and life experience in some cases formal education systems for capable
street children and vocational training combined with literacy, numeracy and life skills.
-Community –level programs focus on local governance, basic services, job creation,
education, and advocacy among relevant stakeholders, improving schools and other basic
services, as well as strengthening social capital.
-Awareness rising in communities helping to sensitize community members to the special
requirements of vulnerable children and avoid stigmatizing former street children.

5 / 3
National laws and policies on education, social work, social protection, health child labor,
juvenile crime, adoption and other factors directly affect opportunities for street children.
At local, national, regional and international levels children are increasingly involved in
decision-making and policy formation, particularly in areas that have direct impact on
their lives.

76
-Advocacy and campaigning –based on the perceptions of children, their families, and
communities- confront the root causes of problems experienced by street children.
-Strong NGO networks to raising public awareness of the need for change.
-Effective solution to integrated policy making that cuts across sectoral boundaries.

! ) %
NGOs have played a significant role in street children’s program, in many cases
providing services that local and national governments cannot afford. Yet NGO programs
alone are not enough to reduce significantly the number of children in the street .So,
Networking with local government, as well as with other civil society service providers at
the local level, can help NGOs overcome their isolation, avoid duplication and
competition, and increase their impact.
" " 5 3
Children who are already living or working on the street have immediate needs that
cannot be ignored.

"
Children cannot be forced to leave the street. Programs need to respect their right to stay
there if they wish, although adults must recognize their own duty to provide for
children’s rights and welfare.

-Street educators, or street –based social workers, have proved to be one of the best ways
of making contact with street children and assessing their needs.
-Drop- in centers and temporary shelters can provide a first step to leaving the street,
without compromising children’s independence.

.
Program should pay special attention to physical and mental health, either through their
own specialists or by referring children to community services.

- On first contact with a program , street children may require immediate health care ,
often for injuries from accidents or abuse, or to combat malnutrition ,respiratory and

77
 intestinal infections, skin diseases, sexually transmitted disease, HIV/AIDS, or
substance abuse
- Many children require professional counseling and emotional support
- Even while still living or working on the streets , children can be offered health
education for improving hygiene and nutrition and for protection from accidents,
illness, sexually transmitted disease, HIV/AIDS, or substance abuse .

5
To ensure positive and lasting outcomes, as well as fulfill their right to participation,
children should participate in designing, implementing, and evaluating of projects aimed
at helping them.

- Organizations of street children and working children provide a strong and relevant
means for children to express their problems and suggest solutions
- Children can be involved in outreached activities, as well as be peer counselors,
advocates, health educators, and facilitators.
Participation is a subject with a broad definition and multiple interpretations. In truth,
children have always participated in life: in the home, in school, in work, in communities,
in wars. Sometimes voluntarily and heroically, sometimes forcibly and exploitatively .
Every culture has a child hero in its historical pantheon and fairy tales that tell of children
who have made a difference in their words.

Child Participation is frequently defined as ‘’the process of sharing decisions which

affect one’s life and the life of the community in which one lives. It is the means by
which democracy is built and it is a standard against which democracies should be
measured. Acknowledged as a multifaceted phenomenon, participation may include a
wide range of activities that differ in form and style when children are at different ages:
seeking information, expressing the desire to learn even at a very young age, forming
views, expressing ideas; taking part in activities and processes, being informed and
consulted in decision –making ; initiating ideas, processes , proposals and projects,
analyzing situations and making choices, respecting others and being treated with dignity.
Caution is in order as child participation can take various forms of involvement,

78
engagement and commitment and not all child participation is active, social, purposeful,
meaningful or constructive. Too often, the participation of children manipulated, used as
decoration or as tokens. Too easily, child participation can drift into being ‘adult-centric’
can be imposed on unwilling children, or be designed in ways inappropriate for a child’s
age and capacities. In its worst manifestations, child participation can be repressive,
exploitative or abusive. In contrast, authentic child participation must start from children
and young people themselves, on their own terms, within their own realities and in
pursuit of their own visions, dreams, hopes and concerns. Children need information,
support and favorable conditions in order to participate appropriately and in a way that
enhances their dignity and self-esteem. (UNICEF, 2003). Figure 7 shows the child
participations in various areas-

Figure : 7 Child Participation

" %3 5 ! 5 ) $+ & 1 2 " * #* 4 #F

<>><

79
) 4 3 %
Every street child has his or her own needs, medical and family history, skills , and
aspirations. Each child is in the street as a result of a complex and unique combination of
factors; the situation he or she would face upon returning home is similarly unique.

- Street children should be offered flexible alternatives that combine their own
perceptions with professional assessment of their needs.

- The aim should be to develop an integrated service package for each child.

- Flexible provision of a various services requires cooperation between stakeholder

agencies- one solution does not fit all children, and no agency can provide all
services.

) "

Many successful programs for street children are multi-sectoral, because the health,
education, survival, and emotional needs of street children are often impossible to address
separately.

- Networking, capacity building, and joint funding between service providers need to
be systematically promoted.

) + # # "
Street life may have given children a fresh sense of belonging and of emotional and
material satisfaction, which their communities and families were unable to provide. Their
street- based support network s can provide more satisfaction than shelters, foster homes,
or their own families –which means that many return to the streets after a short period of
reintegration.

Capacity –building efforts help families and communities, including schools, improve
their ability to receive and care for returning children.

80
 STREET CHILDREN: THE MOST VULNERABLE PHENOMENON

+ ;
Street children constitute a marginalized group in most societies. They do not have what
society considers appropriate relationships with major institutions of childhood such as
family, education and health. The continuous exposure to harsh environments and the
nature of their lifestyle make them vulnerable. Some street children are part of entire
families who live on the street . Others are born to older street girls . Some street children
are ‘on the street’ which means that they still see their families regularly and may even
returns every night to sleep in their family homes. Children ‘of the streets’ on the other
hand, have no home but the streets. Even if they occasionally spend time in institutions
for children or youths, they consider the streets to be their home. A participatory Rural
Appraisal (PRA) session was organized with the stakeholders. The steps were followed in
formulating a working definition of street children.
a) In the first step, each participant was asked to quote the definition of street
children used/considered by his/her organization.
b) In the second step, participants worked in three groups and developed one
definition by each group consensus.
c) Finally, all participants joined plenary session to formulate with consensus a
single operational definition of the street children.
The participants in PRA session who were divided in 3 groups had offered their opinions
about the definition of street children. These definitions are presented below:
8 (
a) " :
Children who have homes and most return to their family at the end of each day.
b) " %
Children who have chosen the street as their home and it are there that they seek
shelter, livelihood and companionship. They have occasional contacts with their
families.

81
 3 %
These children have severed all times with their families. They are entirely on their
own, not only for material survival but also psychologically.
8 ( !
a) Children who live with # whether it be on the street , in slums, or
wasteland or abandoned /derelict buildings etc, but spend a lot of time working or
hanging about on the street .
b) Children who live and work on the street (i.e. in the widest sense of the word) , yet
maintain occasional contacts with their families who live either in other cities of more
often , in rural areas. These children , sometimes, send money to their families . They
see the street as their home.
c) Children who live and work on the street (i.e. in widest sense of the word), and have
no family contacts whatsoever. These children are either orphaned abandoned or
neglected by or estranged from their families.

8 ( +
a) Street Children are those who do not have parents , house or shelter. They dwell, eat,
sleep and work in streets stations, parks, markets or other public places.
b) Those who have work ,sleep and eat with their parents on the footpath or under the
open sky.
c) Those who have shelter but spend the daytime in streets work and return home after
task.
d) Children of sex workers who lived on the streets.

4
The PRA participants in the plenary session formulated a common working definition of
Street Children based on the definitions worked out independently by the three groups.
The common definition stands as follows:

82
Street-living children bellow the age of 18 , spending their days and nights on the street
or some of their day time on the street for earning those who are divided into two
categories:
1. Street –living children of the street –who spend most of their time on
the streets, away from their families, or who have no families.
2. Street-working children/ children on the street who spend some of
their day time on the street for earning money and return home to their
family
+! $ ;

One of the key factors leading to presence of street children has been rapid rural to urban
migration. In 1950, 17 % of the population of the developing world lived in urban areas.
By 1998, that proportion was 32% by 2025 it will be 57% of the developing world
population will live in cities.(United Nations, Global Estimates,1989)

Street children are primarily the children of urban –based, low-income families, many of
them drawn from the countryside into the cities of Bangladesh. In search of economic
opportunities that often do not exist. Worsening economic trends including the pressures
of structural adjustment and the debt crisis are likely to force increasing numbers of
children and their families into urban poverty and thus push additional children to work
on the streets. These families and children will be added to the urban slums in
Bangladesh.

The common characteristics of all these categories of street children are that they come
from extremely poor families with or without parents to work for their own survival and
to support their families in the struggle for the subsistence. At an early age they become
accustomed to live in with neglect and deprivation and dream to survive through struggle,
improvisation, with little or no sense of right and wrong. They migrated from rural areas
in search of living , but with no skill for any good earning . The children of such families
are faced to earn to supplement the earning of adults or to make their own living.

83
The urban society has an informal labor market where child labor is sold. Employers find
child labor cheaper without inviting any resistance to long hours of work in poor working
environment .In conclusion, a socio- gram is given here to get a clear picture how a child
become street child Bangladesh.

The most street children go on to the street to look for a better way of life. The following
are some of the common reasons
- Family breakdown
- Poverty
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Abandonment
- Child labor
2 :
Street children will work from 6 to 16 hours a day. They must be creative and do
whatever it takes to survive. Work includes selling trinkets, carrying baggage, washing
windows, begging, stealing, dealing drugs and prostitutions.
Sex on the streets:
Street Children suffer extensive sexual abuse, usually starting with their own family
members and then extending to life on the street. The children reported being abused by
relatives, friends, neighbors, unknown people and police authorities.
Sex on the street is also a way to make money. Both heterosexual and homosexual
prostitution earns money necessary for survival. In addition many of these children
become involved with predators who introduce (or force) them into other forms of the
commercial sex business.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s) such as genital herpes, gonorrhea, scabies, and
syphilis are very common among these children. Also on the rise is the incidence of HIV
infection and AIDS.
Drugs on the Street:
Most of the children are addicted to inhalants. Some of the most common are industrial
glue; paint thinner, nail polish remover, rubber cement glue, shoe polish and gasoline.

84
They are cheap and easily accessible. Sniffing the fumes causes the hunger, pain and
loneliness to be numbed for a moment. The children can escape from their harsh reality
as the lightheadedness and loss of appetite settles into their senses. At the same time ,
irreversible damage is being done to the liver and brain. Other side effects are
hallucinations, pulmonary edema and kidney failure.
++ . " ) ;
Fig: 31 shows in the socio-gram that the life situation of the street child is conditioned
very much by the family situation. The presence of the family assures the psychological
support needed for growth but the absence of other basic necessities affect the child’s
growth opportunities .The roots of the problem are in the village where widespread
poverty, manifested through unemployment and destitution, compels people to migrate to
cities. In the city they are forced to take shelter on the streets as their only chance of
survival.
Street children work on the streets to earn money for themselves. Some children need to
work to support their families. Some children may have been denied a chance to go to
school or have dropped out of school and have nothing to do. They can earn money by
begging ,carrying or bearing, car washing, drug trafficking ,juggling, performing music,
running errands, scavenging, sex work, shoe shining or vending .So, they earn money for
themselves and support their families.

In overcrowded households, children may decide to leave home to make room for
younger siblings and elderly family members. So, they need to find shelter.

Many children feel that living on the streets is better than coping with problems in their
homes. These problems can include conflicts with parents, physical or sexual abuse or
neglect [e.g. an abandoned disabled child]. Some children are forced to leave home by
their families because the family does not approve of a child’s behavior or its
consequences, e.g. pregnancy, homosexuality or substance use.

85
Fig: 12 How A child Become Street Child

In many cultures, children are expected to participate in routine family tasks. At times the
demands on children may be more then they can take. This leads to the child feeling that
he or she is a slave or a servant. Such children leave home in search of freedom from
adult demands. To escape from work demands in the home the has to work on the street.

+%< " $ ) *
Street children are leading a life without basic services in urban environment in
Bangladesh. As the smaller boys grow up, they become less vulnerable, stronger, more

86
independent. They are able to look after themselves. With girls it is a different story. As
they reach adolescence, they become more vulnerable on the street. Their young bodies
become a burden. They face more terrible threats on the street

Street children in Bangladesh face following types of vulnerability –

1. Vulnerability in unborn and early age

2. Vulnerability in older age
-Gender Vulnerability

-Socio economic Vulnerability

-Emotional Vulnerability

1. < " $ " $ '

Environmental degradation is killing street children in urban environment. It strikes

countries with already fragile farm sectors stripping the soil needed for planting, hurting
food production and spawning malnutrition among the street children. It kills infants and
young a like – poisoning the water they need for drinking, washing and irrigation,
training the slums, which are their playgrounds, spoiling the food they eat..

Toxic chemicals, heavy metals, radiation and poisons harm children both rich and poor
more severely than adults, causing untold deaths yearly through cancers, birth defects and
still- births in industrialized and developing nations .Air pollution strikes the young more
harshly than the old-fueling the respiratory infections, which kill more than 4.2 million
children under age five each year in developing countries (Child’s environment: 1990)

Before conception, the ‘Child’- in the form of human germ cells is vulnerable to noxious
factors in the environment. The relationship between children and their environment is to
a static, passive process; it is a complex, continuous interplay of many factors, with the
children’s taking an increasingly active part. The social environment that greets a child at
birth exerts a powerful influence on its chances of living through infancy. The physical
environment outside the womb presents dangers to the newborn, whether these become
life threatening depends in large measure on how well the family and community can
manage them.

87
In wealthier communities, the majority of children when die before they are a year old of
a condition they had at birth- physical immaturity, a congenital deformity, a genetic
disease or birth injury. The children of poorer neighborhoods have a large share of these
problems too, but the impact of these handicaps is swamped by a tidal wave of
malnutrition and infection awaiting them outsides the womb.

Fig:13 Children’s Environment –Layers of Opportunity

Source: EL-Hinnawi, E.(1990) – Personnel communication

Childhood illness and death are much higher in the poorer strata of society. Illiteracy of
mothers, culturally determined attitude with respect to health and medical care, lack of
basic knowledge and awareness of health problems, poverty and the inaccessibility of
health facilities all contribute to these high rates. Another layer removed is the child’s
meso- environment, containing threats such as ground water pollution, acid rain, air
pollution, chemical misuse and deforestation. These have more effect on the child’s
welfare at this level involve such activity as improved water supply and sewerage, local
pollution control, education and social forestry. These efforts improve the environment at
the community level and infect require local, informed community participation. This, in
turn, allows for social mobilization on national and global issues.(UNICEF : 1982)

88
Finally, there is the child’s macro-environment, beset with such threats as global
warming, ozone depletion and sea-level rise. These threats are met with international
treaties and national laws and environmental controls.

Growing children have the same basic needs as adults. But for children, the needs are
more pressing- depriving them of these necessities is more damaging . Many of them , if
they survive the vulnerable period of childhood, will become driftwood on the social and
economic currents of their countries. There is fundamental principle in planning for
children’s futures; the earlier that measures are introduced to meet children’s needs, the
less is the cost, the greater the effectiveness and the greater the benefit both to the child
and to the society.

Poor housing, air pollution and the lack of clean drinking water and appropriate sanitation
are behind the separate of various diseases among older children. Children between 6 and
14 years of old are more vulnerable to some disease than younger children , because they
go outside more and are more exposed to air and water pollution as well as dirt in streets
and playgrounds. A habitat life in the slums, which is the root to grow street children, is
as follows in Figure 33.

Fig : 14 The Most Vulnerable

89
Children are less than adults to recognize hazardous environments and negotiate risks.
thus, greater hazardous at home and on the streets mean a higher rate of accidents for
children in Bangladesh. The street makes their way like poisonous serpents through the
land cape. Industrious pollution results in contamination of both air and water. Children
grow up in these nests of squalor, misery and alienation. Street children are living dirt on
the margins of adult society- scavenging, stealing and finding transient jobs, selling small
items, shinning shoes, guarding and washing cars etc, Gangs, prostitution and the drug
trade are the inevitable fate for many.

Figure: 15 Habitats

90
Victims of poverty and underdevelopment, street children are also victims of poor
environmental conditions. Figure 34 shows the habitats of street children in urban area.
They are society’s disposable people with no voice or vote; political leader and city
planner alike often overlook their plight. Nearly 40% population of Bangladesh fall under
15 years, and of which about 16% are less than five years (El-Hinnawi. E 1990): 2000).
These children are mostly abandoned and flight for survival. They do not have
opportunity to enjoy their rights of education, food, housing, cloth, healthcare and legal
aid protection. They work on the street, live on the pavement of bus terminal, Railway
station, terminals at river sides , around kitchen markets and cinema halls etc. They
change their working location according to the demand of circumstances to search for
their livelihood. The life of the vulnerable children is going on without basic service.

! 8 < " $

Girls are most vulnerable than boys. Street girl children are the most oppressed part of the
society within the ‘sexual abuse’ sector. Girl children have to face twice. First, the child
is physically abused. Next, she is abused by society through its customs, practices
censures and ostracization.

Any girl who is abused is designated as ‘‘nostho meya’’ (bad/rotten girl) and she is
considered unmanageable. Since, for a girl marriage is thought to be the ultimate personal
and social objective, being denied this is the ultimate punishment possible. And this, she
is not even responsible for the act.

The pressure to marry pushes some girls to look for grooms quite early. She is socially
programmed to find match if possible. The well off and the powerful have a
psychological advantage in abusing because the girl may be thinking that the relationship
is being conducted with her future husband and not just someone taking advantage of her
vulnerabilities.

Girls also are susceptible to ‘declarations of love’ by potential abusers. Once contact is
made, abusers immediately declare undying love, knowing that this will reduce
resistance. The abusers, in many cases, however don’t hesitate to rape violently if the
resistance is too high. But ‘love’ is a weapon, which abusers have used quite effectively.
The fact that they refuse to marry all those they abuse does not appear to influence the

91
girl children’s behavior pattern. Abusers are not only violent but also capable of
manipulating trust and confidence to a high degree. Management of manipulative
behavior as an adjunct to violence is pre-conditional to survival and success in a conflict
–ridden society, in which men seem more adept than women.

Street girl children with no families were the most exposed to all types of trouble,
particularly harassment from both police and mastans, sexual harassment, cheating,
beating, accidents, arrest, theft or extortion. Over exposure, lack of protection and
excessive walking render street girl children in particular, very vulnerable to fatigue and
sickness. As reported by 12% of the street girl children interviewed, arrests/ detention are
more common among street girl children with no families, particularly among street girl
children aged 12-18 years and /or in a sexually exploited occupation. Some arrested girls
in this occupation were released on condition of sexual gratification or upon intercession
by an employer/mahajan.18% admitted having received severe beating, particularly older
girls aged 12-18 years and those who were sexually exploited.
Street girls age between 12and 15 years, Menstruation periods generally occurred at
regular intervals with normal bleeding over 4-7 days. During these days , the majority of
the girls reported that they felt too weak or sick to continue working , as they experienced
abdominal pain, headache or drowsiness and had a distaste for food. While the majority
reported using cloth as stopper, personal hygiene practices during this period were quite
poor, as only half of this group washed the cloth with soap and water. The majority did
not follow any particular rules/regulations during menstruation.
About 12% of the sub sample –all of them sexually exploited girls aged 15 and 16 years-
admitted that they had been pregnant. About 3 out of every 10 girls in this sub sample of
60 knew of some friends between 15 and 20 years old who had become pregnant.
Although 65.5% said they knew when or how a girl could get pregnant, their knowledge
gained from friends was very general and inadequate- after intercourse, after starting
menstruation, after marriage. Only two girls referred to the meeting of the sperm and
female egg. 3 respondents (6%) losing a baby through induced abortion was personally
experienced by only, and an additional 16 % knew of friends who had similarly lost a
baby.

92
In the sub sample of 60 street girl children 48% reported having experienced sexual
advances-intercourse /rape (25%), invited by mastans/others (15%),attempted rape
(2%)and not specified (6%). Although some vendors and waste collectors were among
those who were exposed to sexual advances, only the sexually exploited girls received
payment for such sexual advances. Almost 8 out of every 10 street girl children claimed
to be suffering from some disease at the time of the interviews, mostly among those with
families as well as among the sexually exploited street girls.
Amongst the urban under privileged, abuse is usually common. Girl children, especially
those working or having to go to do household chores, are almost constantly harassed
sexually. It involves verbal abuse, flashing, touching and the more serious from of abuse,
funding and vaginal rape. But these girls seem to have a high capacity to keep such
incidents a secret because without work girls’ cannot survive. Silence is deafening in the
urban sector.
Rural areas display a high level of tolerance for rape as well. It certainly does not threaten
the sense of collective self-respect of a village if a girl is raped in that locality. Since,
most girls who are raped are from the less powerful groups the informal justice system
also does not do much about it. Girls are very easily condemned as “nosh to”.
While a boy’s family suffers little in the rural areas, the girl’s family suffers hell once the
incident of abuse becomes public.
In some of the cases where the girls became pregnant, the family suffers hell once the
incident of abuse becomes public. They are also denied the right to protest in most cases.
The family has to accept the humiliation in silence. They do their best to keep such
incidents a secret but in the rural areas this is difficult. The entire family is traumatized
and ostracized and not just the abused child.

In some of the cases where the girls became pregnant, the family has to arrange
abortions. Sometimes the child is born and left as a founding. Since abusers always deny
responsibility, the future of an illegitimate child would be extremely painful.

The bottom line for gender discrimination is that those who are abused cannot marry, the
abuser can marry; In fact, the abusers find no problem in finding brides. But in case of

93
the girl’s family, not only can the abused fail to find grooms, her sisters cannot either,
even the publicly raped are not given the benefit of doubt regarding her consent to being
raped in public.

The trauma level for most boys is low compared to girls. This is particularly true for rural
boys who seem to be able to move through this patch of life with relative ease compared
to their sisters. In the urban areas, the case studies relating to boys, however, reflected
great trauma in most cases. This segment was better educated and more sensitive
compared to their rural brothers. But the girls in the poorer section of Dhaka suffered
great trauma and compared to their urban poor brothers were much worse off.

Boys can push for action if abused. They can even refuse to have sex and still survive.
But for girls, this option is very limited because the girls attempt. The failed abuser may
publicly also accuse the girl of trying to seduce him and is readily believed. In both cases,
she cannot fight back and this creates an extremely terrifying situation. In both the cases,
she has to undergo public humiliation. The boys can fight back and have less problem of
having to deal with the future. A girl who has been victimized has her reputation
tarnished. She is marked forever.

+. ) < "
The existing socio-economic structure is seriously stacked against the interest of the
child. Sexual abuse is denied with vehemence or brushed aside as insignificant. In the
process the abusive activities continue to happen.

Sex abuse is committed by the powerful more than the powerless. The powerless, the
poor are most of the victims. Society protects the abuser through its social system, which
is run by the powerful. Since police is considered friendly to the powerful, the victims
turn to the informal justice system. But this system too is again under the control of the
powerful .The ‘shalish’ is the servant of the powerful. As a result, the powerless have no
chance of redress.

94
In the cases that were reported, the abusers either ignore “Shalish” decisions or they
didn’t even consider such cases worth discussing. Given the power relationship in the
rural areas, one feels that powerful may actually be deliberately choosing the powerless
to abuse .It is a safe group to access for sexual gratification. The grossest from of post
abuse scenario is to be ostracized by most , if not all , villagers through collective
campaign led by the abuser or his family. The report finds that rural society will not
allow anything to happen which will not allow anything to happen which will threaten the
status quo. The village society is too entrenched to allow something like child abuse,
which it considers a minor issue, to endanger a system, which allows the groups, factions,
and clans to operate in a village. The child is in extreme conflict with the institutions that
a village formally sustains. (Child Vision: 2003) Same picture we saw in some street
children community when conducted the study.

The urban system is different and there are variations within a city it –self. Many of the
urban poor in our report still had remnants of rural institutions with them, however weak.
There is at least one instant abuse being decided in an urban ’salish’ in the urban poor
sector of the city has developed alternate institutions as well which decide relationships.
In the same vein, a girl can be scared of her social status –come –family that she might
fail to report abuse and blackmail. The child is also not considered threatened when abuse
close family members. The scare comes when reporting or knowledge of such behavior
looms large.

Urban middle and upper class family refuses to open up because, in their alienation, they
have common goal of maintaining the imagined ideal of a society, who are educated,
enlighten and therefore free from such vices. To that ideal they have to deny the existence
of child abuse. This puts urban child in particular, but all children in gender conflict with
the state powers that be. The urban mix, represents most articulate voice of the state,
cannot and will not protect them and in not doing so exposes the bias of the state. The
expressions that exist in the urban milieu tolerate sexual abuse children. By refusing
mitigating action, by refusing to acknowledge also is refusing to put the state under any
threat and then some the children come to the street. (State of Child Rights (BSAF:1999)

95
Since the state has not created alternative support structures, the family is still the
predominant mode of behavior expression of society. Individuals return to the family for
protection and many survival needs. The individuals also therefore protect the family by
refusing to acknowledge any deviant behavior, which the family may experience. In
doing so, it tolerates and ultimately protects the sex abuser of the street children .

% ) < "
Street Children are often abused as a result of emotional dependence. This may take very
serious forms, depending on the level of dependence. The abuser can manipulate street
children’s emotional needs to gratify their sexual needs. In some cases in the urban
sector, the child maybe so emotionally hungry that he/she may submit to abuse in lieu of
emotional gratification.

Street Children also submit to the will of the family. In some cases it is observed that
even when they are aware that they are being abused, they will go along to ensure peace
in the family. This is more intense when such considerations are laced with economic
dependency.

But diving lines between economic and emotional vulnerabilities can often be vague. In
some cases, a street child may submit to forced sex because he/she cares for the financial
needs of his/her family, which is dependent on him/her for their physical survival.

The greatest pressure of course, comes from within the family. The family sends a
message very quickly about what is expected from each member and this, according to
our study, appears not very negotiable. The need to remain silent about abuse and the
trauma caused by it is generated within the family.

Street children may also submit to sexual abuse willing in return for money and gifts and
this veer very close to commercial sex, because its allows a street child to gratify
materials needs in exchange for sex. This is a increasing urban phenomenon where street

96
children left to themselves without the pressures of major economic distress are
changing into children in conflict with child rights.

The Street Children whose manifest behavior has a deleterious effect on his or her
personal or educational development and /or the personal educational development of his
or her peers. Negative effects may considerably from one child to another in terms of
severity and prognosis.

The figure shows the several important results of adjustive resources and degree of stress
are

1. Most street Children are in the mental health portion of the diagram, whereas only
a small portion of the total population falls into the severe category .

2. The conflict of each child is determined by two factors: the degree of stress and
the child’s adjustive resources . A child can have good mental health and still live
under moderate to severe street. Similarly , a child can live with only mild stress
and fall within the moderate to severe conflict portion of the diagram because of
poor adjustive resources

3. The mental health of an individual is not statically categorized but a living

interaction that changes with adjustive resources and stress.

97
Fig :16 Relationship between adjustive resources and degree of stress.

Source : Child in Conflict , Henry R Reinert , The G.V Mosby Company London 1980

Following classifications found as vulnerable Street Children in Conflict from

observation:

1. / * - :
Street Children with behavioral disorders who can be helped adequately by the
regular class place, teacher and /or other education center resource personnel
through periodic counseling and /or short term individual attention and
Instruction

2. / * - :
Street Children with behavioral disorders who can remain at their assigned education

center but require intensive help from one or more specialist (i.e. mental health

clinics, diagnostics centers)

3. " * -
Street Children with behavioral disorders require assignment to a special class or
special School. Beside these they are often unexpressed, as in most trauma.

98
+&- " $ )

Factors that might contribute to vulnerability include:

a) Factors associated with the etiology of their homelessness or street existence:

- Family breakdown
- armed conflict
- poverty
- natural and man-made disasters
- famine
- physical and sexual abuse
- exploitation by adults
- dislocation through migration
- urbanization and overcrowding
- acculturation

b) Factors associated with the physical conditions of homelessness and street life:

- poor hygiene and sanitation

- poor diet
- lack of shelter from the environment
- violence
- transience of situation and its effects on planning
- possible lack of positive attachments, with resultant emotional and social
deprivation
- sensory deprivation

c) Factors associated with survival behaviors on the street and coping with stress:

- Criminal behavior
- begging, including acts of self-mutilation and self-humiliation
- violence
- exploitation by adults
- prostitution/survival sex
- drug use
- involvement in the production, distribution and marketing of drugs

d) Factors associated with inaccessibility to services and resources:

- Inadequate primary health care, including vaccinations

- lack of access to recreational, educational and vocational opportunities
- lack of positive role models

99
The particular health problems, which have been identified among street children,
include:

W Malnutrition and other disorders of diet. Specific nutritional deficiencies resulting in

such disorders as anaemia and endemic goitre.

W Infectious diseases, including:

- skin
- respiratory tract
- sexually transmitted diseases
- viral, including HIV and Hepatitis A, B and C
- parasitic
- opportunistic
- specific infections, such as cholera, tuberculosis, leprosy, rheumatic fever

W Oral health problems, such as dental caries and gingivitis.

W Hazardous, harmful, and dysfunctional drug use, including drug dependency.

W Unplanned pregnancies, often at a young age and with minimal, if any, ante-natal care;
risks associated with practices for terminating pregnancies.

W Skeletal and soft tissue injuries from accidents and violence.

W Industrial and environmental poisoning.

W Non-specific symptoms such as headache, abdominal pains, lethargy and nausea.

W Psychiatric disorders:

- mood disorders, depression

- suicide and para-suicide
- anxiety and phobias
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- conduct and anti/dis-social personality disorders
- psychoactive substance use disorders, including psychoses and organic disorders
- sleep disorders
- eating disorders

W Cognitive disorders and learning difficulties

100
+0 ) ' ( (

It is interesting to note that the six Divisional cities exhibit quite a range of differences in
the age distribution of street children .In 3-6 years age group, Barisal has only 3% while
the highest is in Dhaka (41%), followed by Chittagong (27%),Khulna (13%),Sylhet
(10%) ,respectively .In 7-9 years age group, a more or less similar trend is noticed. In the
3rd age group i.e, 10-12 years, Sylhet has the lowest (9%) while Dhaka being the highest
(35%), indicating a high concentration .The other cities range from 13% to 18%. It is also
amazing to note that the oldest age-cohort of street children (13-18 years) has been found
in khulna and Dhaka (25% each). It implies that relatively older children with their
parents might have migrated to Dhaka and khulna in large number from rural areas with
the faint hope of getting employment opportunities in the growing industrial, construction
and services sectors. Such opportunities for 13-18 years old children in other cities are
comparatively less available.( ARISE, 2000)

/ " %

As expected, among the respondents 97.63%were unmarried while the rest (2.37%)
married. On further query to those girls who were married, it was found that one out of
three marriage (32.98%) was not registered (Table: 3).

Table: 3Marital Status of Street Children

Marital Status Number Percent
Married 81 2.04
Unmarried 3880 97.63
Widow 3 0.08
Divorced/separated 10 0.25
Total 3974 100
Was Marriage Registered Number Percent
Yes 63 67.02
No 31 32.98
Total 94 100

$ " %

Table: 4 presents the educational status of the street children, where mostly (55%) were
found illiterate and the rest (45%) can read and sign only. When asked, a few of them

101
(44%) only replied that they either attended or attending non-formal schools run by some
NGOs. On further query it was learnt that almost same number of boys and girls were
reportedly enrolled as students in the NGOs run schools. This implies that if opportunities
are provided some of them may get enrolled in the schools system supported by GOB or
NGOs. It is further learnt that they prefer NGO run schools since those since those offer
non-formal type of basic education outside the formal school system during any time of
the day or night. So it is convenient for them to attend to those schools.
Table: 4 Distribution of street children according to level of education

Level of Education Street Children respondents

N %
Illiterate 2166 54.50
Can Read and sign only 1764 44.39
Attend NGO school 44 1.11
Total 3974 100

$ " %

Table: 5 shows that out of 3974 respondents, [69%] of them were found employed in
terms of informal occupational profile. Even though by definition they have no regular
employment or definable occupation they are employed in disguise or informal sector. Of
those who employed about 19% are girls while the rest [81%] are boys. The street
children of Dhaka occupy the highest employment status [29%] followed by khulna
[20%], chittagong [18%], respectively while it is the lowest in sylhet [8%]. This indicates
that still a lot of street children are passing their days in extreme agony without income,
shelter and protection. This may lead them to get involved in crimes and other anti-social
activities if some kind of income earning opportunities is not extended to them.

Table 5: Employment situation of street children

Division Number of street children employed
Boys Girls Total
Dhaka 636 [79.50] 164 [20.50] 800 [29.20]
Chittagong 363 [72.89] 135 [27.11] 498 [18.18]
Rajshahi 344 [45.03] 18 [4.97] 362 [13.21]
Khulna 413 [75.78] 132 [24.22] 545 [19.89]
Barisal 250 [80.65] 60 [19.35] 310 [11.31]
sylhet 212 [94.22] 13 [5.78] 225 [8.21]
Total 2218 [80.95] 522 [19.05] 2740 [100]

102
Table 6 and Figure 7 shows that street children’s working time is not fixed. It varies from
early morning to even midnight. However, most of them [54%] used to work in the
morning, some [32%] in the afternoon, while 13% worked at night.

Table 6 Street children’s working

Working time Street children respondents

Number Percent
Morning 1485 54.20
Afternoon 887 32.37
Night 343 12.52
No fixed time 25 0.91
Total 2740 100

Fig: 7 Street children’s working time

'
Table 7 reveals the nature of occupational status of the street children who are currently
involved in various kinds of occupation. In ranking, the occupation of laborer ranks the
highest followed by petty business and shop helper. Begging is also noticed where girls
are relatively more involved. In hard job like workshop and mechanical help there is no
involvement of girls rather boys occupy it absolutely. Since the job demands physical
hardship, women do not get involved probably because of their weaker physical
composition.

The street children are not entirely living without incomes. Although their daily income is
very meager but their total contribution cannot be termed as meaningless. Table 8 shows

103
the daily income and their proportionate share of income they earned. Their daily income
varies only from TK.1.52 to 110.39 with an weighted mean of TK. 31.77 only.
Table: 7 Occupational status of street children by rank order
Sl. occupation Male [%] Female [%] Total [%] by Rank order
No
1 Laborer 8.4 0.8 9.2
2 Petty business 7.0 0.9 7.9
3 Shop helper 4.8 0.3 5.1
4 Begging 3.1 1.6 4.7
5 Vendor 3.7 0.9 4.6
6 Workshop helper 4.5 - 4.5
7 Restaurant 4.0 0.5 4.5
8 Mechanic helper 3.72 - 3.7
9 Tokai [vagrants] 2.1 1.5 3.6
total 40.9 6.3 47.2

"

Some of them [350 or12.7%] had an income of TK.110.39 per day which is the highest
among the total income earning group of 2740. this implies that all of them live below the
hardcore poverty line and an inhuman life which cannot be measured by any living
standard.
Table 8: daily income of street children
Income range/day [TK] Respondents Average daily income/person
[TK]
Lees than 50 1590 2.56
51 to 100 301 66.16
101 to 150 350 110.39
151 to 200 248 4.42
201 to 250 197 1.52
Above 250 54 5.56
Total 2740 31.77

5
The parents of all the respondents were not involved in occupations, more than 10% are
unemployed. Most of their fathers were mainly daily laborer [53%] and rickshaw/van
pullers [26%]. The occupation of mothers were mainly household help [78%] and other
odd jobs [22%] like begging rag collection washing, part-time help, etc (table 9). Most of
the parents earned a monthly income of TK.400-800, some even had a meager income of
below TK.400 per month. This indicates that they are living below the hardcore poverty
line.

104
Table 9: Major occupations of parents
Occupation of Frequency Per cent
Fathers:
Daily laboure 167 53
Van/rickshaw puller 82 26
Employed in odd job 65 21
Total 314 100
Mothers:
Domestic help 151 78
Other odd jobs [begging,rag collecting, washing, 43 22
part-time, help etc]
Total 194 100

" !
Analysis of data inter-district movement of street children reveals amore or less uniform
picture. Table 10 shows the trend of migration to Dhaka city and table 10, 11and Figure
18 indicates migration to the cities other than Dhaka. By rank order, it shows that most of
the migrants to Dhaka city are from greater barisal [34%], followed by greater faridpur
[19%], greater mymensing [17%], greater comilla [15%], greater Dhaka [10%] and other
districts [5%]. This trend of rural migration to Dhaka city might be attributed to the easy
communication from those districts to Dhaka city by both roads and waterways-a cheaper
means of transportation
Table 10: Mobility of Street Children to Dhaka city
From: Rank order [%]
Greater Barisal 34.4
Greater Faridpur 19.0
Greater Mymensing 16.6
Greater Comilla 14.9
Greater Dhaka [other than Dhaka city] 9.5
Other districts 5.6
Total 100

Fig: 18 Mobility of Street Children to Dhaka city

Table K: mobility to the cities other than Dhaka

Figure 19 Mobility of Street Children in Rank order (%)

105
 From: Rank order [%]
Greater Barisal 40.6
Greater Comilla 15.0
Greater Faridpur 11.6
Greater Mymensing 10.0
Other Districts 22.8
Total 100

Figure 19 Mobility of Street Children to Dhaka city

It has also been learnt from discussing that the trend of migration from greater Noakhali
and comilla to chittagong appears to be high. Again khulna received significant number
of street children from Barisal indicating that neighboring areas with economic and
commercial activities would attract inflow of migrants of various types. Secondly, easy
communication, old ties, level of familiarities, etc are important factors for such out
migration. However, the attraction and reported possibilities of getting better economic
benefits in the capital city pull a greater inflow of rural people including the young
children to cities.

Reasons cited for coming to cities and process of becoming street children
Table: 12 present a variety of reason for coming to cities i.e. the process of their
becoming street children in the cities mainly due to economic reasons [84%] which is the
main attraction of migration to cities. Landlessness, river erosion, parents’ separation,
social or family conflict, land dispute, begging, famine or food shortage, broken families,
parental death, sickness, shelter less, accompanied with parents, etc are some of the
reasons frequently cited by the respondents as to why they have come to cities [table 15].
this also support the study conducted by Islam [1998] on human settlements and urban

106
development in Bangladesh. This implies that the prevailing economic and social factors
in the rural sector compelled them to come to city centers with an ultimate goal of
mitigating their sufferings and economic hardship. The influx of rural to urban migration
could be stopped if sufficient incoming earning opportunities are created in the rural
sector through massive poverty alleviation interventions at the countryside. This may also
lessen the burden of urban utility services like water, gas, electricity, housing,
transportation, etc.

Reasons Cited for Coming to cities

Reasons Street Children Respondents
Number Percent
Economic reasons 3326 83.70
No house /shelter 24 0.60
With parents 206 5.18
For begging 23 0.58
Famine/shortage of Food 41 1.03
Social conflict on land 9 0.22
River erosion 65 1.64
Landlessness 171 4.30
Death of parents 5 0.13
Parents separation 17 0.43
(One parenthood)
Sickness/disease 21 0.53
Broken families 51 1.28
No response/Don’t Know 15 0.38
Total 3974 100

. " 5 -

The health status of street children is vulnerable due to the street exposure and
‘basti’(slum) living and contact with various kinds of hazardous diseases. This section
discusses about status of disease prevalence and treatment by the street children. They
were found unconcerned about their personal cleanliness as many of them (80%) do not
take bath regularly due to non-availability of water and bath facilities. The same applies
to toilets, over 90%do not have access to sanitary toilets. These have also been confirmed
by other studies. Table: 13 show a wide list of disease the street children are suffering
from incidence of fever, diarrhoea, dysentery, skin disease and the respondents more
frequently cited other contagious disease. A few of them (9 only) also experienced
sexual diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea. This implies that some of them might have

107
been subject to sexual encounters either by force or voluntarily since they are exposed to
such vulnerable situation.
Table : 13 Prevalence of Disease
Name of Disease Street Children Respondents
Frequency Percent
Diarrhea 702 14.03
Dysentery 422 8.43
Ulcer/Gastro intestinal 47 0.94
Worms 53 1.06
Typhoid 77 1.54
Malaria 54 1.08
Skin Disease 269 5.37
Hepatitis 208 4.16
Flue 165 3.29
Sexual Disease 9 0.18
Leprosy 8 0.16
Epilepsy 6 0.12
Tonsillitis 13 0.26
Anemia 11 0.22
Headache /Migraine 260 5.19
Fever 2235 44.66
Stomach/Liver problem 180 3.59
Pox 70 1.39
Cold/coughs 115 2.29
Asthma 14 0.28
No response 24 1.74
*Total 5005 100
* Some respondents gave more than one response

As regards the nature of treatment they received, over 80% of them got treated by
unconventional means such as faith healing of religious leaders/saints or quack/kabiraj
[table 17, 18 and Fig. 9]. This implies that our society, particularly the illiterate people
are still overshadowed by the spirit of faith healing, ‘doa/panipara’ of religious saints or
are dependent on the unconventional means of disease treatment by the so-called village
quacks/doctors. This is, no doubt, a kind of superstition still prevailing among the
uneducated masses. This could be prevented if adequate Medicare facilities are created
by the collaborative efforts of GOs, NGOs,Pos. divisionwise detailed information on
treatment received by the street children could, however, be seen in table 14.

108
Table 14: treatment of disease by various means
Means/sources Frequency Per cent
Hospital 324 9.89
Mazar/kabirazi/fakir 2623 80.04
Canvasser/street vendor 27 0.82
Doctor 168 5.13
NGOs health services 125 3.81
Pharmacy 10 0.31
Total 3277 100
Some respondents did not disclose their nature of treatment.

Fig: 19 Treatment of diseases by various means

Table 15: detailed information on treatment of street children

Location Treatment Times [visit last month] % Of division
total
Dhaka Hospital 83 7.0
Mazar/kabiraz/Fakir 889 75.2
Canvasser 17 1.4
Doctor 123 10.4
NGO 60 5.1
Pharmacy 10 0.8
Total 1182[36.06%] 100
Chittagong Hospital 114 15.2
Mazar/kabiraz/Fakir 593 79.3
Canvasser 8 0.1
Doctor 19 2.5
NGO 14 1.9
Total 748 [22.8%] 100
rajshahi Hospital 29 8.5
Mazar/kabiraz/Fakir 286 83.9
Doctor 9 2.6
NGO 17 5.0
Total 341 [10.4%] 100
Khulna Hospital 57 15.4
Mazar/kabiraz/Fakir 306 82.5
Doctor 4 1.1
NGO 4 1.1
Total 371 [11.3%] 100
Barisal Hospital 19 5.8
Mazar/kabiraz/Fakir 271 83.4
Canvasser 2 0.6
Doctor 5 1.5

109
 NGO 28 8.6
Total 325 [9.9%] 100
Sylhet Hospital 22 6.8
Mazar/kabiraz/Fakir 278 89.7
Doctor 8 2.6
NGO 2 0.6
Total 310 [9.48%] 100
Total 3277 [100%]
Some respondents did not disclose their nature of treatment.

Places of rest of street children

As regards their place of sleep/rest, they do not have any permanent roof over their heads
to use for such purpose. The most frequently cited common places for their rest are
railway station [19%] followed by launch terminals [14%], slums [13%],
streets/pavements [10%], bus terminals [8%], parks [4%], respectively, while 25% of
them did not response [table 16]. This implies that they need safe shelter and protection
for sleep or rest after their retiring from day’s work since safe shelter and protection are
two important factors for personal safety and peaceful life.

Table :16 Street children’s place of rest

Place of sleep/rest Street children respondents

Number Per cent
Park 162 4.08
Rickshaw/tempo 34 0.85
School 8 0.20
Streets/pavement 416 10.47
Slum 480 12.08
Market/work place 120 3.02
Mess 10 0.25
Other’s house 109 2.74
Workshop 21 0.53
Railway station 755 19.00
Launchghat 550 13.84
Bus terminal 313 7.88
No response 996 25.06
Total 3974 100

Child abuse/harassment

It has been observed in some studies that a street child [boy or girl] has a strong
possibility to be sexually abused and exploited [ILO 1999]. Table : 17 summaries a long

110
list of nature of harassments made by different elements including law-enforcing
agencies to the street children. Having no other alternatives to resist them they had
passively to yield to those anti-social elements for meeting their ill lust or unlawful
desires for sex. During political demonstration, some of them were also exposed to
dangers like arrest for carrying bombs, they informed. When further pressed to respond
as to why they do these, they replied that like of personal security, poverty and
unemployment sometimes compelled them to resort to such unethical and illegal
behaviors like drug trafficking, stealing, bomb throwing, etc. among the list of abuses,
sexual harassment [38%] topped the list, followed by rape while sleeping at night [10%]
and offensive remarks [20%], respectively. This implies an urgent intervention to save
them from moral degradation.
Table 17: How street children were harassed

Nature of harassment Frequency Per cent

Bad/offensive remarks 25 19.53
Forced to have sex 5 3.91
Homosexuality 2 1.56
Mastans/musclemen 2 1.56
Prostitution 1 0.78
Push towards dark place for ill 5 3.91
motive
Touch on private parts & do bad 5 3.91
things
Sexual harassment 48 37.5
Raped while sleeping on the street 25 19.53
Torture by police for sex & money 8 6.25
Physical harassment while working 2 1.56
in factory
Total 128 100
Some respondents did not disclose this type of shameful incidence on sex, drug, etc

Street children are also subjected to physical tortures by their employers, house masters,
police and other persons who included parents, neighbors, musclemen, toll collectors,
local mastans [table 18 and fig 20].

111
 Table 18: physical torture of street children

Tortured by: Number Per cent

Employers 682 30.01
House masters 659 28.99
Police 53 2.33
Other person [parents, neighbors, musclemen, 879 38.67
toll collectors, local mastans etc.
Total 2273 100

Fig: 20 Physical torture of street children

Distribution of street children –respondents according to their parents, mortality status

has been presented in table 19. as many as 412 [10.37%] street children reported that they
have lost both of their parents or become parentless. The data indicate that nearly 38% of
the street children-respondents whose mother alive are mother-dependent or mother-
headed family. On further query it is learnt from them that most of their mothers are
either abandoned/separated or divorced by their first husbands. As a result of such
separation, they are now mostly dependent on mothers for their survival or one-
parenthood dependency. Table :19 shows the distribution of street children by their
parents mortality status.

Table :19 Distribution of street children by their parents’ mortality status

Division Category of parents’ living status

Both parents alive Both parents dead Father alive Mother alive
Dhaka 1014 273 883 627
Chittagong 596 100 548 308
Rajshshi 490 9 404 120
Khulna 676 17 523 230
Barisal 389 10 276 113
Sylhet 397 3 294 93
Total 3562 [89.63%] 412 [10.37%] 2928 1491
[73.68%] [37.52%]

"

112
The street children are more often compelled to come to cities in search of livelihood
sometimes with the family or sometimes alone or sometimes with know person. That is
why they sometimes live alone keeping contacts with the parents and sometimes without
contacts. Generally, they were found in public places such as parks, mosques, market
places, bus terminals, rail station, launch ghats, etc. The level of contact of the
respondents with their families is shown in table 20. It shows that the majority of the
street children [81%] keep in touch with their parents and the rest [11%] do not, some
[8%] even do not know their parents’ whereabouts. This implies that although they live in
the street but a greater number of them [81%] maintain contracts with their parents.
Family contact is necessary for having parental love, care and affection that helps build
up their mental and psychological growth and development.

Table: 20 Distribution of street children who keep contacts with parents

Contact with parents Street children’s contact with parents
Number Per cent
Have contacts with parents 3203 80.59
No contacts with parents 435 10.95
No contacts with parents 435 10.95
Don’t know their whereabouts 336 8.46
Don’t know their whereabouts 336 8.46
Total 3974 100

5 ! !

Table 21shows that 92% respondents came to the cities with their parents, while 3% each
with friends and relatives and the rest 2% came by themselves or by unclassified parents.
In case of ranking, Dhaka is the most preferred place of migration by most people [32%],
followed by chittagong [18%] and rajshahi [13%], khulna 17%, barisal and sylhet each
10%, respectively. This implies that most of them came to cities with their parents at
tender age probably because of economic reasons like poverty and hunger, and/or looking
for better employment opportunities.

113
Table 21: persons with whom street children come to city centers

Study area With whom did they come to the city Total
With With With Alone/ With No Per
parents relativ friends self unclassif cent
es ied
person
Dhaka 1203 16 18 9 41 1287 32.39
Chittagon 639 19 23 2 13 696 17.51
g
Rajshahi 449 32 12 2 4 499 12.56
Khulna 630 32 25 3 3 693 17.44
Barisal 365 21 11 1 1 399 10.04
Sylhet 378 12 10 - - 400 10.06
Total 3664 132 99 17 62 3974 100
[92.20] [3.32] [2.49] [0.43] [1.56]
Figures within parentheses indicate percentage.

" %

As discussed earlier, ARISE has conducted the review of existing services provided to
the street children in Bangladesh where it was found some organizations [GOs, NGOs
and POs] are providing support for the livelihood and development of the street children
in some cities/town. At least 30% street children got/getting some kinds of support/
assistance in the from of non-formal education, food aid, medical facilities, temporary
employments, counseling [table 25]. This shows that nearly 30% of the respondents get
some kind of assistance from various sources, mostly from NGOs [65%], GOs [32%] and
Pos [3%], respectively. When asked nature of services they are getting, they reciprocated
it in the form of non-formal education, shelter, food, Medicare, legal aid, counseling and
temporary employment opportunities [table 22].

114
Table 22: support and assistance provided to street children

Support and assistance from organizations Street children respondents

Per cent
Number
Have you ever received any support or assistance from any organizations?
Yes 30.05
1194
No 69.95
2780
Total 100
3974
Are you currently receiving such services?
Yes 43.22
516
No 56.78
678
Total 100
1194
From which organization are you getting support?
Gos 31.74
379
NGOs 64.66
772
Pos & others 3.60
43
Total 100
1194
What type of services are they providing?
Education [NFPE] 53.27
636
Food aid 25.96
310
Medicare 10.80
129
Legal aid 0.84
10
Temporary employment 0.59
7
Counseling 0.84
10
Others [shelter, bathing, games, etc]. 7.70
92
Total 100
1194

+
Although the street children are homeless orphans/abandoned, and in most cases they are
financially and socially exploited, yet they have some future plans to shape up their
destiny. Findings in table 26 indicate that as many as 362 [9%] street children have plan
to go back to their village home, 2467 [60%] want more income/ better job, while 621

115
[15%] desire to go to school to get education and 391 [10%] want to get skill training.
This implies that if they are provided with basic education and vocational education with
skills training they could be made a formidable force of productive human resources.
Table :23 Distribution of street children according to their future course of action

Future plans/desires Frequency Per cent

Return to village home 362 8.9
More income/better job 2467 60.4
To get education 621 15.2
To get training 391 9.6
[vocational/skill]
Don’t know/ undecided 246 6.0
Total 4087 100
* Some respondents gave more than one response

" ! + / "
Slightly over one half (56.2%) of the street children in the sample maintained connection
with their native village. However only 13.8% were ‘always’ or ‘often’ in contact. For a
larger percentage 42.4% contact was occasional or rate. Proportionately older street girl
children aged 12-18 years did not maintain contact with their native village. In contrast,
younger children aged 7-12 years said they visited the village occasionally.
Approximately 6 out of 10 street children (62.5%) said that they had connections with
their relatives or some persons from their own village .The remaining 37.5% said they no
longer had any connection with relatives.
In the inner circle of family, friends and neighbors is also found the corner shopkeeper.
Within the slum neighborhood where street children live or work or roam around, the
corner shopkeeper is a familiar face –he knows the children well and sometimes helps
them. The street children can keep their little belongings with the corner shopkeeper.
Also within this inner circle is the mastan. These muscle men of the community are
generally unemployment youth who form an organized gang and extort toll, fees from
businessmen, hawkers or weaker sectors of society, usually under political patronage.
They can be both harasser and lord/protector of a community or group.
In the second circle in which are found the street children’s work contacts, are included
‘blood brothers or sisters’ the street children often mentioned a brother, sister, uncle or
even mother or father who are not actually related to them. Because these people have

116
proven themselves to be a real friend in need, the children enter into a fictive kinship
relationship with them. Table 24 shows the Street Children’s social Network.

Only 15% of the street children mentioned five persons who they usually see or get in
touch with during the day, and altogether 33.1% could lay claim to four persons in their
daily network. However, for the majority, the circle was smaller-three persons for 70%,
two persons for 86.9% and at least one persons for a 100%.

Table:24 Street Children’s Social Network

Number Percentage (%)

Inner Circle

Family 120 75%

Friends 90 56.25%
Neighbors 62 38.75%
Other Relatives and people from 21 13.12%
own village
Corner shopkeeper 19 11.88%
Mastan of the area 6 3.75%
"
Working Group 50 31.25%
Shopkeeper 27 16.88%
Employer/Mahajan 14 8.75%
Blood Brother/Sister 12 7.50%
Group head/leader 3 1.88%
'
Organization 44 27.50%
Police 3 1.8%

The street children’s responses about fifteen persons as trusted persons i.e. Mother
(53%), Parents (11.25%), Friends (9.36%), Organizations5.62%), Elder sisters (5%) ,
Guardian (3.12%), father(2.50%), Blood sister/Brother((1.88%), Elder brother(1.25%),
Namesake husband(1.25%), Leader of slum(.62%), Mastan(.62%), Shopkeeper
(.62%)and God(.62%). In case of trouble, street children said they have been able to seek
help from the following persons /groups:
#" . 5 %
Types of Trouble, Sources and Types of Help Perceived by street children are listed
bellow in the table : 25

117
Table: 25 Types of Trouble, Sources and Types of Help Perceived by street children
$( " $( '
Family Accidents, harassment by Treatment/ medical help, 13.75%
police/mastans, beating, security/protection/shelter;
being cheated, others moral support and trust,
leggy help/ arranged release;
monetary assistance

Friends Harassment by mastans, Security/ protection shelter, 5.62%

sexual harrssment, being
cheated, others
Other Relatives Accidents, beating , theft
Neighbor Accidents , harassment by
police, extortion, others
moral support and trust
Treatment/ medical help, 3.12%
moral support and trust
Treatment/ medicat help 3.12%
;legal help

Corner Harassment by police , Moral support trust; security 3.12%

Shopkeeper extortion, beating ,sexual /protection/shelter
harassment, others
Mastan of the Accident, beating Security/ protection/shelter 1.87%
Area
Working Harassment by police being Security/ protection/shelter 5%
Group cheated, others legal help/ arranged releases

Group Head Sexual harassment, theft Legal help/arranged release 1.25%

/Leader
Employer Accident Treatment/medical help 0.63%
/Mahajan
Blood Harassment by mastan, theft Monetary assistance; moral 1.25%
brother/sister support and trust
Organization Accident, harassment by Security/ protection/shelter 6.25%
police, arrest, extortion legal help/arranged release;
monetary assistance;
treatment/ medical help;
moral support and trust

Police Accident, harassment by Legal helps/ arranged release 1.25%

mastans
Nobody All types of trouble, 36.87%
particularly beating, sexual
harassment and being
cheated
Others All types except extortion Legal help/ arranged release; 29.37%
beating and theft monetary assistance;
treatment/medical help;
security/ protection/ shelter

118
+6 ''

Street children are a special category unto themselves, with specific problems, different
from children working in hotels or small factories. To say that life is precarious for these
children is surely a gross understatement. They are constantly faced with the struggle for
daily survival. They often, have no one to look after their needs. Since the child on the
street has to fend for himself/herself, the street quickly eliminates childhood and the
child, suddenly a youth, has to cope with the problems of the adult world, without the
emotional maturity.

To survive they need to work. However, most of these children are illiterate and
unskilled, without options for education or training. They lack education, as they have
neither the resources nor the motivation to go to school. Most earn their living through
occupations such as shining shoes, washing cars, finding parking spaces, guarding cars in
public areas and rag picking or recycling garbage. If fortunate enough to find a regular
job, it is one that needs the least skills, is most underpaid and often, a job that no one else
is willing to accept. Their employers often exploit these children; subjecting them to
physical abuse, low wages, long hours and demanding work. Typically, the more
fortunate of these children find jobs such as selling newspapers, lottery tickets, wayside
teashop attendants, and helpers in automobile repair shops. When all else fails, to stay
alive, they resort to begging, thieving, peddling drugs, pimping and even scrounging from
the garbage.

‘rag picking’ (i.e. sorting and collecting rags, plastic, paper, etc. from refuse thrown on
the pavements and dump sites and selling it do middlemen or recycling shops) constitutes
a major occupational category for street children. It is estimated that six out of every ten
children, that take to the street, turn to rag picking to eke out their living. Rag picking is
surely the most dehumanizing occupation where the nature of the work and the work
environment are most unhygienic, dangerous, demanding and destructive of self-worth.

119
In addition, ‘territories’, each of which is guarded fiercely by its members who react
violently if threatened, control most of these economic, activities of street children. In
this struggle for survival, the competition is ruthless and only the fittest survive.

Street children can be seen fighting cattle and dogs for leftovers, thrown into garbage by
the more privileged members of the society. From eating such spoilt and often
contaminated food and also because of contact with such unhygienic material, these
children often suffer from bacterial and parasitic infections such as cholera, typhoid,
gastro-enteritis, amoebic dysentery, tetanus, tuberculosis, ringworm, sores, scabies and
rickets. Lacking adequate nutrition, many street children suffer from malnourishment and
show symptoms of stunted growth, anemia, night blindness, etc.

These children neglect their health due to traditional basic and financial constraints.
Although in most areas there are free government hospitals, they do not use the facilities
as they fell that they do not receive proper care in these hospitals. There is also the fear of
the unknown. The hospitals are large, impersonal buildings and intimidating even for
adults. The lack of health information and health education further compounds the
problem.

Due to the very nature of their existence, these children lack protection from the hazards
of the elements of nature. At night, some of these children sleep in bus shelters or dark
areas of the railway station or construction sites if they are lucky. Others are found
sleeping behind dirty cardboard boxes left in alleys, or in inadequate makeshift shelters
on the pavement along with street dogs and garbage. In short, none of these shelters offer
any real protection from the cold winds in winter or the lashing rains during the monsoon.

Not only do these children lack protection from the natural elements, they are also subject
to constant harassment by the police, corporation officials and other bureaucrats and
sometimes tortured and remanded in the name of law and order. Their meager earnings
are often confiscated by unscrupulous adults on the street, to whom these children are
often bonded and are unable to beak from for fear of physical threats to their lives.

120
Sometimes, even ‘law enforcers’ take away their earnings, under the pretext that the
money was obtained through ‘unlawful means’ or as ‘protection money’ to be allowed to
sleep on the street.

Street life is unstructured and destabilizing. Nothing is guaranteed; not even their next
meal. This unstable existence sometimes produces distortions of the mind in the younger
ones where they lose track of time, distance and for how long they have been wandering.
Consequently, they are unable to from lasting human relationship; many are emotionally
immature and exhibit a desperate need for affection.

Ostracized by the every society that is responsible for their situation, these children
become social outcastes. Our society equate them with delinquents, untrustworthy and
therefore, unemployable. The callousness of our society leaves these children with a
sense of hopelessness and fatality; that the alone are responsible for their survival and,
therefore, have no obligations to their society.

Despite this dismal picture and their desperate circumstances, these children have an
irrepressible spirit and rare courage. They remain plucky, spirited and exhibit great
resourcefulness, ambition and above all, independence. They do not meekly submit
themselves to their fate, but are full of the determination, to not just survive, but struggle
for a better life.

121
 - 7

STREET CHILDREN: BANGL ADESH SCENREIO

% '
Bangladesh is a south Asian country bounded by India, Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal.
It is inhabited by a large population of 128 million in a relatively small area of 147570 sq.
kilometers. Agriculture is the main source of income contributing to 31.5percent to the
GDP as compared to industry whose share is only 11.2 percent. GDP as per head of the
population is only taka 13,655 (Taka 51 = US dollar 1). Nearly 80 percent of the
population lives in village; 50 percent of them are below the poverty line and 81 percent
landless or marginal farmers. The country is very much dependent on foreign and
international assistance which, in 1997-98, financed 42 percent of the total development
expenditure.
A. In Bangladesh, the number of street children is growing rapidly. In 1990, there
were 1.8 million such children; in 2000 the estimated number is 4 million; a
population of 445266(.445million) street children was estimated in six
Divisional cities. 3 )"$ E <>>, Table: 26 shows the Estimation of
Street Children in Six Divisional Cities in Bangladesh
Table : 26 Estimation of Street Children in Six Divisional Cities
"$ 8
$ "
$ 8
Dhaka 172287 162520 334807

Chittagong 25337 18766 44102

Rajshahi 6387 4427 10814

Khulna 2100 17070 38070

Barishal 6409 4991 11400

Sylhet 4063 1970 6033

235483 209743 %%&!!0

(

122
B. Many street children start their working life between 6and 8.They usually
work between 8 to 12 hours a day, 7days a week; and this for a monthly
salary of take: 350 (US $ 6.50). 30% of Children between age10 and 14 years
are economically active in Bangladesh .Out of a total labor force of 58 million
6.3 millions are children between 10 and 14. 3 )"$ # <>>C3

C. Street Children are children under 18 years of age who live, work and sleep in
the streets of large cities, with or without their families. ARISE and its partner
NGOs has identified four specific categories of street children within this
broader category. Through its pilot project, ARISE caters for 60000 of the
most vulnerable street children, all of them are to be found in the country’s six
largest urban cities.

D. Street Children represent the most under –privileged, vulnerable and

defenseless group within Bangladeshi society. Many of them come from
broken and utterly poor families living in slums or on the streets having to beg
to try to survive. Conflict, violence and permanent anxiety often prevail
within such families. Street children are largely deprived of love, care,
affection, protection and guidance, as well as of essential necessities, such as
water, shelter, basic education and minimum health care. Street children have
no access to even the most basic human rights, human respect and dignity.

E. Many street children suffer from physical and sexual abuses. As a result of
violent encounters, many of them are terrified of adults, deeply traumatized
and sometimes, psychologically disturbed. Many of them are grossly
malnourished and suffer from a number of other physical and psychological
ailments. Adults to carry out the dubious deeds of political parties, apparently,
regularly use street children. They are, at times, forced to carry arms and
ammunitions, throw bombs and engage in other reprehensible activities. Many

123
 street children use cheap and dangerous drugs to escape from suffering,
hunger, fear and utter distress.

F. Street children are often said to be aggressive, distrustful and destructive.

Their level of concentration is low as a result of struggling to survive in a
hostile world. Their psychological make up; attitude and behavior are largely
shaped by the harshness of every day life on the streets or in the slums. From
a very young age, they have to learn to survive under A
4 by the absence of caring adults, general deprivation and
society’s rejection. Rapidly, they develop the sentiment that really they have
nothing much to lose in such an unfriendly world. Their precarious way of life
forces them to become though and sometimes, to return to crime.

G. Many street children work as day and casual laborers carrying out hazardous
tasks; others work all night at loading and unloading goods in city markets.
During the day, they try to find a quit spot to sleep; this is a real problem in a
city like Dhaka, were noise levels, traffic congestions and security risks are
excessively high.

H. City based street children can hardly rely on a supportive community or

neighborhood. They are forced to live a life wrought with constant dangers
and where physical assaults, blatant exploitation and general indifference are
rampant.

As a result of their predicament, street children cannot, obviously, be approached and

treated as so –called normal children. Their foremost need is, clearly, a need to be
genuinely loved and cared for .In an urban and impersonal environment, few caring
adults are around to fulfill such deeply felt, but hardly ever expressed, needs. NGOs try to
fill the emotional gap; some of them seem to be remarkably successful at it.
%! ) '

124
Attempts have been made by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS, 2004)
to arrive at an approximate number of street children in urban areas of the whole country.
As a quick and crude estimate, one can use the existing proportion of street children to
urban population (obtained for 11 urban areas under study)7 to obtain a preliminary idea
of the number of street children. The total urban population in the country for 2004
estimates as 32673,773 calculated on the basis of an annual urbanization rate of 4.74 %
during 2001-2004. The proportion of street children to urban population in 11 urban areas
is calculated as 2.09%. Using this proportion, the total number of street children in the
country’s 11 urban areas 9 is estimates as 682,882. Obviously, not all the urban areas
(e.g. new district areas) are equally crowded with street children, compared to, for
example, metropolitan areas such as Dhaka and Chittagong . Hence, this approach of
estimating national size of street children is subject to criticism.
Several attempts are, therefore made to arrive at the national estimate, based on the
findings obtained from the current study and some additional assumptions. All the
approaches have made use of the results of 11 urban areas under study, in all , about 125
urban areas in the country , the task is to obtain an estimate for the remaining urban areas
that were beyond the scope of the study. The first , which may be called Urbanization
Approach, uses the current ration of street children to urban population (obtain from the
study) to arrive at the estimate for the remaining urban areas of the country.
1. Urbanization Approach: Using street children /urban population ratio
A: Estimates from current study
6 Divisional Cities 389, 892
1 Industrial Town (Narayangonj) 8,402
4 Greater District Town 31,519

---------------------------------

9. 11 urban areas are Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshai, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Narayangonj, Mymensingh, Comilla, Rangpur,
Jesore

125
 B. Estimates from other urban areas
9 Greater District Town
(Based on the average for 4 District above (7880) 70,920
105 urban areas (including 44 new Disrict Towns) 178, 995
( assuming a ratio of 2.09% street children to
estimated urban population of 8564, 353)
National Estimate 679,728 (1)
The second approach , which may be called Poverty approach, uses the ratio of street
children to urban poor population( obtained from the current study) to arrive at the
estimate for other urban areas of the country.
A: Estimates from current study
6 Divisional Cities 389, 892
1 Industrial Town (Narayangonj) 8,402
4 Greater District Town 31,519
B. Estimates from other urban areas
9 Greater District Town
(Based on the average for 4 District above (7880) 70,920
105 urban areas (including 44 new Disrict Towns) 198, 417
(assuming 6.33% as the proportion of street children to estimated urban poor
population of 3134,553)8
National Estimate 699,150 (2)
2.Regression Approach
Finally, regression approach is adopted to arrive at the national estimate of street
children. Two potentially determining (explanatory) variables for the dependent variable,
the incidence of street children, are (1) level of urbanization and (2) level of poverty
situation. Several regression models have been estimated through interactive process,
incorporating urbanization and poverty variables in several forms: Log-log, and Linear.
The estimated regression models and the results are shown below:

Linear:
A: STREET CHILDREN =3010.981+0.01925(URABAN POPULATION)

126
Adjusted R2 is 0.99, which is highly significant.
National Estimate of street children is derived as 631, 981
(3)
B. STREET CHILDREN= 1947.154 =0.06016(URBAN POOR)
Adjusted R2 is 0.99, which is highly significant.
National Estimate of street children is derived as 721,377
(4)
Log-log:
C: LOG (STREET CHILDREN)=. 414-0.79 LOG (URBAN POP)+ 1.248 LOG
(URBAN POOR)
Adjusted R2 is 0.96, which is highly significant; however , the sign of urban population
coefficient is not as expected and not highly significant.
National Estimate of street children is derived as 638, 654
Following pie chart show the percentage distribution of the estimated total children for
six Divisional Cities and five District Towns according to age and gender. As many as
1035 spots, large and small, have been surveyed in 11 urban areas The chart reveals that
Dhaka City constitutes 58.8% of the total estimated street children , followed by
,Chittagong (12.7%) , Khulna(9.5%) ,Rajshahi(4.7%), Sylhet (3.0%) , Rangpur(2.6%),
Barishal (2.2%) ,Narayangonj(1.9%), Jessore(1.9%), Mymensingh(1.5%)Comilla
(1.2%).10

_________________________________________________________________
10. It can be recalled that total national urban population was 28606,000(for 2001), which estimates as 32673, 773 for 2004 on the
basis of 4.74% annual urbanization (simple) rate. Of this , urban poor population estimates as 11958,601, calculated on the basis of
36.6% as the proportion of urban poverty (CBN method, Head Count Ratio, HIES: 2000)

127
Fig: 21 Distribution of Street Children in Bangladesh

%+ ) )" ) ( =4

%%4 " "$ > $

This study estimate the number of Most Vulnerable Street Children being covered by
each organization under their command areas and possible extent coverage in six
divisional Cities is clearly shown in table: 10. The survey has been undertaken by using
Capture Recapture Method, Head Count Method and Informant Method. The Head Count
involves physically the children up to 18 years of age who live /or work in the street,
under four categories, as adopted by ARISE. In order to arrive at an estimate of the
number of Most Vulnerable Street Children, a structured count sheet was administrated.
Details of head count were first recorded, through making tally marks according to age
groups (< 10 yrs. And 11-18 yrs.) sex and locations. There are only a few formal pockets
/ concentration spots for street children except, perhaps, places such as railway/bus
stations, parks and Mazars . However, one can come across children on any street and at
almost every hook and corners. The time before noon is considered most convenient as
generally in the afternoon the children start to disappear. While conducting the counting,
the street children working in formal enterprises /units have been excluded. Five Key
informant interviews and informed opinions were pursued in making them estimate street
children in their respective spots under investigation. The results of five informants from
each of the spots were then two methods were average for each of the locations to finally
arrive at a single estimate of Most Vulnerable Street Children for respective cities.

128
Table 28 shows the number and percentage of Most Vulnerable Street Children in six
divisional Cities.
Table: 28 Key areas of concentration street children in six divisional cities
) 1
< "
4 $ > $ $

Population 1 sample
Kamalapur railway station, sadarghat launch terminal,
saidabad bus terminal, gabtali bus terminal, mirpur and
high court mazar areas, karwan bazaar, teggaon 149520
4 / ?? !??
industrial areas, new markets mirpur zoo area old parts (60%)
of Dhaka city, agargaon, basantek, mohammadpur,
mohakhali bus terminal, etc.
Railway station, BRTC bus terminal, lal dighir par,
amanat shah mazar, reazuddin bazaar, cinema palace,
nasirabad,bahaddar hat bus terminal, sholashahar
railway station
13964
' ' % Garibullah shah mazar, baizid bustami mazar, lal khan ??
(25%)
Wazaar,dewanhat bridge, karnafuli market, medical
college, pahartali railway station, 4 No. Jetty, dewan
Wazaar, fisheries ghat,east motherbari, west
motherbari.
Railway station, rajshahi court, stadium/bangri
3063.9
patti,bus terminal, shaheb bazaar, boro kuti, padma
# + (15%) ??
river bank,dasmari [river bank], rajshahi university,
railgate [local bus stand],cinema hall, new market.
Rupsha ferryghat, ARISE drop-in-center, hadis park,
stadium, BMA bhaban, moilaputa area, daulatpur
railway station, B.L. college area, IWTA launchghat
khalishpur new market, platinum jute mills colony
area, chitrali market, fulbarigate, KDA new
12442.2
> + market,sonadanga bus terminal, gate-7, khulna ??
(30%)
steamerghat, khulna railway station, gallamari bus
terminal, khalishpur industrial area, natun bazaar,
kashipur natun rasta, dada match factory, joragate,
locoshed colony, nirala kutcha bazaar, sabuj bagh,
power house gate, boyra customsghat area.

129
 Stadium, batar khal, natun bazaar, hatkholar char,
1661.07
+? chandmari, IWTA launch terminal, old collectorate, &?
amanatgang, natullabad, rupatali, kaunia.
(17%)
Railway station, new bridge point, keen bridge point,
kodamtali bus stand, kazir bazaar, shahjalal mazar, 2633
$ !6 &?
stadium, howker’s market, Bandar bazaar, zinda (20%)
bazaar, shahparan mazar, sheikh ghat.
97473
Total 600
(25%)

%& . '

As street children, it’s not uncommon for them to come in conflict with the law. The laws
that constitute the juvenile justice system includes:

• The Children Act, 1974 which constitutes both procedural and substantive
components including juvenile courts and components of the Code of Criminal
Procedure 1898.

• The Children Rules 1976.

• The Bengal Vagrancy Act, 1943 which permits the police to detain “ vagrants’
under which definition street children commonly fall.

• The Penal Code 1860.

The administration of juvenile justice in Bangladesh is governed by the Children Act

1974. The Act applies to persons under the age of 16. In practice, widespread ignorance
of the Act and the special procedures applicable to children means that very few children
enjoy the safeguards, which it provides. It regulates the law, relating to the custody,
protection and treatment of children and punishment of youthful offenders;

Some of the CRC principles are reflected in the Act, which have been identified in the
National Plan of Action (1997-2002) :

130
 • Non-stigmatization of children, maintenance of privacy, reintegration of children
into society, state protection for neglected , abused and other children in
especially difficult circumstances;

• It has tried to take into account the age of the children and the situation under
which the crime was committed and tried to establish parental and other
supervisory responsibilities for the child;

• Death sentence or transportation for life has been prohibited for children;

However, the law has certain limitations, especially in the context of the various
provisions of the CRC which are:

• The Act does not mention pre-trial treatment of children , humanely or

otherwise, take steps to retain their sense of dignity or opportunities for
dispute resolution through the informal social justice system;

• The age of 16 years is inconsistent with the CRC which is 18 years;

• Apart from probation, no other service is provided such as lawyers, doctors,

translators , etc.

• The law does not distinguish between non-criminal matter (destitution,

homelessness, etc.) and criminal matters. Nor does it provide sufficient
procedural direction in dispensing with various classification of matters such
as delinquency, destitution, etc. in order to ensure a non-adversely process.

• It does not provide mandate to promote priority that deprivation of liberty

should be the last resort;

• There is no scope for training personnel in handling juveniles;

• The law does not provide mandate for applying different and separate
sentencing system taking into account the age and circumstances of each case
and utilizing the verities of dispositions;

131
 • It does not provide (except in case of probation) any direction regarding the
requirement of periodic review of the status of the child’s condition, in any
kind of confinements;

• It does not mandate a child’s right to be informed of charges and privacy or

provide special procedures as required by CRC and even this Act;

• It does not provide direction or mandate that The Children Act is to be applied
to juveniles under whichever law a child is accused of;

• It does not provide mandate for a child to maintain contact with his/her
family;

• Nor does it provides for appropriate safeguards against all types of abuses and
deprivation of rights in various in various kinds of custody;

• Nor provide for registered institutions who are to be kept in safe custody to
serve as witness;

• It does not provide definition of torture, ‘’ cruel, degrading and inhuman’’

punishment, or provide sanctions against such treatments while in institutional
care;

• It does provide adequate and efficacious sanctions of all types of neglect ,

exploitation or abuse.

Under the Children Act, parents or guardians may ‘’complain’’ to the court that they
cannot control their child. Such complaint can lead to a court order either committing the
child concerned to a specified institution or putting the child on probation, in each case
for not more than three years.

The Children Act prohibits imprisonment for children except in special circumstances. If
such circumstances exist, then the court may sentence a child to imprisonment or order
his or her detention ‘’ in such place and on such conditions as it thinks fit.’’ Children in
prison are not allowed to mix with adult prisoners. Children convicted of offences
punishable with death or imprisonment may be committed to a certified institute such as
the Tongi Rehabilitation Center for a period of between 2 and 10 years. This provision

132
and the examples of heavy sentences referred to above are inconsistent with the
principles of ‘’last resort’’ and ‘’ shortest appropriate period ‘’ contained in Article 37 of
the UNCRC (UNICEF, 1997)

The penal Code 1860 lays down a minimum age of criminal responsibility for
children. The relevant provisions state that no act of a child under the age of seven
can constitute a crime.

%0 . . '

A study conducted entitled ‘’ Street Children in Conflict with the law’’ in the Dhaka
Ramna Thana area to explore the socio-economic condition of street children with special
emphasis on the behavior of police towards street children. The study reveals that the
monthly income of the street children ranges between taka 2000-3000 by selling flowers,
vending various items like chocolate, magazines, collecting papers, working as helper at
auto-tempo and automobile workshops etc.

Most of these children were born in Dhaka but their parents have migrated from the rural
areas across the country. Most of the girl children’s stay with their parents or relatives .
Boy children on the other hand stay on the footpath, parks, office verandahs and other
public places . Although they are detached from the family and deprived of emotional
and economic support, they have more or less kept some relationship with their parents.
Most of them left home for acute poverty while some of them due to the torture from the
stepmothers.

The study reveals that in most cases that boy child is harassed by the police. Their
meager earnings are taken away by the adults even some times by the derailed members
of the law enforcing agencies. They are picked up by the police more frequently than the
girl children and are detained 7 days to 3 months. The study also reveals that 20 percent
children were picked up during hartal while 30 percent were held vending in the street ,
26 percent were rounded up for other reasons while 23 do not know the reasons of their
arrest.

Among the girl children around 60 percent were picked up during hartal that belongs to
the age group 11-13 years. Seventy-five percent of the girl’s child faced harassment of

133
the police while vending on the street within the age group 8-10 years. Five percent girl
children do not know the reason of their arrest. Almost 71 percent were arrested for
sleeping office verandah who belonging to age group 11-13 years. Even girl children
sleeping with their parents, are arrested by police from the street, parks and other working
places.

Sixty –two percent of boy children and 78 percent of the girl children were harassed
once, 22 girls were harassed twice. On the other hand, only 23 percent boy children were
harassed. In the case of boys 56 percent and 67 street girls were detained in the police
station; 19 boys were detained in the Central Jail and 11 percent girls were sent to the
rehabilitation /correctional centers. The study also revealed that 12 percent boys and 22
percent girls were released with the help of their parents. 23 percent boys released from
the court after 15 days to 3 months detention and 40 percent children were released from
thana after 1-3 days detention in police custody.

% 6 $( ) - "$ '

From the FGDs of BIDS (2004) with street children emerged that they are frequently
harassed and tortured by the police in Bangladesh. The FGD participants maintain that
service providers, especially the police, usually mistreat the street children, although few
of them are exceptional. Most of the street children who participated in the FGDs said:
“They misbehave with us without any reason. They misbehave with us whenever they get
any scope. They beat us at random without any fault of our own”.

One of the participants said,

' ! )! ! (
#)!
! & ! )!
) ) ! ) <>
'
) )!
3 ! ! #
*
! E

134
 ! # ! ) !
.

The consensus in the FGD was that the society at large has very bad impression about
street children. The participants mentioned;

!
5
!
!( # ( !
! ! ! 2
! ! @ ! !

One street girl, who is a flower seller said:

' ! )! ! " * #
! ! 2
) ! # <> !
! ! ! ) <>

With utter disgust, the girl continued:

$ <> A
" * 2 !
) ! # !
!

Some of the street girls who participated in the FGDs said:

' !
2 ! # !

A ! #! #
A
# ( . ! #
* 8

135
 #
!

The participants in the FGDs (both boys and girls) maintain:

3 ! # ! ! !
2 !
2 " 5 5 #
! 2 ! !
! # ! #

During the FGDs it emerged that lack of sleeping place is the greatest problem faced by
the street children. One minor boy mentions:

) G * )
,= <> * )

! )
& # )
) ) E )
$ ) ! ) #)
! # * ) )
! ) ! ! * !
,< ! =
/ ! (
$ ( ! ! #
! # ! !
!

The boys in the FGD also mention:

/ ! !
!
! #

136
 ! ( * !
# 4 *
#
!

The FGD participants said:

$ ! / ! !
' ! ! H
* "
! ! 2 !
#
! !
) #
! 2
* !
! #!

One street boy narrated his story in the following way:

' )! " ) !
I * .
B> ) ! ) )!
#)

Some of the street boys in the FGDs mentioned that some of them are also sexually
abused by the police (homosexual). Most of the street children are of the opinion that
government officers, other than the police, do not mistreat them. The FGD participants
maintain.

) ! ! !
! A

137
 ! !
2

Some of the FGD participants expressed their anger in the following way:

) #
!
) !
#!

The consensus in the FGDs with street children was:

!
! + 8 # ! !
! !
A

About police atrocity and abuse, some of the FGD participants maintain:

2 (
) # !
4 *
! (
! @
!

About their involvement in anti-social activities, majority of the street boys in the FGDs
maintain:

) ! #
*
#
( !
! # ! 3 # ! ! !
# !
#

138
 . ! @2
! ! #
2 ! #
?! !

The street girls in the FGDs expressed their anguish in the following words:

!
! A ! A
! 2 !
A #

139
 -5<

LIFE OF STREET CHILDREN IN BANGLADESH: AN IGNORED TRAGEDY

& 5 $ @ )
Growing urbanization, migration from rural areas and disintegration of the traditional
family ties and community structure have usher changes in the socio-economic scenario
which have given rise to a vulnerable group of street children in the metropolitan cities.
They live and are growing up on the margins of society in a state of neglect and
deprivation, without education, affection, care and guidance . Once a child takes to the
street there is a strong possibility that the child , both girls and boys may end up sexually
abused and exploited . This is because survival becomes the sole priority – in the absence
of alternatives, street children are forced to do anything which keep them alive . During
political demonstration, they are exposed to dangers like bombs, and stray bullets.

Street children are already familiar with the insecurity of not knowing from where their
next meal is coming, particularly those street job is not regular, or for whom work is not
available 5 days a month on the average, may be 10,20, 30 days in some months. The
streets still hold other hazards and risks for all street children.

A PRA session conducted with the street children benefited from vocational training run
at sylhet by a partner NGO of ARISE reported that the main problems about their life
include difficulty in getting job, or even if the job is found, the dissatisfaction at job,
misbehavior from the owners of the houses in which they live, scarcity of money when
they are ill and have to buy medicine or when they need doctor, only one dress to wear in
the school and no time to play in the afternoon when, all others play, they feel very much
deprived of their basic rights. They also reported that physical torture or corporal
punishment is widely practiced by some employer. Caning on shoulders and palms, and
squeezing a pen between the child’s fingers were the most common example of corporal
punishment provided to them. The children interviewed said that not only was the
corporal punishment inflicted on them by their employer physically painful, also other
children made fun of them, made them feel “mentally bad”.

140
In the sessions of Billboard voting, Street Children asked to list the problems of street
children and priority street children face problems in getting work/jobs, because of
absence of guardians /guarantor, no one trust them; literacy and unskilled status are the
other constrains for not getting normal job. Within these constrains for survival, street
children do the most odd jobs under unhealthy condition and in the hazardous
environment .As revealed by their clock analysis, they usually work for longer hour and
get very low or no remuneration (sometimes work only for food). Street children worked
10 hours and 12 hours respectively on an average per day while 75% of these street
children were found completely illiterate. Due to unemployment /low income, street
children cannot manage two square meals a day.
Most of the kids reported that they have no playing time, as they are to work to earn
money. They feel bad about this, but did not emphasize on it because earning money is
the only way for them to live on earth. Majority of them eats two times a day, a few eat
three times and only one reportedly eats one time
Table: 29 Problem listing and prioritization by children
Problems Total Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3
score
Cannot read at living place (no 3
space for study)
Misbehavior by the 5 gg
employer/physical torture
No houses 8 h g
No treatment for illness 3
No dress for school 16 hh gg
Never have enough food 30 hhhhh gggg
Dissatisfaction at job 9 hh gg
Low wages 4 g
Punishment by the schools/parents 5 h
Have no playing time due to work 7 h g
Priority 1 - hdot =3 points
Priority 2 - gdot =2 points
Priority 3 - dot =1 point

141
Billboard voting on problem identification and priority placed for identification of
problems faced by the street children themselves All the street children participants were
provided with three types of dots to use them for prioritization of problems faced (table
29). After analysis, it was found from the table that they never had enough food, so food
is the first priority, followed by school dresses, scarcity of housing, playing time,
dissatisfaction of job and lack of playing time, physical torture, etc.

Clock Analysis:
The children `in the Zalopara, Railway Station Sylhet generally rise at 6:00 in the
morning. From 6:00-9:00 A.M they go to station for pottery. After coming back from
station they take their breakfast at 9.15 a.m. From 10:00am to 12:00 A.M they attend the
school. Then they come in drop in center and from 12:30-2:00 their lunchtime. Some of
them reported that take their afternoon nap from 2:00-4:00 P.M between 4:00 to 5:00 pm
some of them can play some of them go to kin bridge to push the rickshaw. And then go
to the station at 8:00 pm and come back at 10.30 PM. The regular working street children
reported that they start the day with work and end the day with work between 6:00 am to
12:00 pm (as reported).

Mother’s group interactions

Among the group of mothers a FGD was conducted on the same day. A group of women
said that most children stay in the street, are exposed to road accidents, bitten by street
dogs and maltreated or abused by the ‘mastans’ / hoodlums or miscreants. Both on the
street or of the street children are arrested for criminal acts and harassed by the police
during political disturbances. So, they expected the state parties to take care of both type
of the street children under shelter-based services during their absence, so that they can
go to work in any further places.

A Participatory Urban Appraisal was also carried to assess the current situation of street
children with 156 street children in different parts in Dhaka. The study focused on
problems, coping mechanisms and recommendations elicited by children themselves.
Interviews with these children revealed their requirements to be very simple. They were

142
content with source place of living and with a profession, which ensures their survival. In
terms of future aspirations, most children sought upward mobility in their own line of
work.

&!8 " )
Participatory Urban Appraisal with children and PRA session with the ARISE staffs and
its partner NGO’s high official has indicated the three general problems of street children.
These are follows:

" )
5 %
They lack basic resources to sustain a healthy living. They usually have no financial
means to buy decent clothing [which may be necessary in cold places], and no money to
buy food, which is `crucial for their development. Because of the costs of services most
street children cannot afford to go to school. Even where schools are free, many children
cannot afford to buy uniforms, shoes and books. Street children live in places where they
are not adequately protected from the environment. They rarely have access to facilities
that they need for hygiene and sanitation, such as toilets and clean and safe water supply.
They are therefore more vulnerable to health problems from poor sanitation
- %
When the community makes plans, it dose not take into consideration the street children’s
plight. Street children tend to be excluded from participating in most of the activities and
facilities of other children. This is one reason why street children often do not have
access to medical, educational, recreational and vocational resources. They face problems
such as lack of vaccinations; poor health, illiteracy and they cannot acquire skills needed
for finding jobs.
;
The street is an unprotected environment and street children are exploited frequently. In
some places, street children may even face the possibility of physical injuries or death
from violence. Common sources of violence are: the police, gangs, drug syndicates, those

143
who operate commercial sex businesses, death squads, other street children, families and
sexual partners.
" 4
Society usually perceives street children as difficult children who are out there to cause
trouble. In general, the public thinks that street children are uncontrollable and violent,
have substance use problems, have no morals, have lost all the ability to feel emotions
such as love and that they turn into terrorists and revolutionaries. They tend to be
unsympathetic to love and that they turn into terrorists and revolutionaries. They tend to
be unsympathetic to the street children’s plight. This negative attitude may be a result of
the society’s inability to care for its people.
b. Physical Problems
1 8 %
Even though some street children can usually get enough to eat, they do not have
nutritious diets. This leads to malnutrition, anemia and vitamin deficiencies.
) %
Injuries may be caused intentionally [including injuring self while intoxicated or when
depressed] and unintentionally, e.g. due to use of tools, which have been designed for
adults. The rate of injuries is usually higher for male than for female street children.
" A :
Sexual and reproductive health problems affect both girls and boys. However, street girls
are more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse and exploitation. Common sexual and
reproductive health problems include sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS,
unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions . Pregnant street girls do not receive adequate
antenatal care.

%
Street children experience many common diseases such as tuberculosis; skin diseases,
dental problems and parasitic diseases, which can be prevented easily if these children
have enough resources and their basic needs, are met.

144
c. Psychological Problems
3 %
Many situation and events that pushed these children onto the street in the first place [like
natural disasters, man-made disasters, exploitation and conflicts] may have a lasting
impact on their well-being. For example, the family conflict that pushed the child onto
the streets continues to deprive the child of emotional and material support for years
afterwards. When the child has his or her own baby, neither the new parent nor the baby
will have the benefit of the previous generation’s support.
3 %
Street children in some large cities move frequently from district to district or between
cities. Sometimes they do this by choice, but at other times they are forced to move to
hide from the police, welfare authorities, gangs, and drug syndicates. This type of
lifestyle leads to problems of social isolation and loneliness and difficulties in developing
emotional attachments to special individuals.
/ %
The stresses that street children experience make them vulnerable to emotional problems,
psychiatric disorders and learning difficulties. They do not receive adequate care for
these conditions.
" %
Many street children are involved in harmful use of psychoactive substances. This can
lead to overdose, increase the chance of accidents, violence, unwanted pregnancy and
unprotected sex. Over time, the continued use of substances can lead to complications
such as brain and liver damage.
Survival for street children means obtaining food, clothing and shelter, and protecting
themselves against violence and other forms of abuse. It depends on:
5 " :
The child’s resourcefulness [the ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently with
available resources], and resilience [the ability to recover from shock, depression, and
other difficult circumstances] determine his/ her survival. Resourcefulness and resilience
would depend upon the child’s creativity, hard work, intelligence and concern for one
another.

145
 :
Peers are individual who share common interests and needs. Peer groups tend to be
homogeneous in age and gender. The peer group has a strong influence on street children
because of the child’s needs for acceptance, belonging and protection. The group often
determines the process of change, socialization and development among street children
by providing emotional and material support.
Street children often help in one another’s survival. They often join together to form
emotional and material support networks. The networks can range from a simple circle of
friends to an organized, business network. Experienced street children teach new comers
how to survive. Members of the group share food, clothing, shelter, information and
psychoactive substances.
Using a psychoactive substance can have many different consequences. Some of the
consequences are insignificant and some are extremely serious. Psychoactive substances
have effects on the body of user as well as consequences on the life of the user and the
whole community. Figure 28 shows the ‘consequences for the individual Street Child’
:
An important thing that determines the mode of survival is the people whom the child
meets on the first day away from home, whether it is a group of car washers or drug
traffickers. Being new to the situation he or she does not know that there are other ways
of surviving on the street.
$A %
Street Children may have to do many unhealthy or dangerous things to survive. Other
street children, the police, and the adults who run the sex and drug trades may easily
victimize them.

' :
These mechanisms could be related to trade or activities in the streets and tend to be
hierarchical. For example, there may be a leader and a spokesperson. The roles of group
members can vary depending on their strengths and weaknesses. The members tend to
protect each other in the face of gang wars, police arrests or other risky situations.

146
Fig 28 Consequences for the individual Street Child

PHYSICAL
Accidents
Convulsions and
coma
Infections include PSYCHOLOGICAL
HIV Restriction of interests
(Especially and lifestyle
injected drug use) Depression
Memory and
Malnutrition
concentration
Damage to body
problems
parts e.g. liver
Delirium (confusion
lungs, nerves etc
and hallucinations)
Cancer
Psychosis (fixed false
Death
ideas; hallucinations,
grossly abnormal
behaviour)

SOCIAL

Rejection by peers, family, employers

Exploitation and Violence (Including
murder) by drug syndicate
Inability to work and loss of income
Legal problem due to :
-Behavior under the influence of
substances
-Crimes committed to obtain substances

" %2 ! " #/ ?B %3 2
. ' 4 & "! 4 5 <B

$A 1 !$ 3
Street Children were asked whether they were arrested by police /law enforcing agency
during their stay in the city. Police as summarized in Table 30 show that 14% of girls
compared to 10% of the street boys arrested the results sometime during their period of
stay on the streets. The findings are likely to be underestimates of the real picture. It
emerged from FGDs and case studies that a significant proportion of street children were
arrested by police or taken to police custody. However, during the questionnaire survey
most of the street children tried to avoid answering this type of question. Thus, the
findings need to be analyzed with caution.

147
Table : 30 $A 1 !$ 3
Whether Male (n=218) Female (n=100) Total (N=318)
Arrested No. % No. % No. %

Yes 22 10.1 14 14.0 36 11.3

No 196 89.9 86 86.0 282 88.7

Table 31presents the reasons given by street children for being arrested by the police . It
can be seen from the table that 18% of boys were arrested on charge of theft, another
18% was arrested for protesting against eviction, 32% of the street boys were arrested
because of fighting with criminals / others , while 23% of the street children was arrested
for coming out on the street at late night. By contrast, about 36% of the girls were
arrested for being involved in sex trade, 7% on charge of theft, while 24 % was arrested
during trafficking.
Table 31. Reasons for being arrested by police
Whether Arrested Male (n=218) Female (n=100) Total (N=318)
No. % No. % No. %
Theft 4 18.2 1 7.1 5 13.9
Being involved in sex trade 5 35.7 5 13.9
Carrying drugs 1 7.1 1 2.8
Fighting with others 7 31.8 7 19.4
Begging 2 14.3 2 5.6
Protest eviction 4 18.2 4 11.1
During trafficking 3 21.4 3 8.3
Coming out at late night 5 22.7 5 13.9
Others 2 9.1 2 14.3 4 11.1

From Table 32it is clear that 36 % girls came out of police custody through bribing law
enforcing agency, 14 percent were released with police help and 21% were released with
the help of NGO/ARISE . By contrast, 18 percent of boys got released through bribe and
59% were released with the help of police.(i.e. bribing police personnel) and 5 % were
released with the help of Human Rights Association.

148
Table:32 How the Street Children got Release from jail/Police Custody
How Released Male (n=218) Female (n=100) Total (N=318)
No. % No. % No. %
Through Bribing 4 18.2 5 35.7 9 25.0
Police Help 13 59.1 2 14.3 15 41.7
Help of Human Rights Agencies 1 4.6 3 21.4 4 11.1
Help of NGOs/ARISE 4 28.6 4 11.1
Others 4 18.2 4 11.1

&+ ( " ) 8
The street girl children interviewed were asked to name three major problems that they
faced daily on the streets.

First in rank, according to the street girl children responses, is that daily exposure to the
elements – too much sunshine on some days and inclement weather on other days –with
no protection against either. Indeed, such over-exposure that is unavoidable because of
the excessive walking that comes with a street job renders street children in general and
street girl children in particular, very vulnerable to fatigue and sickness. The situation is
particularly severe for homeless street children who have no suitable shelter and sleeping
place. The lack of work and money prevents the children from providing for their basic
necessities –food and drinking water, as well as toilet facilities are cited. Inadequate
provision for their basic needs is the second priority problems among these street girl
children.

Not surprisingly such troubles as harassment and exploitation. A street job being there
only option. Street girl children are already familiar with the insecurity of not knowing
from where their next meal is coming, particularly those whose street job is not regular,
or for whom work is not available 5 days a month on the average, may be 10,20,30 days
in some months.

149
The street still hold other hazards and risks for all street children, particularly the girl
child. Over one –half (53.1%) of the street girl children in the study sample admitted that
they have faced trouble.
- Responses showed that the sample category slightly influenced the likelihood that
the girls have already experienced trouble, with such girls.
- Age is an important factor. More girls, aged 12-18 years, reported having been in
trouble than girls aged 7-11 years.
- Among the various street occupations, it is the sexually exploited girl children
who had already faced trouble.

In terms of the children’s own priority, these appeared third in rank.

Fourth priority is assigned to the street girls children’s exposure to physical and/or
psychological trauma – actual or feared injuries and accidents, as well as constant
insecurity.

Not to be overlooked is the emotional strain these children feel when people, including
their own parents or guardians, rebuke them.

$A # .
93.74 % of the street girl feels that they are used as instruments of income by their
parents while a lesser percentage (77.04%) feel overwork. Nearly 89% feel they are
inadequately fed and cloth by their parents. Most (76.42%)of all the street girl children
feel their basic needs are met poorly by their parents while 17% express that they are
partly met. Only 3.65% feel that they are fully met. 97.73 % of the street girl children
living on the street, as opposed to huts, feel they are not protected at night whereas, a
smaller percentage (i.e.36.14%) of these street girl children who live in huts feel
unprotected at night. 81.72 % of the street girl children say they are treated properly by
their parents while only 13.89% admit they are treated badly.38.03% of the street girl
children blame their parents for their plight while 61.97% do not. Only 15.72% of the
street girl children in our sample are ready to leave their parents while 84.28% are not.

150
$A $
52.94% feel that they are paid inadequately and 36.05% feel overworked while 40.23%
admit their employers physically abuse them. A small percentage (9.87%) of the street
girl child (less than the percentage among males ) are forced to do night work.42.69% of
female working street children are made to work with hazardous materials and a lesser
percentage (12.14%) with hazardous machines .Nearly two thirds (64.71%) of the street
girl children say they do get leave when indisposed while 35.29% say they do not.

5 !
Nearly 77.70% of the street girl children feel that their basic needs are not met at all
while only 1.46% feel they are fully met and 14.99% feel they are partly met .Another
5.85% feel they are poorly met.

Environmental Hazards
Nearly all the street girl children in our sample feel that because of their life on the street
they are more exposed to pollutants such as dirt and smoke (97.99%) lack protection
from the natural elements such as the sun, rain and cold (95.8%) and also lack proper
bathing/toilet facilities (98.72%5)

" ) 3
Although only 8-18 percent of the girls initially reported accidents, this figure almost
double to 34.4% when the children were specially asked if they had ever faced street
injury or accident.

Neither sample category, age group, nor type of occupation is significant factors –all
street children are equally exposed to the road hazards of the study area. Table 33 shows
the Ranking of Major problems of Street Girls in Bangladesh .

151
Table: 33 Ranking of Major problems of Street Girls

Type of problem Rank -1 Rank-2 Rank -3 Weight Overall

Score Rank
Exposure of elements: 281 1
Too much sunshine 23 23 188
Inclement weather 11 32 15
Sickness 7 3 2
Excessive walking 3 0 4
Inadequate provision for basic 196 2
needs: 18 2 3
Shelter 2 5 1
Food /Drinking water 7 6 1
Toilet 17 13 7
Lack of work /money
Harassment and exploitation: 143 3
Mastan/mahajan 7 5 7
Police 7 5 2
Guard 5 6 3
Shopkeeper 2 1 2
Cheating 3 3 1
Beating 1 2 1
Exploitation 2 0 0
Political Unrest 0 1 0
Physical /psychological Trauma: 140 4
Fear of accident 4 7 6
Injury 17 9 5
Insecurity 5 7 5
Emotional stress: 61 5
Rebuke by people 14 6 7

" * %

Upon further questioning, 18.1% of the girls answered that they had received severe
beating. Among the 29 cases who reportedly experienced beating,

- The percentage of girls aged 12-18 years who were beaten was three times that of
girls aged 7-11 years.
- The percentage of sexually exploited girls who had experienced severe beating
was more than three times that of girls in other in other street jobs.

Sexually exploited girls reportedly received beating from other members of other
members of other working group, their namesake husband, the mastan or some
customers. Waste collectors reported that their guardians beat them up. Vendors, on the

152
other hand, pointed to guards who usually beat them up when guards, who usually beat
them up when they were caught stealing flowers and to police, when the children obstruct
traffic. Table 34 shows the variables and about physical abuse of street children

% BC

Variables Q. Has anyone ever beaten you severe?

Yes No Total
(%) (%) (%)
AGE GROUP: 13 97 110
7-11 years (8.13) (60.63) (68.75)
12-18 Years 16 34 50
(10.00) (21.25) (31.25)
OCCUPATION
-Waste collector/Brick Chipper 08 51 59
(5.00) (31.87) (36.68)

-Vendor/Tiffin carrier /Collector in 11 68 79

market (6.87) (42.50) (49.38)

- Prostituted Girl 10 12 22
(6.25) (7.50) (13.75)
TOTAL 29 131 160
(18.12) (81.88) (100.00)

3 - :
Arrest /detention were reported by 11.9% of the street girl children interviewed. The
sample category , age and the type of occupation are all significant factors in the case of
arrests/detention.

-Those arrested girls were three times as likely to belong to ages 12-18 years than
to the younger age group.
-Sexually exploited girls are six times as likely to be arrested than vendors/Tiffin
carriers/collectors in market; they are nine times as likely to be arrested than brick
chippers waste collectors.
Some girls (5 cases were just allowed to leave the detention center after a certain time.
However arrested some girls released with the assistance of an organization. Some
prostitute girls were released on condition of sexual gratification or upon intercession by
an employer/mahajan .A mahajan is an influential rich man who lends money at high

153
interest rate and who often has a patron –client relationship with his employees. Table 38
shows the scenario of arrested or Detained by the police

Table: 35 Scenario of arrested or Detained by the police

Variable Q.Have you ever been arrested or Detained
by the police
Yes NO Total
(%) (%) (%)
Type of sample A: Assisted by 9 partner 0 51 51
NGO of ARISE (51 person) (31.87) (31.87)

B. Assisted by other NGOs 07 26 33

(33 person) (4.37) (16.25) (20.62)

C. Not being 12 64 76
Assisted (76%) (7.50) (40.00) (47.50)
AGE GROUP 7-11 years 8 102 110
(5.00) (63.75) (68.75)
12-18 years 11 39 50
(6.87) (24.37) (31.25)
OCCUPATION Waste collector / Brick 03 56 59
chipper (1.87) (35.00) (36.88)
Vendor/Tiffin carrier 6 73 79
/Collector in market (3.75 (45.63) (49.38)
- Prostituted Girl 10 12 22
(6.26) (7.50) (13.75)
TOTAL 19 141 160
(11.88) (88.12) (100.00)

5.4 Specific problems of Street Children with Disabilities

According to the FGD with the 10 street children with disabilities and their service
providers, following situation, problem and needs were identified:

51.66%of children with disability [CWDs] that were identified as street children are
physical disabled. Most of the surveyed street children with disabilities [SDC] are in the
age group of 11 to 15 years [55.33%]. This age group is considered as the earning
capacity age group. As such they are out on the streets, mostly as per the desire of the
family, in guest for their livelihood. In the age group of 0 to 5 years there were only 2
street children with disabilities [1.66%]. Most of the disabled children of this age group
normally stay indoor or very near their homes and not so much on the streets, as such,
although this age group represents a high percentage of children with disabilities [CWDs]
they were not found on the streets and thus not surveyed.(CWDs: 1999)

154
95% of the street children with disabilities have migrated to Dhaka with their families.
This is a very high rate of migration. The principal reason is poverty [84.16%]. Their
main objective is to be involved in income generating ventures. It is reflected in table 39
that 68 .

3
-At a large scale neglected and deprived of equal share.
-Considered as burden and obligation/liability.
-Many families consider their disability to be fate, curse, will of God, etc.
-Often kept out of social activities of the families.
-At times both physically and emotionally abused.
-Their disabilities are in most cases exploited for profitable purposes.
-Principle caregivers are women, specially mothers and sisters.

3
-Affected by misconceptions and negative attitude.
-Kept out of social integration and development process.
-Deprived of normal wages and other benefits.
-At time physically, emotionally and sexually abused.
&
- Negative attitude of family and society.
- Lack of awareness of family and society.
- Bitter experience of the family.
- Financial limitation of families.
- Lack of scopes and opportunities.
- Limited program interventions

155
&& " ) ) A9 " ' @
3 %
Planners do not plan for street children. Wherever street children appear, they are not in
the plans- and not wanted. But they are there through force of circumstances. It is no
good deciding where we do not want them and trying to wish them out of existence. We
need to decide where and how we do want them to live in a way that is practically
possible.

The government has the responsibility for looking after all its citizens. When there are
children on the streets, who do not have adequate food and shelter, government is clearly
failing in its responsibility.

Some members of government genuinely care about their responsibility for their people.
So, deprived children are for them a problem.

From the administrator’s point of view, there are at least three other evident problems
that do not arise from such social conscience. On of these concerns is the image of the
city or the country; street children unsightly. They tarnish the image of a modern, well-
administered city.

They offend middle and upper- class ideas of what life should be like in a city. The
presence of street children offends particularly those administrators who are responsible
for running the city property.; it looks as through they are incapable of doing their job
properly.

If this is the major problem, the solution is simply to round up the people concerned and
put them out of sight. I think most of us would agree that this is not the way to conceive
the problem, and that such solutions are not humane. But it is the way some people
subconsciously think. People talking about ‘’cleaning up’’ the city, as if these children of
our country can be considered ‘’dirt’’ – sometimes they are explicitly spoken of as
‘’dirt’’.

156
A second problem facing administrators is that if they are to be held responsible for the
running of society they need to be in control. Flagrant breach of law cannot be tolerated.
Street children often do break the law. They are often involved in minor crime. They
certainly do not respond well to attempts to control their activities –especially where
money is concerned.

This leads to a third, and more serious, problem for administrators: street children
sometimes threaten the rights of other, more law-abiding, citizens. Apart from threat to
people’s property, street children sometimes harass the public and can threaten their
physical safety.

5 %
The public has diverse perceptions of the problems of street children. Some of these
relate to the threat to persons and property that I have just mentioned. There are also
some less selfish problems perceived. Street Children are often homeless, hungry and
abused, and we need to do something to help them. Street Children appeal to our paternal
or maternal instincts to protect and care for young children.

Having young children on the street offends our ideas of what childhood should be about.
We believe that all children should have a home to go to, to provide shelter, and a caring
family environment.

All children should have security. They should be able to play games and have fun. They
should be improving themselves at school. Children should not have to earn their own
living. They should be clean and wash regularly. They should be healthy, and get help
immediately when they are sick. These we regard as the fundamental rights of children ,
and street children appear to be denied some or all of these rights. Partly out of sympathy,
and partly out of a sense of guilt about our own comforts, it offends us when see children
deprived of these essentials of childhood.

157
One reason for trying to do something for the children is our concern for the future.
When we see children neglected on the street, we worry about what this means for the
future of our society. When we see young children fighting with knives, we worry about
how violent they will be when they grow up. Our concern for the children is mixed with a
concern for our own children and ourselves.

Related to all this are issues of society and culture. People are fundamentally social
beings. The human body operates in cooperation with other people through a system of
learning. Form infancy onwards, we have been learning skills of how to cope with
everyday situations, including skills of language, of etiquette, as welll as more
specialized skills.

Our learning only works within society and culture. These need a degree of stability for
us to feel comfortable as we carry out our intricate variety of learned routines. So, we
have an image of how society should be. People who threatened this comfortable stability
with radically different ways of organizing themselves and behaving generally disturb us.
Street Children, by their visibly different way of life, disturb us.

Our instinctive reaction is drawing such children back into our way of life and our values.
We think of reintegrating them into society and into schools. We think of how to get
these children as near as possible to what we think childhood ought to be. Our instinctive
reaction, like the reaction of authorities, is how to keep the children off the streets. We
would be less disturbed if they were made less visible.

2 ' 4 %
Social Welfare Organization often share the problems of other people among the public,
but they may have further problems specific to their work.

People in Government Departments of Social Welfare may subscribe to the ideals of the
government they work for. Or they may be more sympathetic to the children, as the lady.
In this case, they have yet another problem. How do they reconcile what they think is best

158
for the children, with what their superiors telling them to do? How can they satisfy their
superiors and at the same time, the needs of the children?

NGOs often have problems of interference from government, or at least lack of co-
operation. How do you try to help children on the street, when these children are
constantly being rounded up and imprisoned in institutions? How do you try to protect
the interests and rights of the children, without acquiring the reputation of being trouble-
makers –with all the problems that go with such a reputation?

&01 * ) $ " ( " )

As indicated in the PRA and FGD of street children, street children’s needs are very
simple. As expressed, they are contented with a secure place to live and a vocation, which
ensures their survival. In terms of future, most children sought upward mobility in their
own line of work as viewed in PRA and FGD.

Street children are frustrated and uncertain of their future life mainly due to lack of love
and affection in absence of either or both parents. Street Children feel that the adults of
all sections of people –rich or poor, literate or illiterate, hate them. They do not expect
good job/work, marriage and rehabilitation in the society. Table 36 presented the need
Assessed of street children through PRA and FGD.

" ! -

+
The common attitude towards PWDs and disability issues seemed very positive when it
was shared with a mixed group of community people in the focus group discussions.
People normally feel embarrassed to openly express negative feeling towards a sensitive
issue like disability. As such most of the people expressed positive attitude when the
prevailing attitude of community people towards PWDs were shared. A completely
different opinion was expressed by a group of children with disability especially street
children. Almost every day of the year, most of these street children with disability have
to battle against the negative attitudes of the society. These children are seldom addressed

159
by their actual names; rather they are called by their disability in its rudest and cruelest
interpretation. Very often they are mistreated and teased for their impairment and
disability. If they are employed they receive a very low rate of wages. They are also
excluded from entertainment, games, collective events etc. most of the reported that they
have been either refused or discouraged to get access to any recreational events like
cinema, theater, children parks etc. These children have in fact been left out of the
process of social interactions and mainstream development.

Table 36: Need Assessment of Street Children

A 5 "

Protection Security -Child Friendly Shelter homes, halfway homes, day

shelter, night shelters, etc.
Food supplement/nutrition level maintained
Management supports & law Management & administration outlook are changed
enforcing agencies’ supports and Law enforcing agencies disturbances are stopped
services. Law enforcing agencies support are provided

Appropriate planning/tailored Need based statistics/database by category for

planning for services by appropriate planning are established
GOs/NGOs Bottom up planning process needed
Educational needs Formal education
Life skills training
Non-formal/functional literacy
Vocational training
Emotional/socio- Regular rapport building meetings & evaluation
cultural/psychological needs session
Regular counseling on socio-cultural norms
& Behavioral patterns
Training on cultural affairs and exposure to
competition
Sports/recreational facilities
Health Care needs I availability of health care and treatment for
diseases
Prevention and vaccination, polio, etc
Skills, vocational training needs I assessment of market/trade demand
Trade based training
Supply of capital for small-scale business/trade
Reintegration/rehabilitation I replacement with families
schemes Job placement and
Marriage reconciliation/registration with marriage
registrars

160
+ :
Most of the street children with disabilities live with their families in the city slums or are
scattered in different areas of the city. In most cases, the street children with disabilities
were extremely neglected and treated as a burden of the family. Poverty has been
considered as one of the major factors for such situation. But at the same time the
negative attitude and sentiment of the people also have immense influence in creating
such handicapping environment with in their families and societies. In most cases, fathers
do not take much care of the disabled child. Mothers seem to be more sympathetic
towards the child and take a lot of care. Sisters seem to be more cooperative while
brothers the opposite. In many cases, their brothers have physically abused them at home.
One of the major causes of the growing rate of street children with disabilities is the
inconvenient environment and neglect attitude of the family members towards their
disabled child. A percentage of the disabled children, as reported, have been virtually
abandoned by their parents. In such cases, the grandmother and sisters were much more
positive and took the responsibility of taking care of them. The situation of disabled girl
in the family has been reported as most vulnerable. Their existence caused three fold-
handicapping environment for both themselves and their families i.e. their impairment,
absolute dependency and gender sensitivity. Sexual abuse of disabled girl is also a big
threat to the family environment.

5 %
Abuse may be discussed in the following three versions of maltreatment, such as,
physical, emotional and sexual. Physical abuses like beating; physical punishment, etc
have been reported as most common among the street children with disabilities. Their
father and brothers in their families primarily enacted these incidences. They also fell
victims to such situation at the hands of other community people, their non- disabled
friends at workplace and streets as well. The dependency of the disabled children
particularly the disabled girl is one of the factors for such sad events.

161
These children had opined emotional abuses in the forms of being degradedly called by
names based on their respective disabilities and the overall-humiliating attitude to be
much more painful than direct physical abuse. Sexual abuses of the disabled girl
particularly the adolescent have been identified as one of the most vulnerable situation
for disabled children.

Almost all the disabled girl have revealed incidents of sexual abuse in their individual
discussions. Sexual abuse varied from indirect abuse to even rape. In most of the cases of
disabled girls with whom the issue was individually discussed, have informed of repeated
and continuous disturbance by street boys even elderly people who proposed, used words
to stimulate them sexually, offered money for mutual sex etc. there has also been a case
of sexual harassment by a traditional healer when he had more close access and
interaction with the disabled girl in the name of treatment.

All these make families feel anxious and insecure. All these result in multiple barriers for
the disabled girl. She is disabled because of her impairment and even more being a girl
with disability.
+ 4 %
Children with disability especially the street children are different in terms of ego and
personnel sentiment. Most of the children suffer from frustration and have inferiority
complex because of their limitations as an effect of their disability. The deprivation and
isolation from equal opportunities and services in comparison to other children make
them different. These some times make them reactive and act differently. They become
extremely frustrated when they are teased and rudely behaved for their disability. Most of
the street children with disabilities expressed their frustration at their deprivation from
equal treatment at home. There is less consideration for their development and nursing in
comparison to other fellow children at home. There is an attitude of neglect for their
schooling. Food and clothing are unequally shared; they are also isolated from
participating in recreational and entertainment events etc.

162
Most of them have adjusted with the prevailing negative environment as they have
identified themselves as inferior to others. Some has chosen begging as their principal
profession as they can attract people capitalizing their disabilities. Many of the street
children with disabilities prefer to be in the street to avoid negative attitude and
humiliating environment at home. Many of the families put pressure on the disabled
children to be in the streets for earning money. Money families have exploited them and
their disabilities as a source of income. In many cases the street children with disabilities
are contributing significantly to their families but have limited or no access to use the
income for their own development.

5 :
The fundamental barrier for rehabilitation of street children with disabilities is lack of
awareness and prevailing negative attitude of common masses towards disabled children.
There is still apprehension and suspects on the ability of disabled people. These make
every one reluctant to undertake any involvement with disabled people. Teachers are
reluctant to include disabled children in mainstream education, employers do not have
confidence on their ability, and development agencies do not have adequate awareness on
dealing with disabled people. These are results of people not wanting to have additional
burden by including disabled people/children in any activities.

The street children with disabilities are to a large extent scattered and floating. Most of
the identified children have families in the city slum or scattered elsewhere. They do not
have a permanent residence as like as other village community. This creates hindrance to
the implementation of systematic and sustainable development initiatives.

The level of awareness of community people and the disabled families including
caregivers on disabled issues do not allow them to overcome the existing superstitions
and wrong beliefs on disabled. This creates barrier for proper medical rehabilitation,
social integration and development interventions for disables children.

163
The inadequate institutional and community based services for development
interventions, medical rehabilitation, assertive devices; mobility aids etc. are the major
limitation. There are lacks of adequate information on availability of such services. The
costs of the existing services are in most cases beyond the affording level of the families
of street children with disabilities.

The Specific needs of Street Girl Children:

The street girl child is vulnerable, more susceptible to exploitation and conditioned not to
complain. From birth, she is groomed to be a good and dutiful daughter and to help run
the household as well as to supplement the family income when necessary. Street girl
children with families were relatively “safest” from trouble. Less than half of the group
reported accidents, harassment by police or mastans, beatings, theft and dog bites.

$A
First in rank is the street girl children’s daily exposure to either too much sunshine or to
inclement weather. Overexposure, lack of protection, and excessive walking render street
girl children, in particular, very vulnerable to fatigue and sickness.
Inadequate provision for basic needs

Inadequate provision fir their basic needs is the second priority problem among these
street girl children. The situation is particularly severe for homeless street children who
have no suitable shelter and sleeping place. The lack of work and money prevent the
children from providing for their basic necessities – food and drinking water, as well as
toilet facilities, are cited.

. A
Third in rank are troubles such a harassment and exploitation.
• Arrest and detention: as reported by 12 percent of the street girl children interviewed,
arrests/detention are more common among street girl children with no families,
particularly among girls aged 12-18 years and/or in a sexually exploited occupation were

164
released on condition of sexual gratification, or upon intercession by an
employer/mahajan.
• Exposure to sexual advances was a fact of life among 48 percent of the 12-18 year old
street girl children in the study sample.

$A 7
Fourth priority is assigned to the street girl children’s exposure to physical and/or
psychological trauma – actual or feared injuries and accidents, as well as constant
insecurity.
• Accidents and injuries: All street children are equally exposed to the road hazards of
Dhaka.
• Severe beating: 18% admitted having received severe beating, particularly older girls
aged 12-18 years and those who were sexually exploited.

$ %
Although last in rank, these children’s emotional needs and sensitivity to rebuke should
not be overlooked. From observation, this is in fact a major need which is often
unexpressed, as in most trauma, but it must be recognized that insensitivity to children’s
emotional needs have a lasting impact and leave a mark on the lives of the children.

" 7
Street girl children living at home with their families reported inadequate shelters which
offered little protector against natural calamities.
Street girl children without families usually lacked shelter and were exposed to the
elements and natural calamities, and were very vulnerable to disturbance by mastans in
the places where they slept.

+ %
Since many of the children have taken to the street because of marginalisation of their
families, and because these children, most of whom are working children, are a major
income source for their families, they should also be given safe and alternative but

165
supervised earning options. After all, it has been established that child labor is also
crucial to prevent thousands of families from moving to the city with illusions of a better
life and adding to the numbers on the streets of Bangladesh.

Also, special training and sensitizing for functionaries such as social/field activities and
institution staff dealing with street children is practically non-existent. Most of the
existing training program for functionaries dealing with underprivileged children are for
the workers of street children or implementers of the integrated child development
services program which only focus on pre-school children ignoring the majority of street
children i.e. 7 and above who are incorrectly presumed under this scheme as school-
going. Hence, there is a pressing need to sensitizes and train the various functionaries
dealing with all the different groups of street children with their varied and specific
needs.

* ! & %
Girls are not groomed to be either independent or self-sufficient. If they are abandoned or
orphaned, deserted or widowed, they are not at all equipped to fend for themselves
economically, emotionally or physically. They urgently need:
(a) Privacy and protection at night (from sexual abuse/exploitation)
(b) Toilets
(c) Sex and health education/guidance/counseling
(d) Education for self-sufficiency and independence

Planning to meet the needs of Street Children in Bangladesh

In all six Divisional Cities, FGD were conducted with service provider. Based on the
outcomes of those exercises, data were analyzed and a plan of action is designed. The
information gathered was utilized to shape up the future needs in terms of basic services
required as perceived by the different stakeholders. They put their deliberations as
practicable manner as possible in order to deliver the services to street children. Their

166
needs and services are assessed; strategies formulated and responsible agencies identified
which are summarized and presented in following table:37
BJ

" ) B '
Absences of •Protection •Child-friendly •Hostels [gender-wise]
sleeping place shelters •Day center with resting, bathing, washing, food,
and abuse by •Legal aid Medicare and recreational facilities
all including •Security •Awareness raising •Linkage with organizations providing services
sexual abuse - General public •Linkage with legal agencies
of both girls -Law enforcing •Discussion/lobbying/mass media/rally
and boys agencies
-Stake holders
Frustration on •Psycho- •Regular counseling •Rapport building
life social and •Homely environment
emotional •Counseling with love, affection and greet
support •Recreational facility •Awareness about good life
•Indoor/ outdoor
Malnutrition, •Health care •Curative services •Regular check-up
diseases and •Preventive services •Free treatment/medicine
lees Food on •Nutritious food •Referral system
accessibility to regular basis •Satellite/mobile/center based clinic
health services •Nutrition, health and hygiene education
•Family life education for adolescents including
HIV, STD, AIDS
•Preventive vaccination
•Food at hostels/centers at subsidized rate
Illiteracy •Education •Functional •Open-air street school
education •Center/shelter based school
[Literacy, numeric, •Non-formal approach
value/ethics, life •Appropriate curriculum
skill]
Lack of skills •Skill •Assessment of •Regular monitoring about trade demands
training market/trade demand •Development of training curriculum
•Trade based training •Intensive training
Less job •Re- •Replacement with •Contact with families
opportunity, integration/r families •Counseling/motivation of children and family
job insecurity, ehabilitation •Job placement/better members
low wage, working condition •Linkage/advocacy with potential employees
hazardous •Self-employment •Identification of self employment opportunities
working opportunity [individual/group]
conditions •Financial support
including
torture and
abuse by
employees
Inaccurate/ •Data base •Establishment of •Baseline survey
incomplete statistics data bank •Periodic survey
statistics

167
 5C

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEMS STREET CHILDREN

0 5 ') 8 ) 5 '
The presence of street children in Bangladesh is symptomatic of the social phenomenon
of under development such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and derivation of all
basic facilities. The problem posed to be escalating through rural urban migration in the
future. If it continues unabated will give rise the socio-economic unrest, incidents of
criminal and terrorist acts and other anti social activities. Moreover a huge number of
children of the nation will be deprived of being worthy citizens of the country.

In 1990 the Government of Bangladesh ratified the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This provided an impetus to the formulation of a National
Policy on Children and to collaborate with national and international NGOs to develop
programs for the underprivileged children in order to harmonize all child development
activities in the country within the provisions of the UNCRC. According to these
provisions, the Government is obligated to meet children’s needs in different sectors of
development such as health, education and legal protection. A UNDP sponsored
consultative NGO/GOB workshop held at CIRDAP on 30 June 1997 suggested various
interventions in the direction of strengthening existing institutes and sustainable
innovative pilot project of good practice in the country. Ministry of Social Welfare, Govt.
of Bangladesh undertaken ARISE (Appropriate Resources for Improving Street
Children’s Environment) project with the funding assistance from UNDP to address the
problem both in preventive (not very much) and curative approach. UNDP recognizes the
importance of the issue in the Second Country Cooperation Framework for Bangladesh
(2001-2005) endorsed by the Executive Board of the United Nations Development
Program and of the United Nations Population Fund in the First Regular session 2001.
The document indicates ‘’ protecting street children according to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, through empowerment, skills training, counseling and access to safe
shelter, with special attention for girls’’ On behalf of Department of Social Services
(DSS), Ministry of Social Welfare (MSW) is executing the project. The main

168
implementation part of providing the identified basic services to the targeted Street
Children has been sub-contracted to 9 NGOs 4 in Dhaka and 1 in each Divisional City.

Appropriate Resources for Improving Street Children’s Environment (ARISE) is

tripartite initiative of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Department of Social Services and
the United Nations development program (UNDP). A deed of Agreement has been
signed on 30 September between the Ministry of Social Welfare, United Nations
Development Program (UNDP and ERD for the execution of the project BGD/97/028.
The project started moving in 1998 based on the recommendation of UNDP sponsored
meetings and workshops of NGO, GOB Donor and Apex bodies to address the crucial
needs and problems of the street children in Bangladesh in order to enable them to
integrate with the mainstream of the society.

Considering the children as one of the potential human resources who will be shouldering
the responsibilities of the nation in future, the government of Bangladesh has given
utmost priority to address the needs and problems of children. As a part of the national
commitment to child welfare and child right the government of Bangladesh ratified the
united nation convention on the right of the children UNCRC in its legislation. Though
some measures and steps have already been taken for improving the social-economic
conditions of the children in general but no remarkable initiatives have yet been
undertaken especially for the street children whose number is expected to double within
the next 5 years period. The ARISE project aims at organizing and implementing suitable
programs for poverty alleviation and empowerment of the street children to earn a
suitable socio-economic life to live with due human dignity.

In view of the prevailing situation, the need for initiating identical programmers and
intervention for the street children has been felt needed by all stakeholders who are
concerned to the causes of this segment of population. By this time a good number of
national and international organizations have affiliated their interest by supplementing
and complementing the GOB initiatives undertaken for the street children.

169
Within the stipulated the pilot phase, the project aims at building the national capacity to
provide necessary support to the street children of Bangladesh in accordance with the
principles of UNCRC while the ultimate client of the project are the Most vulnerable
Children (MVC),The secondary clients are the department of Social services of the
Ministry of Social Welfare and the NGOs whose capacity needs to be strengthened. At
present the project is being implemented in six divisional cities viz. Dhaka,
Chittagong,Khulna, Rajshahi,Barishal and sylhet.

The street child’s access to basic amenities primary education, health, and legal
protection –is largely excluded under the country’s present policies and programs.
Substandard housing and overcrowded homes drive children to the streets, where absence
of sanitation, and safe water causes disease and avoidable deaths. Malnutrition results in
various diseases and disabilities that threaten the lives of the street children as they
struggle on their own. The life pattern and poverty of the street children, especially where
absence of sanitation and safe water causes disease and avoidable deaths. Malnutrition
results in various diseases and disabilities that threaten the lives of the street children as
they struggle on their own. The life pattern and poverty of the street children, especially
the working children, exclude them from the rigid structure of formal schooling, thus
adding to the number of non-literate in the country. Thus, not only in terms of poverty
and basic needs but also in terms of the manifold social, physical, psychological and
sexual abuse they face in their daily lives, the street children the most vulnerable group
and serious challenge to the country’s development.

Appropriate Resources for Improving Street Children’s Environment (ARISE), a

collaborative initiatives of the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of
Social welfare of the Govt. of Bangladesh with United Nations Development Program
(UNDP), was emerged in 1998 responding to the recommendations of the series of
meetings and workshops with GOB, NGOs, Donors and Apex bodies focusing the felt
needs, crucial issues and problems of the children of Bangladeshi with special attention to
the street children.

170
Over the last couple of decades a substantial increase in number of street children had
taken place in urban areas, especially in metropolitan cities and divisional towns both in
absolute terms and as percentage of the total population. Street children are engaged in a
constant struggle to gain support over different dimension of their lives and to establish
relationships of understandings and mutual support by themselves which generally do not
bring any positive change to their socio-economic life style, rather such a deplorable
situation allows them to lead an uncontrolled and vagabond life. Under the prevailing
situation the key question for the development community/practitioners is how to support
the street children so that they can stand on their own feet. Increasing secured access to
resources of different kinds required consolidated action at various levels and such
realization and understanding paved the way and inspired the policy makers of the
ministry of social welfare who are the pioneers in working with orphan and distressed
children to initiate and demonstrate some consolidated efforts for the causes of street
children – the establishment of ARISE, a collaborative initiative with UNDP was the
output of the said thoughts and realization.

In a nut shell, ARISE is a pilot project initiated for ensuring the street children’s security
with regard to shelter, education, skill development, physical and mental health through
institutional capacity building of all stakeholders in general and of the partner NGOs in
particular undertaking sustainable interventions, by mobilizing and utilizing local and
external resources and ensuring the participation of all stakeholders including the local
community.

; 3 )"$%
Creation of a favorable environment congenial to the healthy growth and empowerment
of the street children

/ 3 )"$ %
Social-economic emancipation and empowerment of the street children by identifying
and assessing their felt needs through provision of skill training, employment
opportunities and providing information, education and motivation services to ensure

171
congenial environment for their healthy physical and mental growth and enabling them to
establish their due rights with community participation and contribution.

& 3 )"$:
ARISE is aim at capacity building of government agencies and NGOs working with the
street children in accordance with the principles of UNCRC.

' 3 )"$:

<Pilot phase>
.⇒ To identify, strengthen and replicate existing support services;
.⇒ To develop new support services according to the needs street children
.⇒ To establish and strengthen channels of information-sharing communication;
.⇒ To develop a system for referrals between government and non governmental
support agencies, formal and non formal sectors at service delivery;

<Upstream phase>
⇒ To develop necessary police recommendations and advocacy; and
⇒ To build a national capacity for resource mobilization

Target Group of ARISE:

ARISE targeted the most vulnerable street children [age below the 18 years] more
critically and divides them into following 4 specific categories:
1. Children who work/live on the street day and night without their family.
2. Children who work/live on the street with their family
3. Children who work on the street and return to other family
4. Children who work on the street and return to their family

172
Working Strategy of ARISE:
As per the provision of the TAPP and project document the project activities are being
implemented by experienced NGOs through sub contacting with financial assistance of
UNDP.

There are 9-partner NGOs of ARISE project working for Improving Street Children’s
Environment. Following table : 38 shows that the list of 9 partner NGOs of ARISE and
their targeted number of street children in Bangladesh

Table :38 List of 9 NGOs working for street children’s Empowerment in Bangladesh

Sl Project Area Name of the NGO

1 Dhaka City Corporation Area -1 Aparajeo Bangladesh
2 Dhaka City Corporation Area -2 Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra
3 Dhaka City Corporation Area -3 Population Services and Training Center
(PSTC)
4 Dhaka City Corporation Area -4 Samaj Paribartan Kendra (SPK)
5 Chittagong JOGAJOG
- ' 4
6 Rajshahi Association for Community Development
(ACD)
7 Khulna Alliance for Co-operation and Legal Aid
Bangladesh (ACLAB)
8 Barishal Voluntary Association for Social
Development (VOSD)
9 Sylhet Voluntary Association for Rural
Development (VARD)

/ 5 %
The project is implemented by the Department of Social Services. There is a national
steering committee headed by the Secretary, Ministry of social Welfare and a project
implementation Committee headed by the Director General, Department of Social
Services. Besides there is a Tripartite Review committee, headed by the Secretary,
Ministry of Social Welfare to overseas the implementation and performance of the
project.
While the national capacity in this sector at the present time lies mainly with the NGOs,
this project is designed to transfer this know-how as well as promote new strategies for

173
the Government to more effectively address the needs of the street children in accordance
with the UNCRC.

" %
The National Steering Committee (NSC) has been formed to review the progress of the
works as per work plan, which advices for timely implementation of the project activities.
It is a 10 member committee headed by the secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare, other
member’s are representatives of UNDP, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry
of Planning, IMED, Planning section of Ministry of social welfare and National Project
Director, ARISE (Member Secretary). The Committee generally meets quarterly.

5 ) %
The project Implementation Committee is headed by the Director General of the
Department of the Social services as Chairman of the Committee and includes 10 other
members of different sectors. These are from the Ministry of Home, Ministry of Planning
(Planning and IMED Division), Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare , Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives , Director of programs
,Department of Social Services ,UNDP representatives and the national Project Director,
ARISE as member secretary of the committee.

The committee is responsible for arranging proper implementation of all project activities
including performance of the project personnel. It also reviews, evaluates and monitors
the progress of implementation of the project from time to time.

! :
The Tripartite Review committee (TPR) is a 12 member committee and the Secretary ,
Ministry of Social Welfare is the Chairman of the Committee . Other members of the
Committee are Secretaries of the ERD and IMED , Division Chief of the Planning
Commission, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare , Director General of the
Department of Social services ,Deputy Secretary (program), Ministry of social Services,
Deputy Chief ( Planning ),Ministry Social welfare, Director (program ) ,Department of

174
Social Services, National Project Director ARISE ,Senior Deputy Project Coordinator
ARISE, Dhaka.

Tripartite Review committee is a policy level committee involved in policy formulation

and progress of the project based on the APR and takes decisions on recommendations to
improve the design and implementation of the project in order to achieve expected
results. A TPR reviews /assesses usually held at least once a year.

5 5 %
The project activities are being implemented by the Department of Social Services of the
Ministry of Social Welfare in consultation and mutual agreement with UNDP. The
National Project Director is responsible for the overall planning, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of the project.

A TA Management Team comprising one Senior Deputy Project Coordinator and Seven
Divisional Coordinators and a Team of Consultant on Health, Gender , Education,
Vocation Skills and Policy Formulation for the street children supports the project headed
by the National Project Director

" - 5 ! &' %

The problem of Street Children is deep rooted. So the Government alone cannot address
the problem. As a result, the policy planner strategically decided that the NGOs working
in the field of street children, with a view to enable them to prove upgraded services to
the street children in line with the UNCRC . Therefore, the initiative was taken and
finally partnership has been developed through sub contracting 9 NGOs working in 6
Divisional Cities of Bangladesh i.e.4 NGOs in Dhaka and one in each of Khulna ,
Barishal,Rajshahi, Chittagong and Sylhet divisional cities for following target groups-

175
) 3 ! & %
The preparation of the Country Cooperation Framework (CCF) was discussed by the
Government and UNDP in a series of meetings and was thereafter approved jointly by the
Government and UNDP in July 1995 subject to further text changes specially agreed
upon in the meeting and to the confirmation and correction of macroeconomic data by
Economic Relations Division.

Involvement of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is an important source of

support The support of UNDP to nationally executed programs and projects provided in
the following forms:

a. Support services for policy and program development

b. Support for technical services at all stages in the program or project cycle
c. Direct implementation of part of the program or project on behalf of the executing
agencies.
" are driven by country
priorities and demands within the contexts of UNDP supported program and
projects, and financed from the budget lines . The services include the following:
( Upstream policy for the formulation of strategies and programs
( Advisory services and /or sectoral advice
( Technical cooperation needs assessment
( Sectoral or multidisciplinary studies.
" cycle is
particularly relevant for nationally executed programs and projects , helping to
ensure their quality and the administrator’s accountability. They may be financed
from budget lines of the related program or project, with the same source of funds
as the program or project . Such services are available at all stages of the program
or project cycle i.e. formulation and appraisal; technical support and monitoring
of activities during implementation and evaluation.

176
 -
A is a process of UNDP that is act as an implementing agent
within a nationally executed program or project. Within a UNDP- supported
program or project. In this case, its responsibilities will be stated in a latter of
agreement between the United Nations Agencies and the executing agent. The
letter stipulates the responsibilities of each parties., details the activities that the
implementing agent will be responsible for and describes the corresponding
financial arrangements. The services provided by the United Nations agency as
implementing agent are funded from the program or project budget. UNDP
headquarters release funds to the UNDP implementing agent. The use of rules and
procedure is addressed at the time of program or project formulation, based on
key considerations for execution.. As a principle, government policies, procedures
and roles governing procurement, recruitment and contracting for inputs will be
used, while respecting the principles of UNDP regulations and rules.
Alternatively, the implementing agent may want to use the general policies and
procedures governing procurement, recruitment and contracting for inputs as set
out in the relevant UNDP manuals (Program and project Manual section
30400.30403, personnel Manual). Regarding use of rules and procedures for
UNDP support services The UNDP country office support is kept informed of
sections regarding procurement. ,

UNDP considers following conditions to provide support services:

-Support provide only at the request of program country governments

-Support provide only for activities within the country operation framework and the
sustainable human development framework.

-Support provide based on a thorough capacity assessment of the executing agent,

particularly with regard to administrative and operational management capacity and with
regard to full accountability for funds managed by the United Nations Development
Program

177
-Support provide accompanied by appropriate capacity building measures, including clear
exit strategies to ensure that long –term capacity building objectives are achieved.

-Appropriate instruments put in place to improve the monitoring and the evaluation of
such services, including obligatory annexes to all project documents standing the nature
and scope of such support as well as the functions and responsibilities of the parties
involved.

-At the request of the Government of the program country, the United Nations
Development Program will take systematically into account services that can be provided
by United Nations specialized agencies or other relevant execution, implementing and
procurement agents.

- The system of accounting and/or record keeping must track the advance received and
disbursed, expenditure records by implementing agents and direct payments made by
UNDP. The accounting system maintained by the executing agent must also be kept
current.

- The UNDP country office maintain an internal control system designed to ensure that
the UNDP Resident Representative can adequately monitor the financial activity and
budget of a program or project within the scope of her/his responsibilities. The UNDP
Resident Representative is accountable to the UNDP Administrator and is responsible for
the financial monitoring of programs and projects for ensuring proper use of UNDP funds
and for providing advances of funds based on appropriate financial reporting.

- The government coordinating authority, in consultation with the UNDP country office,
draws up an annual plan by November. The audit plan lists the program and projects
schedule to be audited on that given year, considering whether the program or project has
previously been audited. The office of Audit and Performance Riverview is kept
informed about audit plans. The audit is normally carried out at the level where the

178
original documentation is held. It shall cover the funds channeled through the
government by advances of funds, Expenditure incurred on behalf of the program or
project by United Nations agencies acting as implementing agents or by the UNDP
country office providing support to national execution, shall be covered by the appointed
auditors of these organization.

The audit report is an integral part of the monitoring and evaluation process. Its contents
are taken into account in the annual progress review of programs or projects. The UNDP
resident Representative is responsible for following up with the executing agent and
program of project management on the implementation of the recommendations made in
the audit report that pertain to them. The UNDP Resident Representative, in order to
ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken on adverse findings and
recommendations of the auditors, must introduce a control mechanism within the UNDP
country office to follow up on the recommendations until they are implemented.

0! )( 9 5 5)( 5

Specifically the project provided support for a following components-

) 4
) # # #! 7 (
!

,5 , $"
•Assessment of existing GOB/NGO institutes for well being of MVC [drop- in-centers,
shelter homes, orphanages, half-way homes, crisis centers] in terms of adequacy of
services provided, problems, need for skill training for child corers, trainers and children.
• Identification of innovative approaches, and organizations or persons involved in
developing these approaches

179
,5- ;
• Technical assistance and training to agencies for upgrading and strengthening of
support agencies respective programs; i.e. improvement, strengthening and expansion of
existing facilities for vocational training, non-formal [open air] education programs,
shelter facilities, etc.
• Upgrade appropriate and marketable training in skill development, production methods,
marketing and other relevant business services, which can enhance income for street
children engaged in informal trade.
• Development of resource mobilization strategies and improve fund raising capacity
both of GOB and NGO.

, 5. )
• Provision of support to document and research on successful approaches for wider
dissemination
•Integration of successful approaches to the project activities in the shelter/half- way
homes/ drop- in centers.
•Provision of funds for further development of selected successful approaches by the
respective organizations.

•Review possibilities of using non-utilized or under-utilized government space to provide

shelter auditor schooling facilities and create new homes to provide shelter/half-way
homes for the target number of children.

)
- ! E %
• On the basis of participatory research with MVC and their service providers, identify
and develop new support services to meet that are not met by current services, for
example, the need for psychological counseling training identified in the formulation of
this project.

180
• Establishment of a training group/ institute/ organization to provide counseling training
to the child educators/ corers- this may be located in the psychology department of Dhaka
university;
•Provision of funds for consultancies [expatriate] to impart training to a core group of
trainers through the above established group/institute/organization on child counseling or
other new support services, with the aim to create and develop an in country training
capacity for training the child corers/educators of the country;
• Integration of child counseling and other new support services as part of services
provided by shelter/half-way homes/orphanages to the resident children; implementation
of training to educators, child careers and foster parents on child counseling and care

) 6
$ A .
•Compilation of information on support services available establish standard referral
procedure for agencies/institutions that have direct contact with street children; i.e.
police, social welfare organizations, local community organization’s etc.
• Implementation of basic education and vocational skill training programmed to children
of these homes through referral linkages with DNFE and UCEP respectively.
• Provision of health screen and health care to children through linkages with the shishu
hospital [children’s hospital] and other GOB and NGO facilities, general health and
hygiene education to children and reproductive health education to the adolescents.
• Inform and mobilize the public on the condition of the MVC with the aim to impress on
the need for foster homes and social rehabilitation for these children;

) 6
5 3 :
• Developing, as necessary, on the basis of the research and implementation experiences,
policy recommendations and advocacy strategies for the support agencies
• Support implementation of advocacy strategies by the support agencies.

181
 5 5
There are twelve components implemented by the 9 NGOs in six Divisional Cities in
Bangladesh through ARISE direction. The components of the General program of NGOs
working for street children in Bangladesh are as follows:
1. Non- formal Education
2. Vocational Training
3. Health Services
4. Drop in Center/Shelter
5. Legal Aid Protection
6. Psychological Counseling
7. Job placement
8. Recreational Activities
9. Networking
10. Awareness Raising
11. Advocacy
12. Market Survey

Figure 29 shows the intervention of ARISE project for street children in Bangladesh

-' !D 5 5 ( # '

! "
'

& !

" %
# $
# $

"
!

182
Figure : 31 Flow of ARISE Activities

Beside these twelve components ARISE has conducted Innovative Research and GOB
Best Practices Services for empowerment of Street Children in Bangladesh. These are
described bellow –

Innovative Research

To assess the pre and post condition of the activities, to evaluate the impact or effect of
activities, research is a main tool. An effective research team can do that well. So to make
an effective research ARISE conducted an innovative research with BIDS (Bangladesh
Institute of Development Studies) of planning commission. In future exploratory and
participatory research will be conducted and successful innovative approaches to alleviate
problems of street children will be disseminated and replicated.
GOB Best Practices

The project activities have been implemented by the Department of Social Services of the
Ministry Of Social Welfare in consolation and mutual agreement with UNDP. The
Government has appointed one National Project Director (NPD) who with the support
from the project employed TA management team will provide overall guidance to the
planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. The national project

183
director authorized to and accountable for proper handling of the GOB/UNDP inputs
provided under the project in accordance with relevant procedural and financial rules and
regulations of nationally executed UNDP-funded activities. The NPD has also the signing
authority of implementation contracts on behalf of the executing body, I. e. the
department of social services. Disbursement of project resources is done strictly
accordance with stipulation of the relevant financial procedures.

Following table shows the 12 services provided for 66,391(Boys 39806 and Girls 26585)
for street children by ARISE Project in six divisinal cities upto December 2005

Table : 41 Services provided for Street Children in Six Divisional Cities by ARISE

Name of the Division Total Number of Children

Dhaka 26,225
Chittagong 13,417
Khulna 12,739
Rajshahi 1,435
Sylhet 4,506
Barishal 8,069
Total 66,391
Source: ARISE Report, 2005
The present project budget stipulates funding up to 2005, which is also approved for the
same period, conforming to UNDP’s programming cycle. Further resources after this
period, will be provided depending on the performance of the project as well as the
availability of UNDP resources.

Fig: 31 The System Analysis of ARISE

184
A TA management team comprised of one TA management specialist/ project co-
coordinator, and six divisional co-coordinators will support the project. Beyond this, the
project has consultants/experts who are providing assistance to the project. This consist
of one educationist, one vocational skill specialist, one health specialist, one gender
specialist [all national consultants] and one expatriate consultant specialized in child
counseling. The project also has administrative and financial staff and some other support
staff. The consultant can be hired at a stretch for a total number of work months
mentioned in the budget or in fragmented spans of several short consultancies based on
the needs of the project.

The position of project co-coordinators is next to the NPD to ensure normal programmer
functioning of the project and maintain necessary liaison with the government and the
partners/actors in absence of the NPD. The recruitment of the TA management team has
been done by the PIC or PIC nominated committee composed of representatives from
MSW, DSS, and UNDP. The TA team is responsible to the national project director
[NPD].

ARISE has expertise and experience in many areas that have a profound impact on the
lives of street children. For interventions to be effective they must be framed within local
ideas about the roles of children and the nature of family relationships, as well as being
sufficiently flexible to meet the varied and changing needs of individual children.

185
3 )"$ " %
The 1989 United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has been
ratified by almost every state in the world, including Bangladesh. The convention
provides rights based framework for intervention in the lives of children, including street
children. It establishes universal standards for children’s rights to dignity, freedom from
discrimination, survival, development, protection and participation, with overall
consideration given to the best interest of the child. Protection and participation are the
two key principles for implementation of the convention with respect to street children.
Protection is the main reason for intervening in the lives of street children. It includes
immediate protection from danger, abuse and exploitation, but also covers more long-
term, proactive approaches designed to promote development of children’s skills and
knowledge, build support structures for children and lessen their vulnerability.

Table : 42 shows that the ARISE intervention on the basis of CRC-

( . -!
It includes the right to life, the
attainable standard of health, nutrition,
an adequate standard of living , name
and nationality.
( . $2
It includes the right to special care and
protection from all forms of
exploitation, adult and inhuman or
degrading treatment in situation of
emergency and around conflict. It also
aims to protect vulnerable children.
( . $1 )
It includes being educated to receive
support for development, care, social
security, recreation and cultural
activities.
( . $2 )
This right accords the child to
appropriate information and the
freedom of thought, expression,
conscience and religion. Also the rights
to develop their own set of values and
opportunity to express themselves and
their opinions.
5 5
- Health Services
- Health Education
- Recording child name and address.
- Family life education through Drop in Centre
/Shelter
- Drop in center/ Shelter home
- Legal aid support
- Psychological Counseling
- Vocational Skill Training
- Job placement
- IGA activities
- Integration of children with their families.
- Rehabilitation of children
- Formal Education -Inclusive Education
- Non formal Education - Mobile Schooling
- Theatre for Education
- Drop in center/Shelter Home
- Recreational Activities
- Annual Sports
- Exposure Visit
- Cultural Program
- Children’s Forum/ Child Brigade
- Day observance / Rally
- Expression of thought through drawing pictures.
- Participation of religions activities
- Participation of children in decision making at micro
level.
- Child to Child Project
- Dialogue with formal leaders.

186
Participation is a human right particular significance for street children, who care for
themselves, alone or more usually in groups, and are thus the key source of information

on their situations and needs. They are most knowledgeable about the factors that send
children to the street as well as about the difficulties of and strategies for survival on the
street. This makes it essential to listen to children and encourage their participation
during intervention design, implementation and evaluation. When considering how to
include their needs in ARISE projects and programs it is important to be aware of the
challenges presented by the diverse backgrounds and circumstances of individual
children.

Once on their own, street children engage in a variety of work to meet their basic needs.
Much of the work is dangerous and leaves children open to exploitation by adults.
Among the work street children depend on for survival are collecting rubbish for
recycling; running errands; shining shoes, washing car, selling flowers, newspapers or
magazines, prostitution, petty theft and begging. Many children have several jobs to meet
their needs.

Article 32 of the convention on the Rights of the Child is intended to protect children
from economic exploitation, including the requirement for states to establish a minimum
age for entry to employment. According to International Labor Organization (ILO)
convention 138(1973), this should be no lower than 15 years (in some developing
countries like Bangladesh the age limit is 14 years). This is one of the cope labor
standards of ILO , which combines with convention 182(1999) on the worst forms of
child labor, to establish the ‘’effective abolition’’ of child labor as one of the four
fundamental principles and rights at work of the 1998 ILO declaration . ARISE is
committed to upholding the core labor standards. With respect to street children, this
indicates the importance of partnership with the ILO international program for the
elimination of child labor (IPEC) as well as with United Nations International Children’s
Fund (UNICEF), which has worked has street children for over 20 years.

. - " 5 3 )"$%
Within these rights –based framework, there are two basic approaches to working with
street children-human development and service provision. The human development
approach takes a long-term perspective and concentrates on equipping street children
with the skills and confidence required to reintegrate to society, fulfilling their human
rights to self realization and independence. Example include conformal education and
vocational training projects; programs aimed at helping children return to their families if
they wish; and efforts to build communities capacity to manage and maintain long-term
projects aimed at improving the lives of children, thus preventing them from abandoning
their families in favor of street life.

In many cases, long-term programs need to be combined with short –term service
projects to fulfill the provision and protection rights of children living on the streets;
meeting their immediate needs and protecting them from danger, abuse and exploitation.
This may include providing food, shelter, health services and shorter-term training and

187
counseling opportunities in drop in centers. However service provision should be
regarded as a short-term response rather than a long-term solution. Provision of
immediate needs through continuous charitable handouts simply makes street life more
bearable, which creates dependency in the children and is essentially no sustainable.

Striking a balance between human developments activates and service provision is

important when considering interventions for street children. In one sense, street children
are in a permanent emergency situation. Children in danger, frightened, hungry, or ill
cannot be ignored because development theory demands long-term solution. The need
immediate help, but this will be a greatest use if it is planned as part of a long –term
development solution. Depending on the way interventions are implemented, both human
development and service provision can be right-based.

" . - 3 of ARISE:
Children who are visibly living or working on urban streets are the tips of an iceberg of
unknown proportions. Poor children are vulnerable to family, social and economic crisis
that may propel them into street life. Protection against these shocks is a vital prevention
strategy, especially through strengthening family and community resources to meet such
shocks, but also through crisis preparedness that is sensitive to the special rights and
needs of children.

Rather than focusing on rescuing children from the street, it may be important to
acknowledge their need for income and to respect their economic independence. ARISE
responses for street children including formal and non-formal education, Job placement
and self-employment through skills and vocational training. Micro finance and other
support to parents can prevent children from leaving home.

Goodwill is not enough to ensure a positive, long-term impact on children. Successful

programs include continuous training for and supervision of volunteers and staff.
Experience in working with street children has developed professional skills in this area,
which can be shared through training, capacity building and study visits.

Street children are on the street as a result of the vulnerability of their social environment
in families, schools, the labor market and their communities.

ARISE fixed following guiding principles of working with street children-

-5 % Integration of the street children issue into ARISE work

should not concentrate on stand –alone project to meet the immediate needs of children
already on the street, but focus within communities on preventing children at risk from
becoming street children.

-2 ! " : It is not
possible to force children to leave the street –except as a temporary measure. The most
successful approach is through phased –in transitional programs, which work first with
children on the street, provide drop-in service centers and temporary shelters, and finally

188
facilitates the decision to leave street life to take up an alternative package of positive
opportunities.

- : Children’s involvement in decision-making is a right

that must be tempered by adult awareness of their duties, not only to listen to children but
also to protect them and to provide for their needs.

ARISE during the ongoing phase has effectively addressed the problems such as: no safe
shelter, no access to basic education, Vocational training, Lack of health services, lack of
toilet facilities, Lack of access to recreational facilities and belonging are frequently
stolen factors which have contributed for effectively addressing the problems. Table : 43
shows the impact of ARISE –

" %+ 5)( 5
Pre-intervention stats Post-intervention stats

) "$ )) $ Street children are not faced such kind of harassment while
( ( working in the streets.
Street children were the victim by
different community people and called
‘Tokai’ Kangali, Pichchi etc instead of
their name
5 ) ) The involvement at different crime has decreasing day by day. So
Previously street children were they are also working mainstream society
involved in different crimes
Personal hygiene
Street children were unaware about In the drop-in-center, they avail toilet facilities, teeth brushing,
maintaining personal hygiene due to bathing, cloth washing, nail cutting, and hair combing facilities.
lack of awareness and proper facilities Therefore, their personal hygiene status has improved dramatically.
available to them
Non-formal education
Street children were deprived from Street children received basic non-formal education and after
rights of education due to awareness completing this they are able to read, write, do basic calculation
and poverty and many of them got admission to the formal primary school
Recreational services
Street children had no recreational In the DICs, street children participate in different recreational
facilities near to their home or in the activities; like: games, play, video show, drawing and painting,
adjacent areas. So they were prone to singing, dancing, drama. Therefore, there chance of involvement in
anti-social activities anti-social activities reduced.
Health services
Street children were very reluctant to Street children currently seeks medical advice in any health related
seek medical advice due lack of problem
awareness and poverty
Awareness

Street children didn’t know about Through our intervention 90% children know about primary health
primary health care and care, STD/HIV/AIDS, its types, causes, root of transmission and
STD/HIV/AIDS prevention of STD/HIV/AIDS. With their awareness, street
children also made their neighbors aware on this issue.

189
Before getting involved in our
program, street children didn’t know
about discipline, rules and regulation,
and was used to unruly life style. They
were very rude and aggressive.
Guardians of the street children’s were
irresponsible and they didn’t know
where their children going or what
they are doing
Lack of awareness of community
people on street children
Drop in center/Night Shelter
Street children usually passed most of
the time on the street, where they were
vulnerable to sex work, either
forcefully or by exploitation, which
usually resulted in sex trade, criminal
activities, and child trafficking.
Counseling
Street children were rude, aggressive
and frustrated due to poverty, moral
degeneration and ignorance which
hampered their mental development
Vocational raining and job placement
Most of the street children earned
money for livelihood through different
hazardous child labor
Changing of the life of Street Children
Now they are discipline and are aware about their behavior. Their
aggressive attitude is gradually reducing.
Through our CMC meeting/ guardian workshops, we made them
aware about their role as parents and their responsibilities towards
their children.
Community peoples are conscious and aware of child rights, and in
the grass-root level some rights are ensured. Local elite, in the
project area is compassionate and helpful to the street children.
The community people are aware and promoting child rights
• The community people understand the street children issues and
the exploited and abusive situation of the children have reduced
significantly.
The community people are respectful and understand their roles
and responsibilities as members of societies toward the street
children.
The community people come forward to resolve any problems that
arise in the respective areas and also come forward with
recombination school oriented issues.
The community person gives dignity to the children
Now they pass most of the time in the drop-in-center and invite
their friends to come to the DIC, which reduced their vulnerability
to trafficking and sexual exploitation
Through counseling street children’s negative attitude towards their
life changed gradually. They could identify their own problem and
solved them with their own effort
Street children were provided suitable vocational training for them.
After completion of training, they placed with job either in our
organizational arrangement or in other organization through
networking. As a result their quality of life style improved
including their future prospect of a livelihood
Children who were earlier involved in the most hazardous forms of
labor have changed their occupations and taken up lighter forms of
jobs.
Children who have been employed are serving as role models to
other street children. We have observed that the street children feel
valued, confident and a self-drive is being created within them to
develop teir future lives
The project staffs are able to build up rapport with the street
children of project area. It was observed that the behavioral pattern
and life style of the street children are being changed,
190
0+ ' 9
Overall Strengths, Weaknesses and Major Constrains of ARISE is stated bellow in
the table 44 .
Table : 44 Overall strengths, Weaknesses and Major Constrains of ARISE
' /
- ARISE has provided the
street children with a wide
array of services and
initiatives within a
comprehensive approach
This multi- approach
characteristic of the
project has produced a
‘compact’ culture and
methodological
framework to target Street
Children Issues in
Bangladesh.
- ARISE has supported
the growth of a generation
of field specialists whose
professional capacity has
been ‘shaped’ while they
have been dealing with
the different phases and
activities.
-ARISE has pointed the
intervention on the street
children issue and
produced the growth of a
certain number of other
initiatives which have
flourished in different
localities, promoted the
awareness on the
magnitude, criticality and
potential threats to the
Human Capital of the
Nation.
-Almost 60000 street
children (out of which at
least 60% belonging to the
Most Vulnerable
Children), has been
targeted with the whole
range of services or a part
of them and a large
number of cases are
currently available for
further analysis, revision
and dissemination.
-Several lessons learned
/ 1 #
Almost all the Partner NGOs
have elaborated strategies
and methodologies for
copying with the ongoing
challenge coming from the
implementation of project
activities and services, these
strategies have not been
mainstreamed even within
the single NGOs and they
risk to stay at the level of
copying strategies. Even less
learning and knowledge
gained have been shared,
organized and disseminated
in the overall project
environment.
Reasons for weaknesses are
as follows:
-Lack of best practices
collection and dissemination
process.
-Lack of cooperation between
the partner NGOs.
-Difficulties in networking
between the partner NGOs
and towards the overall GOs,
communities to produce a
shared vision and shared
methodologies for
intervention.
-Some weak elements of the
monitoring and follow-up
process.
191
5 :
1 #
-Short term and uncertainty of the future of
sub contract to Partner NGO
-Poor budget allocation for DIC/ shelter
home facilities particularly food, health
services, recreational activities, vocational
training allowance and poor materials supply
for skill training.
-Absence of female paramedics in some
cases
- Some street children are very difficult to
motivate and involve in project activities
because of mental disorder, abuse and
neglect.
-During rain and other natural calamites open
air school is not possible.
-Pre requisite educational qualifications and
age limit of most of the vocational training
agencies is serious hindrance for the street
children to get admitted in to vocational
training courses.
-It is difficult to keep street children for 3
hours a day to open air or center based
schools.
-It is also difficult to get true information
from the street children.
-No stipend for higher class education of
potential children in the formal school due to
age.
-Due to poor daily allowance cannot continue
vocational training and due to strict
employment rules and due to lack of
sympathetic attitude from the employer the
street children cannot continue in many cases
in the placed job. The children are also
deprived of fair wages.
-Slum eviction by the government displaced
and dropped out children from open air
schools and DIC and other activities.
-Some employers some times hindered the
children from coming to schools or DIC for
their own interest to use the street Children
for their work.
-Discontinuation or drop out and transfer of
potential staff due to low salary, uncertainty
of job etc.
- Sometime central project management
imposes the targets without consulting the
PNGO management.
can be drawn by the - PNGO some times assign extra tasks to
experiences and a relevant project staff.
training process has -No protection from police in case of
targeted the field staff violence and physical torture and abuse.
involved in the -House owners are unwilling to let out their
implementation of the building spaces for setting up DIC/shelter
contracted project home.
activities. - Some Partner NGOs have employed low
qualified staff due to absence of uniform
guideline and criteria for staff recruitment.
-Regarding job placement of street children
the employers do not trust Street Children .
They think the children would steal the
valuables of their factories or shops.

Following lessons learned from the phase, which would help future improvements:

-It is important for each worker to entire in to deeper understanding of the street children
issue (problems, contributing causes and consequences), receives proper training, aware
about street children’s psychology to be a successful worker.

-The development work with street children is complicated and challenging but a good
commitment both from the NGO leadership as well as workers and a team approach is
necessary to succeed in this initiative.

-A child friendly environment can highly attract children to enroll and continue to
schools. Extra curriculum and cultural activities are more attractive to the children than
daily lessons.

-Change of behavior and living status of street children through rehabilitates process
which involves a multi actor initiative (Govt. agencies, NGOs, community, the donor,
other key steak holders and the target beneficiaries) requires long term planning and
continued intervention over a period.
-Those NGOs who are ideologically committed have built their primary organizational
capacities through ARISE to continue and promote the issue in the future.

-Community awareness is must to address the root causes of the problem.

-Promoting peer educator and child approach has been found effective tool to reach to
Street children.

-Delegation of responsibilities at divisional levels helps making quick decisions and

period do not face deadlock situation.

There a coincidence between the main strengths and a part of the weaknesses identified.
In fact, the specific services provided by the project are, beyond doubt, the most effective
and strong point of ARISE. The pioneering characteristic of the project and the
substantial lack for a systemic approach to street children issues has been targeted

192
effectively through a multi- approach and comprehensive framework of actions. The
project has provided weak in targeting almost all the issues related to the creation of the
enabling environment although a culture, methodology, a technical set have been
produced. The weakest aspects are those related to the cooperation between the
stakeholders involved, the capacity for affecting the political decision making process,
the capacity for addressing the dominant culture and the stigma against the street
children.

Government’s traditional practice has been to round up the street children and confine
them along with non-street abandoned children, delinquents, stray children and other
children in need of care, in government residential facilities of remand, training centers,
probation and children’s homes. In some cases street children become children in need of
care in these institutions. Childcare workers and street children spoke of the harsh
conditions at some of the government training and remand centers. While a number of
government training centers have tried to be responsive to the rights of street children,
most have cited financial and human resources ac inadequate to fully meet the challenge
of providing for these children.

0% ( 9 - 5 :

To assess Output, Success Activities, a ‘National Participatory Workshop’ was

organized. The main aim of the workshop is to ensure participation and agreement of the
representatives of key actors of NGO Executives and Street Children’s Project actors in
formulation of the following major parts of the project formulation by using
Logical Framework Approach (LFA):

-Problem Analysis
-Establish Problem Tree
-Objectives Analysis
-Establish Objective Tree
-Alternative Analysis
-Participation Analysis

After the analysis the finalization of the project output, Success Activities and Future
Plan of ARISE held which are listed in following table : 45 .

Table : 45 project output, Success Activities and Future Plan of ARISE

Output Success Activities Future Plan

In each Divisional -Conducts a Emphasis should be given on policy
Cities support services comprehensive survey on issues, with different kind of implications:
for MVC strengthened existing GOB/NGO
in one drop in institutes providing -Strategic choices aimed at identifying
center/shelter run by support services to street policy lines on all the operational issues;
the Government children in six divisional -Promotion of policy dialogue on street
(where present) and cities and develop a children issues;
two or three centers database of the entire -Identification, dissemination and
run by NGOs range of support mainstreaming of best practices;

193
services. Assess and
review the strengths
/weakness of existing
GOB/NGO institutes and
need for strengthening
and developing new
facilities and services for
MVC in six Divisional
cities. A project Review
Team will be formed
including representatives
of good practice and
organizations to review
facilities and needs to
existing institutes.
-Participatory appraisals
with MVC to identity
locations, specific issues
and to confirm
recommendations.
-Identify one government
and two-three
NGO/CBO facilities for
project support per
divisional cities.
-Develop capacity
building and
strengthening program
for identified facilities
within six months of
starting the project.
-Provide technical
assistance and support
provided to institutions
to implement the
capacity building
program.
194
-Identification of specific sector issues and
support to the line ministries for
implementing the policy lines and related
service lines.
- Identification, dissemination and
mainstreaming of best practices and lesson
learned.
The Evaluation mission recommends to
organize a systematic dissemination of
Best Practices (experiences, methods and
procedures generated within the project)
and Lessons Learned (reflections and
systematizations on specific activities,
organizational arrangements, relations etc)
To support innovation , knowledge about
the process, identification of the best
practices, knowledge of the target groups
following research activities should be
undertaken:
1. Psycho-Social Research aimed in depth
coping mechanisms used by the street
children. This research can help the
identification of supports and initiative
to mainstream effective copying
mechanisms and to facilitate the
reinsertion of children within the
mainstream social fabric. At the
sometime the research can contribute to
provide adequate training subjects,
materials (case studies etc) for the
training systems.
2. Post project analysis of the development
outcomes based on follow up of the
conditions of children targeted by the
project and of the effectiveness of the
services , the proposed pathways
(vocational support, counseling, family
reinsertion, job placement, support for
drug addicts, STD etc)
The Evaluation Mission recommends to
continue to organize the activities
following the operational guidelines
utilized so far but, at the same time , to test
a graduation of interventions based on the
identification of specific service packages
targeted on different categories of street
children whose needs differ from those
characterizing the MVC and can be
targeted differently.
Increased number of -Within three months a The design of the future phase would be
MVC provided option trained NDRT (Night based on :
of shelter in shelter Drive Rescue Team) -Research and activities aimed at
homes from existing good detecting, identifying, organizing,
practice identified MVC discussing and disseminating best
of which at least 50% are practices and lessons learned emerging
girls. from the practices.
-Develop and implement -Policy initiative towards the political
an effective information decision makers , the line ministries
and communication whose activities affect the lives of the
strategy to make street children(mainly Education, Youth,
accessible relevant Labor, MOWCA, Justice, Home Affairs)
information of support -Policy Initiative towards the communities
services to MVC. aimed at enhancing public awareness,
-Provided shelter mobilizing the communities, fostering the
facilities to MVC where assumption of responsibility at different
physical, emotional and levels.
cognitive needs are -Formulation of sector Policy Frameworks
addressed. and supporting Inter-Ministry Cooperation
through the creation of organizational
Arrangements (Committees, working
Groups, Standing Conferences)

The issue of sustainability has to be the

guiding principle for the second phase of
the program.
Innovative approaches -Engage a review
to street childcare are committee from -Sustainable family reintegration of the
reviewed and reputable research children. Family reintegration is not
consolidated. organizations to assess simply based on sending back the children
good pilot practice to the family of origin is a very complex
existing in country. problem and need to addressed by a
-Establish assessment package of services aimed at tackling
guidelines of effective different problems. So, ARISE should
ness, meeting needs, identify a methodology for family
preventing deterioration reintegration.
and helping with future To strengthen the project a Technical
development of the Adviser whose work has to support the
MVC. project management unit and put into
-Review good practices operation an effective consultation
for further strengthening mechanism aimed at disseminating
and development of strategic issues discussing operational
these approaches. issues with can influence the project

195
Selected good practices Review good practices
are disseminated and and make them available
integrated to project to other organizations
activities. involved in street
childcare in the form of
reports, research and
workshops.
-Train GOB agencies
and NGOs on the good
practice approaches for
integration in other
organizations, especially
in the project supported
shelter/half way
homes/drop in centers.
196
strategy disseminate strategy upgrading.
-A uniform guideline for management of
DIC/shelter home for street children would
be developed and supplied by the central
management of the project to ensure
minimum standard in managing it
according to UNCRC.
-Specific arrangements aimed at involving
the Government, Divisional and District
Authorities and City Corporation in the
provision of building for the establishment
of DICs and shelter homes to promoting
partnership and sustainability of the
project.
The Evolution Mission recommends;
-To street the educational potential of the
different services (education, training, job
related services, shelter, recreation etc)
referring them to the overall rehabilitation
aim of the project.
-To organize ‘’package services ‘’ aimed
at verifying the conditions for
sustainability and provide timely
interventions
-To nurture the hopes dreams and aims of
the children strengthening the capacity of
the staff field to ensure the ‘’containment’’
of personal dynamics (rules, models, aims,
relations etc).
Resource mobilization Draw upon global and - To reduce mobility of street children
strategies developed local best practices in field visit and questionnaire would be
and fund raising resource mobilization for practiced.
capacity both of GOB, street children support - To ensure children participation the
NGOs and CBO and develop appropriate Mission recommends to adopt the
interventions resource mobilization following measures:
improved. strategies accordingly. 1. Promote the creation of
Specially, inter alias, the committees(nutrition
team should explore the programming, recreation
establishment of a programming, procurement
National Trust Fund to committee, programming of
support street children internal curve )
activities. 2. Stimulating children’s capacity to
-Train participating collaborate by rotation with the
GOB, NGO and CBO management of the shelter house
service providers in and promoting the learning of
design and decision making and
implementation of responsibilities
resource mobilization 3. Provide the children with training
strategies i.e. public on participation
relations, fund raising 4. Provide field staff with training
campaigns, advocacy, on participation.
etc.
-Develop a national -To establish a strategic initiatives towards
resource mobilization the institutions affecting the children in the
strategy on the basis of legal aid protection field, mainly line
above activities and ministries (Justice for Juvenile and family
implemented by DSS. justice, Home Affairs for Police) aimed at
identifying and advocating issue of policy
lines and tackling deviant and antisocial
behaviors and locality to become partners
of the juvenile justice and police on street
children issue
- Networking initiative with the
organizations of lawyer expert on
children’s issue to foster the drafting of an
analysis of the main issues and of
operational lines and the dissemination of
these resources among institutional and
local stakeholders (lawyers, police officer,
judges, businessmen, local leaders,
religious leaders, etc)
-A systematic advocacy initiative would
be established in the framework of ARISE.
The Mission recommends to take
following measures-
1.The project team, at central
level has to be supported
by an international long-
term expert in policy
advocacy for the first
operational phase.

2 To recruit National
Expert on Advocacy and
policy Dialogue and two

197
Community mobilized -Contract training UNV national
for sustainable support facilitators, theatre Volunteers to support
to MVC. groups, journalists and the policy advocacy
other relevant agencies initiative.
for creating a mechanism
for motivating middle 3. To draft and disseminate
class affluent families or an advocacy initiative
local business to foster of and to train Partner
under-take residential NGOs of ARISE
apprenticeship MVC for 4. A work plan should be developed
their further which contains a clear definition of
development. the advocacy topic, the desired goal ,
-Conduct a series of pree the power analysis, the objectives to
release, workshops and bring about the goal, the strategies to
for motivating fostering be carried out and a chronology of
families and sponsoring activities which are sufficient to bring
business. Project about the desired result.
prepared guidelines and
resources for identified
publicity groups to
accomplish the
information liaison and
motivation task.
-Motivate local
communities to provide
foster home ,
employment possibilities
and other services ,
which will facilitates the
development of MVCs
on a continuous basis .
Experiences good
practice (GOB/NGO)
and its representatives
will have the
responsibility of drawing
up guidelines, formats,
reporting mechanism to
ensure accountable
development of the
MVC in the foster homes
or sponsoring businesses.

198
-New support services -Conduct exploratory ,
identified, tested and participatory research
implemented. with MVC to identify
-A training course on issues and needs unmet
child counseling for by current support
GOB and NGO services.
workers developed and -Design and develop
core group of support
GOB/NGO trainers services/packages to
trained. address issues and needs
identified.
-Subcontract agencies to
test/ implement new
support services.
-Participatory evaluation
of new support services
by MVC, redesign as
necessary and
subcontract to agencies
for trial implementation.

All children identified -Identified DNFE,

by the project provided Mainstream schools and -A specific ARISE networking initiative
with opportunities to vocational training would be established. The Advocacy and
build their capacity for centers. policy dialogue group of expert will be in
sustainable livelihood. -Negotiate entrance charge to advice Partner NGOs on
At least 50% of the /inclusion of MVC on networking. The networking initiative
children enrolled in these programs would be finalized to organize the NGOs
skills -Conduct market surveys environment, the professional whose
training/education and to ensure the vocational activities affects the street children., the
access to regular training provided Government Agencies, the CBOs.
income for children through market value. The organizations (both GOs and NGOs)
who have completed targeted by the project interventions will
training improved. be supported in establishing a sustainable
networking.
- The draft street children policy has to be
circulated and discussed within the project
(project structure and field staff) and
explained and discussed with the relevant
stakeholders, revised and proposed to the
Minister for endorsement and processing
at the Higher Government and/or
parliament level.

Policy Dialogue and policy Initiative have

to be implemented in almost all the
operational fields.
Policy Dialogue is aimed at;
●Identifying policy issues stemming from

199
System of referral and Hold a series of service delivery (typical problems,
information sharing workshops in each copying mechanisms, organizational
established. division to discuss most models, informal relations, typical lacks
effective system for and shortcomings etc)
referral and information ●Establishing a permanent discussion and
sharing between support exploration of possible solutions while
providers. sharing common responsibilities related to
-Recommendations for capacities and tendencies
referral protocol and ●Educating leaders, policy makers, or
implemented. those who carry out policies.
-Recommendation for ●Identifying possible organizational
information sharing arrangements, regulations, etc
implemented. ●Identifying viable organizational
Policy -On the basis of mechanisms
recommendations on participatory appraisals ●Identifying feasibility conditions
the basis of MVC of needs and priorities of (political, organizational, financial,
perspectives, concerns the MVC, assess policy technical etc)
and field experiences environment in relation
developed. to issues raise.
-Hold policy review
workshops with relevant
agencies and other
stakeholders involved.
-Developed policy
recommendations.
All relevant -Identified relevant
government agencies policy makers for sector
including the police -Develop advocacy
sensitized to the messages and design
special needs and advocacy materials
circumstances of street targeted at relevant
children. policy makers.
- Local Communities -Developed strategy for
sensitized to the needs advocacy and
and circumstances implementation.
facing street children
in their locality

200
 <

NGO INTERVENTION TO IMPROVING STREET CHILDREN IN BANGLADESH

6 8 5 )( . '
Non-government Organization (NGO) is a global phenomenon. Generally NGO means
any organization not established by government. It is private voluntary organizations that
provide services or materials benefits to the poor and underprivileged sections of the
population. However the context of NGO works over the last three decades, the term now
refers to social organizations, mostly of voluntary and non –profit character, that are
engaged I development work. These include informal associations and formal
corporations limited in character, as well as registered societies. Development NGOs
engaged in broad socio-economic uplift of the poor in rural and urban areas are
sometimes termed as private voluntary development organizations (PVDO) or Voluntary
Development Organization (VDO). Socioeconomic programs of development, advocacy,
legal aid, environment and relief programs are also taken by development NGOs and
generally work with various target groups of people comprising the urban and rural poor,
the landless and disadvantaged women or children. The services they provide range from
distributing relief during national disasters, to arranging credit for income –generating
activities to raising the consciousness of their target groups through education and
motivation. They are almost exclusively funded by foreign donor agencies.

NGO intervention through community participation empowered the street children

through an understanding of the underlying causes of their present situation. In this way,
they may consciously achieve a greater degree of self-reliance and independence, which
in turn may lead to a self –motivated choice to leave the street behind. NGOs along with
the Government are also playing an important role in the street sector for improving
Street Children’s Environment in major cities, particularly six Divisional Cities in
Bangladesh. There are 9-partner NGOs of ARISE project working for Improving Street
Children’s Environment. Following table shows that the list of 9 partner NGOs of ARISE
and their targeted number of street children in Bangladesh.

201
Table : list of 9 NGOs working for Improving street children’s Environment in
Bangladesh
Sl Project Area Name of the NGO
1 Dhaka City Corporation Area -1 Aparajeo Bangladesh
2 Dhaka City Corporation Area -2 Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra
3 Dhaka City Corporation Area -3 Population Services and Training Center (PSTC)
4 Dhaka City Corporation Area -4 Samaj Paribartan Kendra (SPK)
5 Chittagong JOGAJOG
- ' 4
6 Rajshahi Association for Community Development (ACD)
7 Khulna Alliance for Co-operation and Legal Aid Bangladesh
(ACLAB)
8 Barishal Voluntary Association for Social Development
(VOSD)
9 Sylhet Voluntary Association for Rural Development
(VARD)

Children are encouraged and in fact prefer, to pay for and help in the provision of meals,
furnishing of their shelter, etc. In this way, retain their valuable independence and
achieve a greater sense of self –reliance and self-esteem. Perhaps most importantly, the
NGO provides a place where the children are head- a space to talk about their past
present lives and about future hopes, about the dangers they face and the rights, which
they may realistically exercise on the streets. In short, it offers them a voice, which is the
opportunity the NGO, offers them to become rightful and responsible members of a
society that has previously rejected them and in some cases denied their existence.

In Bangladesh where rapid rural to urban migration is a major dynamic leading to the
creation of low income squatter communities from which street children emerge. A
further step back away from the street brings to the communities where these children’s
families live. Some NGO, for street children even take a future step back and work with
rural communities. Work with low income urban communities can take many forms and
usually operates as a partnership between a project of NGO and the communities. NGOs
project often aim to build up the ability of the community to completely take over the
work in the long run through forming community committees, or working with existing

202
community groups which take responsibility for identifying needs, planning and
implementing activities. Consider whether it is possible to give children an opportunity to
voice their opinions through a children’s committee made of children, rather than of
people representing children.

Many children spend time on the streets or leave home to get away from to get away
from domestic situations of physical and emotional violence. In some cases, children
experiences sexual abuse in the home. Communities address to respond to such cases and
to gain a better understanding of the negative effects of domestic violence and strategic to
prevent it. Social worker of NGO works with paid members of the community to attract
reports of child abuse or neglect to their office is housed in the buildings of the residents
association in the squatter community, which the project of NGO serves. The project staff
works with a child and their parent or guardians to find resolutions to each situation
reported and also raises awareness of the needs and rights of children through community
meetings and discussions.

7.2 NGOs working for Improving Street Children’s Environment: A profile

The profile of NGOs working for street children in six Divisional Cities in Bangladesh is
presented bellow in table 41
Table 41 NGOs working for street children in six Divisional Cities in Bangladesh
Name of NGO Contact Details Background, Mission and Vision Goals and Objectives
Aparajeo 2/5 Humayan Road, Aparajeyo-Bangladesh [AB] is a Goal:
Bangladesh Block B child rights organization. It was The main goal is to improve life
(AB) Mohammadpur founded in 1996 when Terre des style and environment of street
Dhaka 1207 homes foundation, lausanne children and prevent increasing
Phone: Switzerland [Tdh] wanted to number of street children.
8322569 relinquish their Dhaka child rights
8322459 programmers to a local Objectives:
Fax: 8322568 organization. The organization -To make street children literate
began its activities in 1976, and aware on their life condition
working with children living in and change their behavior and
and around the slum areas of attitudes.
Dhaka city. Its goal was to reduce -To make aware about their rights
their appalling poverty, distress -To improve health practice
and vulnerability caused by the -To make skill and involve in
harshness of slum life. In 1989, a economic activities.
second programmed was started to -To provide counseling for mental
provide services to thousands of growth and increase outlook.
children who live on the city’s -To improve their cultural inner
street of amongst its public heart.
buildings.

203
 Vision:
To provide assistance to children
in distress and ensure that
everything possible is done
safeguard for them a fair and
secure life. The children of today
are the future and it I our
responsibility to invest in them.

Mission:
To provide to the poorest, most
vulnerable children living on the
streets and in the slum
communities around metropolitan
cities, a range of personal services
designed to improve their quality
of life. These services are
principally, education, healthcare,
skills training and socio-economic
development. They are provided in
ways that reinforce the culture and
faith of the children and are also
offered fairly, relevantly and
without discrimination.

Padakhep Manabik 11/8 Iqbal Road 53-3G.$5 /3 3*)G
Unnayan Kendra Mohammadpur 3K3 G$ - 3 is a non-
(PMUK) Dhaka 1207 political, non-profit and non-
Phone : 8115798 government organization [NGO]
Fax : 8110380 committed to participate and
Email: padakhep@ promote national development
bdonline.com through upgrading the socio-
economic condition of the
disadvantaged and underprivileged
people of the society.
Padakhep started its activities in
1986 with its own resources in the
community of a small remote
village of Barisal district. Now, as
a flourishing national NGO of
Bangladesh, padakhep expanded
its activities in 150 locations of 33
districts, both in rural and urban
areas of the country with greater
zeal and enthusiasm.
Vision:
To create a favorable environment
that is congenial to the healthy
growth of the street children.
Mission:
⇒ Enable the children [esp.
vulnerable] to establish their rights
according to the principles of
UNCRC
⇒ Insure participation in
identifying and assessing the needs
of the vulnerable children
⇒ Empowering the vulnerable
children by providing education,
skills training, employment
opportunity, counseling and other
Goal: to improve quality of life of
the poor and the community people
as a whole.
The major objectives of padakhep
are to:
• Enhance the socio-economic
condition of the disadvantaged and
underprivileged people through
undertaking and implementing
strategic programs and project.
• Assist the disadvantaged and
underprivileged people for capacity
building and ensuring provisions of
basic needs of life employment,
income, health, education etc.
• Help in building institution of the
target groups for establishing their
basic rights in the family,
community and society.
• Transfer ownership of the
organization to the beneficiaries.
The present principal beneficiaries
of padakhep are:
• Rural and urban poor
• Disadvantaged and
underprivileged men, women and
children
• Land-less, marginal and small
farmers
• Fishermen and tribal people
• Adolescent boys and girls
• Unemployed youths
Objectives:
The objectives of the street children
program are to:

204
 necessary inputs ⇒ Work with the most vulnerable
⇒ Insure congenial environment children [specially the girl children]
for their health growth of Mohammadpur, tejgaon, pallobi,
Goals: kafrul and mirpur areas of Dhaka
The street children program aims city.
to build the capacity of the street ⇒ Work with different GOs, NGOs
children of Bangladesh in and funding agencies to serve the
accordance to the UNCRC cause of the vulnerable children.
principles. ⇒ Build up the capacity of child
protection with focus on the most
vulnerable [MVC]

Population 103 New Circular Population services and training Goals:

Services and Road Dhaka 1217 center [PSTC] is one of the
Training Center Phone : national level organizations in
(PSTC) 8322569 Bangladesh, which started
8322459 functioning as a quasi government
Fax :8322568 project in 1978 with the name
email: ‘family planning services and
pstc@ training center. (FPSTC)
bangla.net .Following a decision of the
governing body, FPSTC was
converted to a NGO renamed as
PSTC in October 1994 accordingly
in June 1997, the ministry of
health and family welfare assigned
PSTC to continue all activities,
discharge all responsibilities and
play the role of FPSTC as its
inheriting organization in addition
to its normal activities as an NGO.
Vision:
To improve the living condition of
the poor and socially
disadvantaged street Children.
Mission:
Initiate and implement different
community development programs
especially in the area of capacity
building for disadvantaged women
and children, development finance,
water and sanitation, literacy,
environment protection, etc.
PSTC aims to improve the health,
social security and physical living
condition of the Street Children and
their socially disadvantaged
families
Objectives
• Support govt., local govt., NGOs
and private sector for policy
dissemination, consensus building,
innovative project development and
implementation, program and
grants management.
• Continue the role of umbrella
resource organization with a view
to assisting local NGOs engaged in
social and human development.
•Undertake programs/interventions
to help achieving the national goal
of ‘health for all’ and ‘education
for all’ of the country.
•Develop network amongst the
voluntary and non-government
organizations that are working in
the arena of FP, MCH, women
empowerment, RH, AIDS, youth
and adolescents and gender issues.
• Provide skill training to health
and development services providers
and community leaders in
management and service delivery.
• Provide safety, Day and Night
shelter to rehabilitate homeless
abandoned or highly mobile
children, separated from their
family-living on the streets in
Dhaka division, zone# I [Demra,
Sabujbagh, Khilgaon, Badda,
Gulshan, Cantonment and Uttara
thanas of Dhaka city corporation]
who would otherwise remain at risk

205

Samaj Paribartan 40/42 SAMAJ PARIBARTAN
Kendra Taherabag Nawabpur KENDRA (SPK) is grass-root
(SPK) Road Dhaka 1100 level women based non-political,
Phone : 7125156 non-sectarian, on-profitable and
011864425 non-governmental voluntary
Email: development organization. it came
aprjbd@ into existence on 01.10.1989 in
bol.online.com response to the felt needs of the
locality with the initiative of some
dedicated social workers,
educationist and philanthropist
with a view to upholding the
socio-economic status of the
destitute, disadvantaged,
vulnerable and under privileged
women and the poorest of the
poor.
SPK is registered with the
directorate of social services of the
government of Bangladesh, vide
reg. No. Munshigonj-086/1990,
dated-03.12.1990 and also
registered with NGO affairs
bureau under foreign donation
[voluntary activities] regulation
Rules 1974 having reg. No.
722/1993, dated- 30.06.1993,
Vision :
Empowerment of most vulnerable
women, children for self reliant
toward sustainable development
with a view to promoting the civil
sociality to establish peace, liberty,
equality, justice, solidarity and
sustainable human lives.
206
of exploitation, violence of abuse.
Goals:
To create opportunities for self-
employment and small enterprises
to generate additional in come for
the socio-economic development of
street children and other poor
people.
Objectives:
• Engage in activities for
empowerment of street children
and poor women of different strata
of both urban and rural areas of
Dhaka, Munshigonj, Cox’s Bazar
and Joypurhat districts primarily
and generally Bangladesh and be a
partner of different networks
relating to women empowerment.
• Street children development
program in Hazaribag, Lalbag,
Kamrangirchor, Sutrapur, Kotowali
,Shyampur of Dhaka city to
mainstream them in the society.
• Social movement to combat child
and women trafficking,
• Provide micro credit support for
income generating activities for
poverty alleviation.
• Providing formal and non-formal
education facilities to the target
people of project areas by the
organization and or referral basis.
• Building awareness of
community people on various
aspects of social and economical
benefit of the people of project
areas.
• Mobilize local, national and
international resources for the
implementation different projects
as well as development activities of
the organization.
• Involving outcaste people [the
religion attain minority] in the
development process of the society
in order to establish peace and
social harmony at community level.
• Innovate and participate in
different social movements for
establishing human rights and
social justice especially for children
and women.
• Collaborating with government
organizations and local
organizations in respect of services
delivery as well as to facilitate the
government in social development.
• Involvement in policy advocacy
in favor of interest of the

JOGAJOG 21 Mehedibag Road JOGAJOG is engaged
Community Chittagong in participatory development of
Development Bangladesh socio economic interest of the
Organization Phone distressed. It has been organized as
031-622138 a ‘Jonitor Organization of Gaby,
Fax : Anchorite, Juvenile, Orphan and
031-622576 Gaffer’ in the year 1989 to provide
email: various development services to
jogajog @ the disadvantaged people with
spctnet.com determination to sustain their
social attitude through active
participation on the basis of the
self reliance. It owes its origin
with the mutual understanding to
some sustainable social workers
having varied experience in the
field rural development and
commitment to alleviate poverty
and justices from our society. It is
established in the year 1989 and
registered from the Department of
Social welfare Rangamati and
NGO affairs bureau.
Vision:
To create a favorable environment
that is congenial to the healthy
growth of the street children.
Mission:
-Enable the children (esp.
vulnerable) to establish their rights
according to the principles of
UNCRC.
-Insure participation in identifying
and assessing the needs of the
vulnerable children.
Association for H-41 Association for Community
Community Sagr Para Development (ACD) emerged as a
Development Rajshahi 6100 key no-government organization in
(ACD) Phone and Fax : 721- 1989 in response to the basic needs
775383 and aspirations of people ,
especially of women, children and
adolescent girls of Rajshahi district
. The inherent commitment of this
organization is to actively
empower the most disadvantaged
women, children and adolescent
girls who are quite helpless and
full back under the repressive and
suppressive situation in male
dominated society in Bangladesh.
With this motto , ACD acting as a
catalyst with its stakeholders
pursues a lower stratum
participatory development
approach . It solicits help through
self-help involving beneficiaries to
serve their own needs.
207
disadvantaged section of the
society,
Goal:
The street children program aims to
build the capacity of the street
children of Bangladesh in
accordance to the UNCRC
principles.
Objectives:
-Reduce vulnerability of the
children to sexual abuse and
exploitation
-Improve quality of life of the
vulnerable children.
-To give an overview of the socio-
economic background of the street
children of the six divisional cities
-To identify the needs of the
street children in terms of:
- Shelter
- Food
- Health care and health
education
- Education
- Skill development &
employment
- Psychological counseling
- Security and protection
- Re-integration with families
Goal:
To improve the socio-economic
status of most disadvantaged
community and thus to establish
the rights especially of the
distressed, asset less women ,
children and adolescent girls of the
project area.
Objectives:
-To build up grass root
organization of women at village
level. So that poor people.
-To provide functional literacy both
for children and adults to eradicate
literacy in the project area.
-To provide reproductive health
care education to the adolescent
girls to prepare them for their
healthy livelihood.
-To increase women and children
participation in the democratic
process and to ensure opportunity
 Vision:
ACD is keen to develop a new
approach to development and
women issues. ACD believes that
the increasing global concern
about the human dimensions of
development requires the
integration of gender concern in all
stages and at all levels of
sustainable developments as a
means to ensure human well being
equitably enjoyed by all people.
The interrelationship between
population, resources, environment
and development should be fully
recognized, properly managed and
brought in to a harmonious and
dynamic synergy.
Mission:
Alleviation of poverty and
eradication of absolute poverty are
fundamental to the achievement of
sustainable development and the
advancement of women. The
policy framework is set to reflect
the ways in which the relations
between women and men constrain
or advance efforts characterizes
the gender and development
approach which it promotes to
enhance women’s contribution to
development as it is committed to
main streaming women issues into
its operations.
Alliance for Co- 8/13 Tajmahal Road Alliance for co-operation and legal
operation and Block C aid Bangladesh-ACLAB is service
Legal Aid Mohammadpur oriented voluntary social welfare
Bangladesh Dhaka 1207 non-governmental organization
(ACLAB) Phone: registered with the department of
8129400 social services govt. of Bangladesh
established by a group of
dedicated social workers of
national and international repute. It
has been working since
establishment in the year 1988
towards improving the socio-
economic condition of the by-
passed and economically most
disadvantage population
particularly the women, children
and the unemployed youths both
rural and urban areas through
program interventions in the fields
of poverty alleviation, non-formal
education, adult literacy, health
and nutrition family planning, skill
development, prevention of
HIV/AIDS/STDs, legal assistance,
advocacy, protection of
environment and relief operation
ACLAB also conducts survey,
208
for adequate representation at local
government.
-Advocacy and awareness
campaign against child and women
trafficking and sexual exploitation
and also to provide emergency
shelter for the victim children.
-To provide psychosocial
counseling and legal support to the
victim women and children.
- To assist beneficiaries in
mobilizing local resources and to
provide them loan support towards
raising their income and
employment.
- To promote community
management to initiate economic,
social and cultural activities.
- To improve poor women’s access
to justices and seeks to create
awareness of inequality and
discrimination against women and
street children.
- To raise issue of child labor and
child rights for the street children
from all forms of exploitation.
Goal:
ACLAB also aims at prevention
and control of women and children
abuse and trafficking.
To conduct activities and programs
for the rehabilitation of the
disabled,
To conduct advocacy programs
Objectives
-To implement programs in the
fields of formal, non-formal,
informal and adult literacy for
school dropouts, unattended
segment of young and aged people
of the society.
-To undertake different programs
on health, nutrition, Medicare and
MCH for the poor and
disadvantaged men, women and
children,
-To provide counseling services to
the rural women as well as urban
slum dwellers about their general
health and nutrition as well as
developing a planned family.
-To organize programs for control
 research and study on various and prevention of
socio-economic problems in order HIV/AIDS/STDs,
to identify underlying causes of -To impart skill training for income
such problem and helps develop generation activities of the poor
effective program to resolve those people,
problems. Beside ACLAB is now -To organize micro-credit for
very much concerned with the income generation of poor people
situation likes women and child of both rural and urban areas,
abuse and trafficking, -To impart on the job training for
rehabilitation of disabled people, the grass route level social sector
development community workers of different organizations
awareness towards mitigation of engaged in sectors like health,
arsenic water related problems and nutrition, sanitation, formal and
safe motherhood and reproductive non-formal education, family
health. planning, awareness building,
Mission environment, arsenic continuation,
ACLAB looks forward to change advocacy etc.
the life style of the most -To organize eye/ENT/medical
disadvantaged, passed and camps to provide humanitarian
distressed segment of population serves to rural and urban poor.
by improving their service skills -To conduct relief operation among
through program intervention and the affected people during natural
to provide legal aid to establish calamities and disaster,
human rights of its (ACLAB) -To provide legal assistance
target beneficiaries. particularly to the distressed and
Vision underprivileged women and
ACLAB has a long-term plan of children,
implementing different programs -To conduct survey, research and
promotion active community study on social problems and
participation towards solution of burning issues of the country to
problems and issues/needs determine underlying causes of
perceived and felt by the people of those problems and thereby to help
the community involve through the concerned authority undertake
mobilization of community and implement appropriate
resources. measures to resolve those
problems.
-To organize programs for family
planning activities and reproductive
health services.
.
Voluntary 8/8 Block A Lalmatia VOSD [voluntary organization for Goal:
Organization for Dhaka 1207 social development] is a non-Govt. Improved socio-economic status of
Social Phone : 91262778 non-profitable and non-political the rural poor and underprivileged,
Development Email: voluntary development People, emphasizing the women
(VOSD) vosd@dhaka.agni.co organization. It was established in and children and also
m June 1. 1987 with the initiation of empowerment through undertaking
a group of educated social works appropriate and sustainable
with an aim to promote the socio- programs,
economic status of the rural poor Objectives:
and disadvantaged people a) To build capacity of the
emphasizing the women and poor people,
children through concretization, b) To increase literacy rate
capacity building, institution build among the poor people,
& capital formation and imparting c) To build group and
felt-need based problem solving personal capital,
programs. VOSD was established d) To create employment
with a view to welfare and social and income
and economic development of the opportunities,
people displaced by regular crops e) To build people’s
failures, due to excess rain or no institutions,
rain/drought, flood, cyclones, tidal f) To development unity,
bore, natural disasters, asset less, solidarity and reciprocal

209
 destitute and starving people of the cooperation,
country with a particular emphasis g) To establish social justice
on women and children sections. and harmony,
h) To increase gender
Vision: relations,
Established poor and vulnerable i) To improve
rural people, specially the women environmental condition,
and children in the society and j) To develop future
their empowerment, where they citizens,
will be able to live in peace and k) Prevention of child and
justice and democratic value, women trafficking,
l) To help to improve the
Mission statement: lives of the vulnerable
To establish the poor and and at risk children,
vulnerable people, specially the m) To promote anti-drug and
women in the society through anti-social condition,
making them capable, self- n) To integrate the poor
sufficient, self-governed, and self- people in the main stream
initiators through building of national development,
capacity, o) To involve women into
Institution, capital, utilization of economic & productive
local resources and imparting felt- activities,
need based problem solving p) To conduct disaster
programs involving necessary Preparedness and
skilled, trained and experienced management activities etc
staff.

Voluntary House 44 Voluntary Association For Rural Goal:

Association for Road 14 Development (VARD) is a To develop society economically
Rural Block B Shajalal national NGO or private voluntary and socially through sustainable
Development Upashhar Sylhet3100 development organization founded initiatives
(VARD) Phone : 0821-720712 in 1988 and registered with
Fax : 761364 government. VARD dedicated to Objectives:
email : vardsyl@ creating opportunities for • To organize economically and
btsnet,net education, health and population, socially vulnerable people
income generation and especially women towards self-
employment, sustainable reliance, village organization [VO],
agriculture, advocacy, local level empowering their institutional
institution development, capacity building, credit support
networking, community based and professional skill development
disaster management, training, Micro enterprise initiative
environment, micro-credit, development, federation
housing, poverty alleviation, development.
women empowerment and social • To strengthen the capacity of the
well-being among the rural & community people in institution
urban disadvantaged poor building & group savings, to take
population in Bangladesh. It runs collective initiative, to alleviate
its major parts of development poverty of community people
activities in Sylhet region, which through income & employment
still belongs to relatively generation.
untouched area, sufficient local • To establish gender equity in the
development institutions did not society and ensure the
emerge, Government initiatives empowerment of women.
have been as else where • To drive away the illiteracy from
rudimentary, high degree of the community through
conservatism and significant implementing the non-formal adult
influence of fundamental have and child education.
hindered the process of • To provide and promote low cost
development in the sylhet region. housing, community based
reproductive health care and
Vision: medical services as well as raises
An enlightened humanistic awareness on health and

210
 society with sustainability based
on livelihood.
Mission:
A society where the poor people
are organized partner in decision
making bodies and continuously
satisfying their livelihood needs
based on competence and optimum
use of local productive resources.
population, housing, sanitation,
safe drinking water, and personal
hygienic to create awareness on
HIV/AIDS/STDs prevention in
community and provide services on
eye care & cataract surgery etc. and
assist to implement these.
• To promote ecologically sound
agriculture, social-forestation and
fisheries development.
• Establishment of own resources
to increase income for the
sustainability of the organization.
• To organize and development
network under the leading of
VARD by uniting the local NGOs
those work at grass-root level in the
development aspect in view of
organizational capacity building as
well as maximum utilization of
available local resources.

7.3 Holistic Intervention of NGOs for Improving Street Children’s Environment

Street Children of Bangladesh are live, work and struggle for survival in an environment of
unhygienic and of course in undesirable situation by any living standard. To provide assistance to
most vulnerable children living on the streets and in the slum communities around metropolitan
cities, a range of personal services designed to improve their quality of life by 9 partner NGOs
through the technical assistance and guidance of ARISE. These holistic services are: Non formal
Education, Market survey, Vocational Training, Job placement, Legal Aid Protection, Advocacy,
Networking, Recreational Activities, Health Services, Awareness raising, Psychological
Counseling and Drop in center cum Night Shelter. They are provided in ways that reinforce the
culture and faith of the children and are also offered fairly, relevantly and without discrimination.

The first stage of intervention is to make contact with children on the street in each catchments
area. Catchments areas throughout the city are centered around public places such as major bus
and rail stations, the city’s main stadium, and large market areas, where the largest numbers of
children congregate to work as coolis, tokais, street vendors, beggars and so on.

Volunteers through regular interaction with the children establish a ‘street link’ as they go about
their daily activities. With much patience and after a number of rejections, a trusting relationship
is nurtured at the street level while the child is still working and living on the street. The ‘street
link promoter’ becomes a focal point or axis for bringing children in the area together and

211
encouraging them to attend informal gatherings at the ‘intermediary base’ where the next stage of
the program is undertaken.

Intermediary base activities are designed to consolidate street level links. Children gather at
whatever open space is available within the catchments area for social and recreational activities,
to meet and interest with each other’s on the regular basis.
Here, a ‘school under the sky’ is established o teach basic literacy and numeracy skills, leading on
to vocational classes such as carpentry and tailoring. Volunteers teach classes, and often-older
children also partake in’ child to child’ teaching of vocational skills. Once such intermediary base
is the unique ‘ floating’ boat school in seaside providing no formal schooling for the children.

The mistaken belief that rescuing street children involves removing them from the street as
quickly as possible often does more harm than good, resulting in failed rehabilitation and return
to the street. So, the main aim of the NGOs program is to empower the children through an
understanding of the underlying causes of their present situation. In this way, they may
consciously achieve a greater degree of self-reliance and independence, which in turn may lead to
a self-motivated choice to leave the street behind.

The ‘crisis center /overnight shelter’ has been established in each catchments area. After the
intermediary stage, children are invited to spend the night for security, or to use the shelter as a ‘
drop in’ center in times of crisis or need. Staff also provides health clinics and counseling and the
shelter is manned 24 hours a day for crisis purposes. The program supports street children with
both material and information services by providing schooling, counseling and income generating
activities- shelter is provided for the most vulnerable – so that the opportunity to work and
progress beyond the street children can be realized.

Living arrangements at the shelters are self-help, collective or ‘family’ style. The need is for a
sanctuary than ‘lodging’. Preference is given to the girls. One of the greatest challenge is to
prevent abduction by and who profit by the prostitution of girls, some as young as
eleven and twelve, on the streets of six Divisional Cities in Bangladesh and brothels throughout
the cities. Armed attacks on the shelters by such groups are a common threat.

Another major challenge for the program is protecting the children from police brutality and
extortion, which occurs on a regular basis. With little intervention from the community, who also

212
show hostility or contempt to children, the children must deal with such harassment alone on the
street.

Children are encouraged, and in fact prefer, to pay for and help in the provision of meals,
furnishing of their shelter , etc. In this way they retain their valuable independence and achieve a
greater sense of elf reliance and self esteem.

Perhaps most importantly, the program provides a place where the children are heard – a space to
talk about their past and present lives and about future hopes, about the dangers the face and the
rights, which they may realistically exercise on the streets. In short, it offers them a voice.

The shelter therefore is not the most important component of the project. What is most valuable
of all to the children is the opportunity the program offers them to become rightful and
responsible members of a society that has previously rejected them and in some cases denied their
existence. NGOs offer help that is appropriate to the situations that street children face. Often
fiercely independent, capable and responsible for their own welfare, street children are unlikely to
benefit from enforced rehabilitation. What ahs proved far more effective, is to allow the children
to continue working in order to support themselves, with access to opportunities rather than
charity. Apart from its immediate results, the emergency operation offers several opportunities
paving the way for further development of the program for street children.
NGOs are view the Street Children more as target group critically and divides into four specific
categories:

i) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street day and night without their
family;
ii) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street with their family;
iii) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street and return to other
Family; and
iv) Children up to 18 years of age who work / live on the street and return to other family.

Within the context of children’s rights, moreover, street children have been identified as
surviving in ‘especially difficult circumstances’ and being amongst those whose rights are the
most commonly violated. ‘Street children,’ therefore, have become an integral part of a highly
visible children’s rights agenda in this century. Despite all this, in Bangladesh, street children

213
continue to be universally scored or treated with indifference. So, NGOs are considering the
instructions of UNCRC and has designed programs shows in the table 42
Table: 42 NGO interventions for street children on the basis of street children
It includes the right to life, the
attainable standard of health,
nutrition, an adequate standard of
living , name and nationality.
It includes the right to special care
and protection from all forms of
exploitation, adult and inhuman or
degrading treatment in situation of
emergency and around conflict. It
also aims to protect vulnerable
children.
It includes being educated to
receive support for development,
care, social security, recreation and
cultural activities.
This right accords the child to
appropriate information and the
freedom of thought, expression,
conscience and religion. Also the
rights to develop their own set of
Intervention of NGO
- Health Services
- Health Education
- Recording child name and address.
- Family life education through Drop in Centre / Shelter
-
- Drop in center/ Shelter home
- Legal aid support
- Psychological Counseling
- Vocational Skill Training
- Job placement
- IGA activities
- Integration of children with their families.
- Rehabilitation of children
-
- Formal Education -Inclusive Education
- Non formal Education - Mobile Schooling
- Theatre for Education
- Drop in center/Shelter Home
- Recreational Activities
- Annual Sports
- Exposure Visit
- Cultural Program
-
- Children’s Forum/ Child Brigade
- Day observance / Rally
- Expression of thought through drawing pictures.
- Participation of religions activities
- Participation of children in decision making at micro
214
 values and opportunity to express level.
themselves and their opinions. - Child to Child Project
- Dialogue with formal leaders.

7.4 Components of General Program, Services and Coverage

The street children have to face a daily routine of exploitation and violence. Older children as
well as adults, including those in positions of public authority, may abuse them. There are also
exposed to a world of crime with few viable alternatives. Rather than receiving protection and
security by those in authority, a life of petty theft and drug taking leads to beatings, arrest and
imprisonment alongside adult offenders in harsh conditions- with no recourse to a compassionate
juvenile justice system. Amongst all the children, moreover, adolescent girls are most exposed to
the dangers of sexual abuse and prostitution on the street, for which they are unjustly punished.
Considering these situation, NGOs has designed the components of general program, services and
target to coverage of street children in Bangladesh.

There are twelve components implemented by the 9 NGOs in six Divisional Cities in Bangladesh
through ARISE direction. The components of the General program of NGOs working for street
children in Bangladesh are as follows:
10. Non- formal Education
11. Vocational Training
12. Health Services
13. Drop in Center/Shelter
14. Legal Aid Protection
15. Psychological Counseling
16. Job placement
17. Recreational Activities
18. Networking
10. Awareness Raising
13. Advocacy
12. Market Survey

, ( $ %
Education is human rights with immense power to transform. Conversely, illiteracy is one of the
major problems that stand as a bar before all development activities. To remove illiteracy of street

215
children, Nine NGOs are running Non Formal Education through ARISE direction for street
children in Bangladesh . It is playing vital role in educating children of lower strata of society.

Prior to commencement of non-formal education, street/field visits were carried out everyday in
the peripheries of the street schools by the staff in order to contact children on the street. NGO’s
staff also informed the new arrivals about the dangers associated with living on the street and the
services provided by NGO’s open-air street schools. The staff team tried to build
relationships/friendships, rapport and a trusting relationship and through persuasion they enroll at
the schools.

It has been observed that the children arrive in the city from different parts of the country and
have different education levels that very from illiteracy to class III level of education. In addition,
considering the characteristics of the children, particularly high mobility, NGO’s offers tailor
made non-formal education to the children. The non-formal curriculum is divided into three steps
i.e. pre-school, Grade 1 and Grade 2. However, due to no/very low education level of some
children the pre-school is divided into per-school A and B at some schools. Therefore the
curriculum is reviewed and revised every six months with the participation of children to make it
compatible to their needs. All the children are provided with readers, mathematics books, rhymes
books, exercise books as well as writing material.

In order to compliment our syllabus, we have developed several child-friendly teaching aids, flip
charts, memory games that are displayed and used everyday to enrich the learning environment.
NGO staff with the participation of the children prepares the materials. Moreover, recreational
activities have also been incorporated within the syllabus that includes music and drawing and
other relevant activities. The teaching aides developed are:

1. Alphabet 6. Historical chart 11. Numeric cards

2. Animal chart 7. Puzzles 12. Health awareness chart
3. Counting rods 8. Rhymes chart 13. Matching similar cards
4. Flash cards (word 9. Shape cards (alphabets,
picture) 10. Stories chart words, picture)
5. Fruits chart 14. Health games cards

216
NGO’s teaching teams do not enforce or give high priority to examinations to feel like normal
students.
Category Description Percentage
1 Who work/live on the street day and night without their family 25%
2 Who work/live on the street with their family 36%
3 Who work on the street and return to other family 27%
4 Who work on the street and return to other family 12%

During this period, It is analyzed the following increase in the competency level of children after
they completed their non-formal education at the street schools.
Table 3: children competency level
Competencies Children
Boys Girls
Reading Bangla vowels & consonants 91% 90%
Writing Bangla vowels & consonants 85% 82%
Reading Bangla numeracy (1-25) 79% 79%
Writing Numbers in Bangla (1-25) 77% 76%
Reading Bangla Numeracy (1-50) 72% 73%
Writing numbers in Bangla (1-50) 64% 64%
Reading Bangla numeracy (1-100) 58% 58%
Writing numbers in Bangla (1-100) 50% 48%

Reading words 47% 45%

Writing words 41% 42%
Reading and understanding sentences 43% 43%
Writing sentences 40% 39%
Simple addition and subtraction 39% 39%
Dong simple addition and subtraction 39% 38%
Reciting rhymes 79% 81%
Writing name in Bangla 84% 86%
Writing name in English 51% 52%
Reading thoroughly 43% 42%
Writing letters and stories 21% 22%

Street children also like to compete in examinations among themselves and their peer mates. The
teachers at some sectors have an informal verbal, reading and writing test to assess the

217
competency levels of the children before promoting them to the next stages. At some school, as
per the wishes of the children, the teachers prepare question papers for the examination. Children
are promoted to the next stages after successful completion of their exams. Children who are not
successful in their exams are not discouraged because of the time they spend to earn money to
survive. These children are motivated to carry on with their education so that they succeed to the
next stages of their education. It should be noted that the following categories of children enrolled
in the programmed.

The Staffs at shelters and contact centers provide individual attention to the children and form
their support system, Children are provided with health care, nutrition, counseling, non formal
education, recreation, intensive guided group interaction and vocational training and are involved
in other activities and programs. The aim of all these activities and programs is to increase self-
esteem and self-image of these children. Each activity is planned keeping in mind the
development and growth of these children

< ;
NGO’s provide opportunities for street children and youth to identify and realize there in – built
capacity and potential by providing vocational training. It has been observed that the following
changes have taken place in the children who were/are attending vocational training courses.
• Children have developed the capacity to negotiate with employers.
• Children felt proud and confident to attend vocational training institutes.
• Those children who completed their vocational training demand for socially recognized jobs.
• Children are aware about child labor issues.
The Children feel gratified to see their own talents and aesthetic skills. This enhances their self-
esteem and self-worth. The articles/ items made by these children are sold at exhibitions. A small
stipend is paid to these children, so that it motivates and encourages them. They save their money
at the center and shelter’s Saving Scheme. This scheme helps them plan for the future. This
saving scheme is available to all children in contact with NGO. The children are also encouraged
to take up regular jobs. Following table implies the services of NGO in Vocational training
Component:

B . " %
Street children are deprived of nutritious food required for healthy growth and need an
opportunity to eat with dignity. Most of the children on the street eat food given in charity,

218
outside religious places. The condition on the streets are unhygienic due to heaps of waste lying
around, lack of safe drinking water, severe air and noise pollution and the general filth .Due to the
consent exposure to unhealthy street life, children suffer from a range of illness. The diseases,
which plague them the most, are malaria, respiratory problems, skin infections, diarrhea, and
sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Stomach aches fevers; sores and wounds also affect
their health. Most of the street children are malnourished and anemic . Owing to lack of money
for medical aid and fear of doctors in hospitals, many illnesses and wounds are often ignored by
the children .Doctors sometimes refuse to treat street children because of their unkempt
appearance.
In the absence of a loving guidance in their lives, many children fall prey to various addictions
such as smoking, glue sniffing and consumption of narcotic substances, which leave them ,
debilitated . NGOs support addicts to give up addiction. This backing has helped some child from
the centers to discontinue drug consumption. Street children are deprived of the facilities for
bathing or washing their cloths. As a result they are force to wear dirty cloths and bathe in
polluted and dirty seawater. The children are encouraged to make use of the bathing facilities
available at centers and shelters. Bathing is not only important from the point of view of health
and hygiene, but greatly improves the child’s self –image.

Awareness rising on health related issues through health education sessions among the
beneficiaries and the related community is a priority. The beneficiaries must know how to remain
healthy and interventions are directed accordingly. Special emphasis has been given on
vaccination and de-worming. Drugs are fed every three months to remove intestinal helminthes to
reduce diarrhea, anemia, malnutrition and related problems. Education to adolescent girls and
boys on reproductive health, STD and HIV/AIDS has been given activity routine. Some
emergency issues e.g. dengue fever; conjunctivitis etc. can be dealt with according to need.
The main objective of these sessions is to enhance the beneficiaries’ knowledge on various issues,
to promote changes in attitude and to put their knowledge into practice. Each health education
sessions usually lasts 1 hour. The objectives of each session are stated in the curriculum. Sessions
are conducted through a participatory approach.

/ : flip charts video films, flash cards, pictorial/evaluation cards etc.

/ : discussions, question & answers, energizer games, body mapping etc,

219
$ : children are divided into two teams. Pictorial cards are distributed to each team and
they relate messages according to each card. If a team provides the correct massage they are
awarded points. If a team fails to provide the correct massage then the opposite team gets the
opportunity to score more points. Question and answer sessions are also held at the end of
sessions to assess the level of information transferred.

The health topics discussed were:

• Personal health & hygiene • pure drinking water
• Adolescent family life education • Food and nutrition
• Conjunctivitis • Viral fever
• Seasonal disease • Dengue fever
• Diarrhea • Skin disease
• Night blindness • First aid
• Jaundice • Chicken pox
• STD/HIV/AIDS • Helminthiasis
• Measles • Reproductive health
• Ladino deficiency • Vitamin deficiency
• Water borne disease • Bad effects of drug abuse
• Health protection in hazardous jobs • Air borne disease

First aid facility, health check-ups and health camps for early detection and treatment are an
ongoing activity at Street Children’s Services center of NGOs. The paramedics visit all centers
and shelters for health check-ups and treatment.
Medical training camps and programs were organized in collaboration with the NGOs health
sector for older children and workers. These trained children later take care of other children in
managing minor health problems. First aid kits are kept at contact points with persons who
volunteer to help street children in medical emergencies. Children requiring a doctor’s attention
are referred to nearby municipal dispensaries and hospitals.

As a preventive measure regular awareness sessions and programs are held with children
emphasizing the importance of health and hygiene. These programs also spread message about
the effects of drugs and alcohol. Awareness programs are held for the medical staff of

220
Government and private hospitals /dispensaries with an aim to sensitize them and enlist their
support. These programs have resulted in easier access to medical assistance for children

C- " %
The ‘ Drop in center/ over day and night shelter ‘ has been established in each catchments area.
After the intermediary stage, children are invited to spend the night for security, or to use the
shelter as a ‘ drop center, in time of crisis or need. No child is compelled to stay at the shelter.
Some children may never venture further than the intermediary base, preferring to live on the
street, through benefiting from the outdoor base activities. Others may spend the occasional night
at the shelter. However, the physical, mental and emotional security, which the shelter offers,
entices many children on along term basis. Here schooling and vocational classes continue to be
held in the evening while the children continue to work in the day. The children in time begin
selling what they produce from these classes to shopkeepers in the area.

The program supports street children with both material and information service, by providing
schooling, counseling and income generating activities shelter is provided for the most
vulnerable. So, that the opportunity to work and progress beyond the street can be realized
through living arrangement of self-help, collective or family style. The need is for a sanctuary
rather than ‘lodging’. Following services available in the drop in center cum Night shelter for
street children of NGOs in Bangladesh are as follows:
• Recreational facilities like watching television, dance, drawing, music, drama,
recitation, role-play etc.
• Video show
• Non-formal education
• Vocational training
• Religious education
• Music class
• Saving/banking facilities and credit support
• Subsidized food facilities
• Motivation & counseling session
• Psychological counseling
• Locker, cooking, hair cutting, bathing & sleeping facilities
• Health services
• STD/HIV/AIDS education for adolescent girls and boys

221
• Motivate adolescents to take vocational training

Working with the girl child is of prime importance. They are counseled and involved in the
process of rehabilitation of the girl children. The Girls has contacted and referred them the safe
shelter of networking GO and NGO. They actively participate in activities and program of the
center. Skill training is a significant part of rehabilitation process for girl children. All girl
children are counseled. Sessions on communication skills, healthcare, self-protection on streets,
family life education and other issues related to personality development are conducted.

=1 3 %

NGOs have been providing legal assistance to children in conflict with the law or in judicial
custody since the beginning of its activities for street children. Project managers, coordinators,
social worker and street based educators and teachers have always had information contacts with
all police stations in six Divisional cities. In particular, the street school teams are vigilant
regarding any children being arrested or picked up by the police at the nearest police stations.
Street children were the best informers, keeping NGO’s sector teams informed about other
children who were arrested or picked up by the police. Nine NGOs networked with other NGOs
for the release of children incarcerated in adult prisons. Area of legal aid protection of VARD:
- Repatriation of the trafficked children and return to their parents.
- Legal aid for physically and mentally abused children.
- Release from safe custody and rescue from the dangerous environment.
- Training for law enforcing agencies, Journalist and lawyers on child rights issue.
- Psychological counseling for children’s mental and physical fitness.

Credit to the contact with the police stations, children brought before the police on grounds of
vagrancy, petty theft etc. could be released to NGOs. This arrangement was ad hoc, subject to
personal discretion and dependent on continuing good relations with police stations.

To further strengthen our work with children in conflict with the law, NGOs has employed two
senior legal advisers [SLA]. The SLAs are employed under NGO’s juvenile justice project but
they provide assistance to all children in conflict with the law across NGO programs. Their
responsibility is to identify and represent children in the court who are in conflict with the law
and have not been assigned a lawyer. In addition to this, the SLA identify children who are

222
incarcerated in jail and correction centers and who are under trial and represent them in court if
they do not have lawyers already assigned to fight their respective cases. The SLAs network with
all police station in six Divisional Cities in order that the police personnel are aware of this
project and in particular of the work with children in conflict with the law. This ensures that the
police hand over such children to the project instead of sending them to adult jails, vagrant homes
or correction centers. The SLAs regularly met other senior lawyers in the courts and identified
Those who would be most suited and committed to form a lawyer’s panel to advocate on behalf
of children in conflict with the law for legal assistance. They visit the vagrant home and file
petitions to release children.

03 %
Advocacy for social justice and human rights constitutes the base and the core part of
empowerment process. It involves providing and sharing information and knowledge to enhance
the understanding of the stakeholders about the children. Community sensitization/awareness
building on child rights, with specials focus on the acceptance and acknowledgement of abused/-
deprived children in the immediate community has been addressed through the street schools.

The activities of ARISE project should be well publicized particularly to community people so
that they become aware about those activities. As a part of advocacy program activity NGOs are
holding regular discussion with the local leaders such as community readers. Stakeholders, law
enforcing agency, local administration, some local NGOs, magistrate, Deputy Commissioner
(DC) and Deputy Director, Department of Social Services.

For advocacy programmer some printed materials like posters, leaflets, billboards etc. have
already been displayed and distributed among community people, civil society and stakeholders.
Several meetings with the railway, City corporation authorities for getting suitable
accommodation in order to start open-air school were also organized.

Through informing the local authorities Ngo find the conditions of the children unacceptable and
provide an alternative for the children. Financial, or material support from the local government
for NGO is a way for the state of fulfills its commitment to the children of the country. .
Establishment of positive working relationship between the Ngo and local police and work to
help as many members of the police force as possible to understand the situation of street

223
children more fully and to consider what their most appropriate responses would be providing
services is a form of advocacy.

J5 %
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior . This means that we try to
understand what goes on inside a person’s mind and heart that causes them to behave in a
particular way.

Counseling is a process in which the counselor helps the client (Street Child) to be empowered
and help herself/himself of the problem faced that is preventing growth and normal
development. So, if the client can understand and be made aware of perceptions, patterns
thoughts based on beliefs, attitudes and their responses in behavior, then they can make positive
changes in their lives by strengthening their inner self-qualities.

Mental health and well being of the children is the main focus of the NGOs Counseling
component. Each child is given due attention in respect of his /her personal needs and helped
through a participatory problem solving process .The hostile environment and stress of life on
the streets takes a huge mental and emotional toll on the lives of street children. In order to
relieve the stress, they often indulge in drug addiction, visit commercial sex workers and gamble.
In order to help them cope with their feelings, they are supported through individual and group
counseling. Counseling also aims at helping children develop relationships, handle
responsibilities and discipline their lives. The group provides a platform to deal effectively with
issues such as substance abuse, education, health and hygiene. Children are also involved in-
group activities where they can vent their emotions and energy in creative ways. Such group
activities help to understand the behavior and feeling of the children.

ARISE authority organized 5 day long TOT training on psychological counseling conducted by
international specialist for the field level officers and staff of 6 projects personnel. Besides, a 2
months training on psychological counseling of children was also conducted by ARISE authority
for the field staff

This is one of the effective interventions to encourage street children to avail services from the
project activities. One counselor is mainly responsible to counsel the children and other project
staff is also counseling the children at DICs, night shelter and education center. All project staff

224
was provided training on psychological counseling organized by ARISE. Counseling is made
individually and in-group. Records are maintained accordingly.

I F %
Job placement is one of the important means to lead the street children on the way to a sustainable
normal life. NGO tried best to place the street children in a suitable job that has completed any of
the vocational training course or having skills in any trade. Children who graduate from
vocational training are provided with appropriate jobs. In order to provide the children with
employment the manager, team leaders and teachers maintain close contact with prospective
employers in six Divisional Cities. . During the period, the staff contacted 455 employers in order
to explore employment opportunities for the graduates. While contacting employers, the staff
ensures that the employers understand the situation of street children, the working environment is
safe and non-hazardous and the children will be paid fair wages. The employers businesses are
block and screen printing, batik, embroidery shops, shopping bags, tailoring shops, cycle
rickshaw garage, garments, shoe factories, electric and plumbing workshop and 3 wheeler CNG
auto taxis.

The monthly salaries being received by the children range between Taka 800 toTaka 2,000. All
children are attending their jobs regularly. The staff makes follow-up visits to the working places
of the children to speak to the employers and children. Some employers have stated that after
employment the children development and superiority complex. The staff had to provide
motivation to these children to bring them back on track. However, the overall opinion of the
employers is that the children are hard workers and attend their work regularly.

Finding a job for street children even if appropriate skill is available is very difficult and
sometimes impossible where too many people are crowding the labor market too few jobs. Even
after training, education and skill. NGOs explored lot possibilities for putting them a gainful
employment. The possibilities are the following:
-Inspiring them to find their own employment
-Referring them for employment to link agencies, business establishments, commercial firms and
employment promotion agencies.
-Creating enabling environment for self-employment by linking them to credit giving NGOs or
welfare projects of Ministry of Social Welfare.
-Putting advertisement and making publicity for putting them into job.

225
-Trying to pull individual savings of the street children into groups and inspiring to find collective
self-employment.
-Creating opportunities for the street children appropriate for income generation through self –
employment with others.

L 3 %
Recreation is a significant aspect of an individual’s life. Children, especially, need time for
recreation and leisure for their physical, emotional and mental development. In the absence of
effective recreation, street children adopt means such as drug addiction, gambling or loitering
around on roads as ways of passing their time.

At NGOs, structured and unstructured recreational activities are taken up where the energy of the
children is utilized in constructive entertainment and recreational modes. Drawing, painting,
dance and music help the children channel intense emotions and develop aesthetic talents. Group
games help the children in disciplining themselves. Various cultural programmers, celebrations of
festivals, and picnics also provide opportunities for entertainment for children and youth.

Every human being has feeling, thinking, hopes, aspiration, desire, sorrows and joys the street
children are not out of those connotations. They also have psychological mental and social thrust.
Therefore NGOs has arranged necessary services to address the above-mentioned problems of the
street children.

The recreational services are provided by the organization to street children. These are carom
board, ludu, bagaduli, chess, setting game, football, cricket etc. the partner organization has
already arranged site visits to shisu park for the street children for several times. Drama ,
Zarigan, comics, song, drawing, handwriting, story telling, dance etc. VARD has also provided
TV, V.C.P. and audio cassette player for entertainment of the street children. NGOs has arranged
observance of different national and international days by the street children

children have the right to get to know about the culture and country and at the same time take
breaks from the rigors of life. This is also very important for their mental and physical
development. Children were encouraged to participate in excursions, annual sports, picnics,
outings, visits to places of interest and historical importance. Each school is provided with some

226
indoor games for the children’s recreation. It has been observed that the children get excited and
become more spontaneous, attentive and disciplined when they attend such activities.

- ! %
within the education syllabus, children practice drawing once a week. Children enjoyed
expressing their thought and fallings through drawing and paintings. It was observed that a
number of children with good drawing talent attend some schools and they were encouraged to
conduct the drawing class and develop the talent of other children.

/ :
classes were conducted once in a week at all the street schools, through which children are
encouraged to sign to the accompaniment of various musical instruments and music teachers from
our regular program. This was a very popular event with the children, as they love to sing and
perform. At some centers, children who have singing talent form into musical teams and they lead
the music classes and encourage other children.
Excursions and outings: All street schools arranged excursion/outings for the children in small
groups at regular intervals. Children were taken in groups to the national Zoo, national museum,
Folklore museum, historical fort, nawab’s house, shishu park, etc. the children were amazed to
observe the historical past and culture of Bangladesh. They enjoyed themselves had fun and ate
their favorite snacks.

- 7 :
important national and international days/events were observed at the street schools. On such
days the staff brief/provide a history to the children about the importance of that particular day
and provide answers to any questions from the children. Thereafter, cultural events, drawing
competitions etc. were arranged and the children were awarded with prizes. The community
people were invited and participated during these days and they encouraged and appreciated the
efforts and ideas of the children. Discussions were held on these days about [a] the history of
Bangladesh fight for freedom, [b] valiant martyrs who fought and led the people towards
independence [c] role of women in the process of women empowerment and development of the
country, [d] how we should work as responsible citizens for the development of the country, [e]
child labor and [f] child rights etc.

3 :

227
each year annual picnic was arranged for the children from all the street schools at famous picnic
spots. Children had meeting with the staff to decide the venue of the picnics. They also decided
on the roles and responsibilities of the staff and elder children for the event. Buses were hired to
transport the children safely to and from the picnic spots and the staff arranged 25% discount
from BRTC for the buses. During the day the children played various games, sang songs, danced
and had a grand lunch and snacks. Children were awarded with prizes.

3 :
each year annual sports were organized at the street schools where children participated at the
nearby fields. The winners of each event were provided with prizes. The children enjoyed
challenging each other during the flat races and competing against each other in the other events
such as sack race, hopping, cockfight etc. children were provided with refreshments and those
who were successful were awarded with prizes.

Children’s participation is an incremental process in which they develop the skills, understanding
and values to influence decision-making and outcomes at the local and national levels in an
environment that recognizes them as competent social actors. Through their participation they
exercise their rights and responsibilities alongside adults in the interest both of their peers and
others. Their participation challenges existing inequalities and the root causes of vulnerability and
positively contributes to influence decisions that directly affect them. In light of this concept, we
ensure the direct participation and involvement of he children in our program. We encourage
children who are old enough to express themselves freely in all matters affecting them. The
importance given to the child’s views depends on his/her age and maturity. During the period, the
following events were arranged to encourage and ensure children’s participation.

( ( :
promoting peer educators and child-to-child contact is an important tool to reach disadvantaged
children and to promote behavioral changes. It is far easier and effective for children to develop
through their peers rather than through adults. Children always learn more quickly from peers. As
such, young children who are active, highly motivated and share the same preoccupations and
interests, are encouraged to from into groups to taka responsibility for some activities of the street
schools and assist weaker children. The activities include recreation and awareness activities on
the issues of decent jobs for children, health, Food, heightening public awareness, etc. the

228
formation of these groups is generally due to adult initiative, but the children gradually get to pull
the strings. Under this approach, the project has organized children’s day, children’s meetings and
children’s workshops at regular intervals.

+ % ,C 3

CHILD –TO – CHILD APPROACH:

LEAVING PLACE

nn

LEARNING PLACE

STEP : ONE
nn nn

Choosing and understanding

-Chalk and talk
- Discussion group
- Stories
- Pictures
- Games
- Needs assessment
- Role playing
- Experiments and demonstrations
STEP : 2 -FINDING OUT MORE
- Surveys
• Reporting, Discussing and planning
- Interviews
- Recording information (graphs, Charts etc)

STEP: 3
- Reporting ,describing ,Discussions, Measuring , Comparing debates, group work,
- preparation, and practice for step four activities

229
STEP : 4 –TAKING ACTION (Individually and Together)

- Campaigns, School fairs and open days

Posters and picture making

STEP: 5
Discussing what we did
• Drama and puppets - Reporting ,Describing
- Songs and Poems Discussions ,Role play
- Demonstration
- TV/Radio program
- Teaching other skills, games, songs etc.

STEP: 6- Doing it Better

As for step four
The Staffs at shelters and contact centers provide individual attention to the children and form their support
system, Children are provided with health care, nutrition, counseling, non formal education, recreation,
intensive guided group interaction and vocational training and are involved in other activities and
programs. The aim of all these activities and programs is to increase self-esteem and self-image of these
children. Each activity is planned keeping in mind the development and growth of these children.

%
once a month, children across the street schools organized daylong activities of the schools
assuming responsibilities as organizer/teacher motivator etc. staff members assisted them where
necessary. The rationale behind this day is that by assuming adult roles, the children would
understand the responsibilities of adulthood. Students conducted the classes, distributed materials,
cleaned the spots and managed the schools according to the plan of the day. The objective of this
activity is to:
- Build up leadership qualities
- Build ownership in the program
- Ensure children’s participation in program activities
/ %
With a view to ensuring meaningful participation in the daily activities in the street schools,
children’s meeting was arranged every month at the street schools. The children organized the
meetings and they also placed the agenda. The children conducted the meetings and recorded the

230
minutes. Where the children are not able to write minutes, staff assisted them. The minutes are
preserved at the schools and copies sent to ABHQ for information and necessary action.

! :
The street schools and arranged quarterly workshops on : + - : Through the
workshops AB’s teams and the children met to review services provided, problems encountered
and recommendation for future. These workshops aim to involve the children within the program
as well as make them feel valued, build in ownership and to equip them with life skills in order to
make them capable take right decisions, plan for their future and set strategies to overcome /avoid
abusive and exploitative situations.

,> 3! %
Raising Awareness of the situation of street children is form of advocacy. It can exist separately
from a direct service project and complement the work of those projects. Awareness Raising by
NGOs work aims to draw attention to street children to help people to understand their unique
situations more fully. It often involves challenging negative assumptions about street children.
The aim is to help people to understand the special needs of the street children and to encourage
action to be taken to meet these needs.

The media, local and national newspapers, radio and TV is a powerful force in sharing
information and shaping public opinion. NGO use this channel as away of raising awareness of
street children to speak out o their own behalf.

NGOs know that the coping mechanisms necessary to survive in hostile, dangerous and
unpredictable environment help them develop an intuitive intelligence, perfectly appropriate to
their occupation. We harness this intelligence and personal knowledge and experience and help
shape it in order so that abused/deprived children may have a voice. This voice shall speak not
only for the immediacy of their needs though these are addressed – but of the ways in which
wider society can facilitate their choosing alternative sources of income, and how policy and
practice from GOs and NGOs can be made more appropriate to their situation. Rationale of
community awareness program by NGOs are as follows:
1. It is necessary to train both the groups, the children as well the community people to
overcome the abusive situation and create an enabling environment.
2. It helps to protect children and promote child rights.

231
 3. It gives dignity to the children.
4. Community people will act as better educators, motivators and thus as multiplier.
It makes the project sustainable.
NGO has initiated this awareness building programs amongst the street children,
community people and local high official of power structure. Awareness have
been created through motivation, counseling, training, workshops, posters, flip
charts, day observance, rally, use of mass and electronic media etc at all level

,, ! %
NGO thinks that noble works cannot be done alone and the GOs and NGOs with similar
objectives can combine their effort to achieve the objectives. Networking has done for the
purpose of advocacy, employment exploration and job creation in the present project. NGO
established linkage with other NGOs and the government with regards to problems and issues
particularly on policies and programs relating to the improvement in the performance of the
program.

To seek opportunities for collaboration and to increase the visibility of NGOs, it

continues to expand the program network, Net working session has held in pried with the
GO-NGO collaboration local elite man of six divisional cities. Has taken an important
part for the street children by the newsletter of daily paper we develop a good network
with police department for the batter action of street children For mutual co-operation
and support NGO is maintaining inter-relationship with other organizations to make the
ARISE program successful and effective.

12.Market Survey:
A market survey was conducted on opportunities for trade training and employment
options for the street children in six divisional cities. A professional survey team
conducted the survey. Market survey consists of a quantitative questionnaire with both
open ended and cosed questions and PRA tools used to generate such information on
indicators, which have not been covered by the questionnaire. The PRA tools, which used
consists of income ranking, seasonal calendar on income and employment, physical
mapping, time to trend analysis, chapatti and Venn diagramming.Survey team was gone
to the employers i.e. to the businessmen or small industrialists and they are identifying
the actual needs or demands through discussion or question & answer process. In this

232
process they have completed their three years market survey targets from the comparative
analysis on 20 trades in each divisional cities.

Coverage through services by NGOs for Street Children in Bangladesh

Bottom up and integrated participatory approaches were adopted for the implementation of the
project. At the beginning of the project implementation, a feasible and viable physical action plan
has prepared with the participation of the staff members considering the capacity, local situation
seasonal affairs etc and the responsibilities and duties were divided to the staff members to
performance.
Table 42: Services and coverage by NGOs for street children in Bangladesh
Name of services Coverage by NGOs
AB PMU PSTC SPK JOG ACD ACLAB VOSD VARD
K AJO
G
Non formal 6075 5625 4875 5925 9425 6000 8182 4325 3568
Education
Vocational 135 1054 922 971 1551 3366 905 679 601
Training
Health Services 7995 8898 8006 5063 6041 6000 6532 5358 4282

Drop in 615 4100 2635 2055 812 1445 4349 780 2321
Center/Shelter
Legal Aid 90 80 65 80 85 58 43 45 42
Protection
Advocacy 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
session session session session session session session session session

Psychological 977 835 780 7303 1827 240 310 305 379
Counseling
Job placement 90 797 998 787 1379 605 595 446 632
Recreational 6075 5625 4875 5925 9425 6000 8182 4325 3568
Activities
Networking 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
session session session session session session
session session session
Awareness 6075 5625 4875 5925 9425 6000 8182 4325 3568
Raising
Market survey 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
trades trades trades trades trades trades trades trades trades

233
Table 43 Impact of services run by NGOs for street children in Bangladesh
Pre-intervention stats Post-intervention stats

Harassment by the community people Street children are not faced such kind of harassment while
Street children were the victim by different working in the streets.
community people and called ‘Tokai’
Kangali, Pichchi etc instead of their name.
Involvement of Crime The involvement at different crime has decreasing day by
Previously street children were involved in day. So they are also working mainstream society.
different crimes.
Personal Hygiene
Street children were unaware about In the drop-in-center, they avail toilet facilities, teeth
maintaining personal hygiene due to lack of brushing, bathing, cloth washing, nail cutting, and hair
awareness and proper facilities available to combing facilities. Therefore, their personal hygiene status
them has improved dramatically.
Non-formal Education
Street children were deprived from rights of Street children received basic non-formal education and
education due to awareness and poverty after completing this they are able to read, write, do basic
calculation and many of them got admission to the formal
primary school
Recreational services
Street children had no recreational facilities In the DICs, street children participate in different
near to their home or in the adjacent areas. So recreational activities; like: games, play, video show,
they were prone to anti-social activities drawing and painting, singing, dancing, drama. Therefore,
there chance of involvement in anti-social activities
reduced.
Health Services
Street children were very reluctant to seek Street children currently seeks medical advice in any
medical advice due lack of awareness and health related problem
poverty
Awareness
Street children didn’t know about primary Through our intervention 90% children know about
health care and STD/HIV/AIDS primary health care, STD/HIV/AIDS, its types, causes,
root of transmission and prevention of STD/HIV/AIDS.
With their awareness, street children also made their
neighbors aware on this issue.
Before getting involved in our program, Now they are discipline and are aware about their

234
Pre-intervention stats
street children didn’t know about discipline,
rules and regulation, and was used to unruly
life style. They were very rude and
aggressive.
Guardians of the street children’s were
irresponsible and they didn’t know where
their children going or what they are doing
Lack of awareness of community people on
street children
Drop in Center/Night Shelter
Street children usually passed most of the
time on the street, where they were
vulnerable to sex work, either forcefully or
by exploitation, which usually resulted in sex
trade, criminal activities, and child
trafficking.
Counseling
Street children were rude, aggressive and
frustrated due to poverty, moral degeneration
and ignorance which hampered their mental
development
Vocational Training and Job placement
Post-intervention stats
behavior. Their aggressive attitude is gradually reducing.
Through our CMC meeting/ guardian workshops, we made
them aware about their role as parents and their
responsibilities towards their children.
Community peoples are conscious and aware of child
rights, and in the grass-root level some rights are ensured.
Local elite, in the project area is compassionate and
helpful to the street children.
The community people are aware and promoting child
rights
• The community people understand the street children
issues and the exploited and abusive situation of the
children have reduced significantly.
The community people are respectful and understand their
roles and responsibilities as members of societies toward
the street children.
The community people come forward to resolve any
problems that arise in the respective areas and also come
forward with recombination school oriented issues.
Now they pass most of the time in the drop-in-center and
invite their friends to come to the DIC, which reduced their
vulnerability to trafficking and sexual exploitation
Through counseling street children’s negative attitude
towards their life changed gradually. They could identify
their own problem and solved them with their own effort
235
Pre-intervention stats Post-intervention stats

Most of the street children earned money for
livelihood through different hazardous child
labor
Changing of the life of Street Children
Street children were provided suitable vocational training
for them. After completion of training, they placed with
job either in our organizational arrangement or in other
organization through networking. As a result their quality
of life style improved including their future prospect of a
livelihood
Children who were earlier involved in the most hazardous
forms of labor have changed their occupations and taken
up lighter forms of jobs.
Children who have been employed are serving as role
models to other street children. We have observed that the
street children feel valued, confident and a self-drive is
being created within them to develop their future lives
The project staffs are able to build up rapport with the
street children of project area. It was observed that the
behavioral pattern and life style of the street children are
being changed,

6% ( $ ) 8 . / ' '
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is a synonym for private voluntary organization that
provides services or material benefits to the poor and underprivileged sections of the population.
They generally work with various groups of target beneficiaries comprising the urban and rural
poor, the landless and disadvantaged women or children. The services they provide range from
distributing relief during national disasters, to arranging credit for income –generating activities,
to raising the consciousness of their target groups through education and motivation. They are
almost exclusively funded by foreign donor agencies.

To assess the capacity of the NGOs working for improving street children’s environment in
Bangladesh, SWOT analysis are conducted on the nine selected Non Government Organizations
e.g Aparajeo Bangladesh, Padakhap Manabik Unyan Kendra, Population Services and Training
Center,Samaj Paribartan Kendra, JOGAJOG, Association for Community Development,
ACLAB, Voluntary Association for Rural Development(VARD) , Voluntary Organization for
Social Development (VOSD) working for Improving street children’s Environment in
Bangladesh. The SWOT analysis made an evaluation of internal strengths and weakness as well
as an exploration of its external opportunities and threats. The purpose was to get a quick

236
overview of an organizations strategic situation-whether there is a good fit between an
organization’s internal capability (its strengths and weakness) and its external situation (reflected
in part by its opportunities and threats). The result of the SWOT analysis are expected to
formulate appropriate strategies for identification of organizations for partnership towards
providing need based services to street children.

SWOT gives a quick overview of an organization’s strategic situation. The study has evaluated
internal strengths and weakness as well as an exploration of its external opportunities and threats.
It appears from SWOT analysis made an evaluation that the NGOs (Selected) are organizationally
capable to provide services to the street children. However, they might need financial and social
assistance for strengthening and expansion of their programs. The type of assistance needs to be
identified for each organization because of the peculiarity of needs, which are situation-specific.
It is expected that NGO interventions will supplement and strengthen their current operations and
will help them expand geographical coverage as well as undertaking of need based new services
for street children in the future action plan. Although not mentioned by each organization
uniformly, many of the threats identified for the nine organizations are almost equally applicable
to each of them. This is because the threats emanated from the external environment are common
to all the organizations. Hopefully, the environmental threats can be addressed for future plan.

The results of SWOT analysis of the selected none NGOs who have street children-holistic
programs presented bellow. The sources of data for SWOT analysis include: PRA sessions, FGD,
filled- in questionnaires, annual reports and other publications /reports of respective NGOs and
mass media (particularly print materials). Also a participatory SWOT session was conducted on
the workshop day by the active participation of GO/NGOs and is presented in table 44. In the
PRA session, the organizational executives contributed themselves clearly to point out the
analysis of their internal strengths and weakness. While their opinions views were also sought
about the external opportunities and threats, what they feel and those observations have been
triangulated with document for evaluation of their organizational opportunities and threats.

The common threats include obstacles created by local hooligans and police, ineffective
implementation of rules and regulations regarding protection of street child rights, negative social
attitudes towards street children, slum eviction and slum to slum migration of the street children
and so on. However, the community resistance was posed as a very crucial threat to the
organizations e.g. non-availability of rental houses for shelter homes/schools, societal down

237
towards street children etc. As revealed from the FGDs, we have been viewed as a great
opportunity for further improvement of street children services

Considering the organizational, programming, financial capability and selection criteria for the
street children related services from the SWOT analysis as presented in table 45 , it appears that
the NGOs are capable to provide services in those cities. Although of them have complained
about fund shortage, recent withdrawal of donor funds, yet their very good will built on street
children related programming ability is well recognized by the community. They have created
organized groups, well –motivated beneficiaries. Some of the NGOs , who are utilizing a regular
organized groups, well motivated beneficiaries. Some of the NGOs, who are utilizing a regular
government and donor support, have physical and infrastructure facilities available. So they have
direct service delivery to the street children, are very much appreciated. Table 45 as stated by the
respective organization are as follows:

Table 45: SWOT analysis (As stated by the respective organization)

Organization Strengths Weakness Opportunities Threats
Aparajeo -In accessing Most Expansion needed -Shelter for Girls in -Local mustans
Bangladesh Vulnerable Children to to meet needs crisis -Emotionally
a phased out pattern of resources needed -Potential for distressed
living for their for sustainability. further children family
development as -Small Targets development friction
productive human - Training in -Training -Training in
beings. counseling needed opportunities for skills does not
-Satisfactory financial for street staff development follow
capability –funds being child/child employment
obtained from foreign educators / family
donor. counselors.
Padakkhep -Active Committed -Children’s drop -Dependant on -Terrorism in
Manabik Unyan staffs out from NFE development the pocket area.
Kendra -Organizing principles schools. partners to -Irregular
(PMUK) - Leadership with _Lack of reach implement the clearance of
farsightedness. most vulnerable program fund.
children. -Has organized
groups in the
community

238
Population Better acceptance in the Adequate attention Good liaison with Addresses of
Services and community of the street cannot be given stakeholders and parents cannot
Training children. specially to street Networking with be made
Center(PSTC) -Field level employees children because of other organizations available most
are adequately trained the organization’s working for street often for
in dealing with most main involvement children. running
vulnerable children. with health children. As a
services in general. result, this
service might
face difficulty
in its
continuation.
Samaj Although small in There is no Existing well – Less
Paribartan number , dedicated alternative conceived future cooperation by
Kendra (SPK) group of staffs approach in the plan of action the local
employed for providing community which includes community in
services to street towards street organized helping street
children. children. vocational training girl children
for capable street -Skill staff drop
children out

JOGAJOG -Committed staff for Insufficient skilled -Govt. and -Political Unrest
doing things right. staff community support -Skilled staff
-Well acceptance by the -Shortage of -Multiple program drops out
urban community logistic support implementation
(Vehicle etc) -Liaison with good
-Lack of learning employable
materials. vocational training
institutes.
Association for Efforts to reach street Organized method Linkage with Lack of
Community children at different of learner centered donors overseas resources to
Development levels opportunities for education needed. meet street
(ACD) education and children’s needs
rehabilitation and night -Resources for

239
 shelter building proper
shelter,
strengthening
existing ones.
Alliance for Effective Drop in Limited subject Exchange its Negative
Cooperation and Centers that attract competencies of education attitude of
Legal Aid street working children teachers approaches with people towards
Bangladesh with facilities of other institutes street girls
(ACLAB) sanitation, child liaison with
centered education, stakeholders.
recreation and legal aid
protection

Voluntary -Schools are in near -Lack of resources -Ability to train Saturation in

Organization for target areas employable and capacity to and help other employment in
Social -Vocational training expand institutes the country
Development over 50% girl - Lack of exposure -Ability to replicate
(VOSD) - Motivational skills to new and its model
alliance with private effective
industries. approaches of
learning /recreation
for street children
Voluntary -Have communication -Lack of qualified -Skill and support -Local
Association for and linkage with necessary staff for any activity hoodlums
Rural foreign organizations -Shifting from one overall -Misconception
Development involved in street program to another -Cooperation from of employer and
(VARD) children activity. the officers of the local public
-Effective services for organization representative.
street children including -Take care of
a wide array of children interest
activities beneficial to
the street children, such
as street link,
rehabilitation , non-
formal and technical
education etc.

240
7.6 Major Constraints of Effective Implementation and overcoming strategies

The project activities have been carried put as per plan under the following implementation cycle
involving the project staff and organizational staff and also with the participation of the town
community people, local administration, government departments and local leaders

Figure: 12 Implementation Cycle of the project by NGOs in Community Level

#
$

! "

#
% &
% # " #
⇐⇐

In implementing the program support for the improvement of street children by the NGOs they
faced barriers or constrains. In the PRA session , they were requested to list the problems , which
hinder the implementation at the present and exploratory perception of future obstacles. The
constraints along with the coping strategies and future suggestions which are presented below:

Table : Constraints faced by NGOs to implement the street children program and copying
strategies (As practiced and suggested them in PRA sessions)

241
 Constraints
Lack of information /research for planning
Irregularity of fund release / shortage of funds
Lack of Coordination (GO-NGO)
Dependence on external financial support
Lack of experience /competence
Overlapping of services and /or some areas not
covered
Drop –out children/ lack of community support
Eviction of shelter /lack of shelter /food
Absence of holistic plan for coverage of service by
regions
Lack of integration among different components
Lack of interactive participation of community
Functional /consultative way of participation
Dropout of skill manpower
Terrorism in working area
Coping Strategies and Suggestions
Establish statistics/information base using IT and
appoint competent staff
Advocacy and lobbying to ensure continuity of
fund for projects
Regular sharing or meeting among GO-NGO
Obtaining self- dependence instead of relying on
donor.
Ensure skills through need based training/allow
exposure through workshop/ meeting.
Avoid overlapping of services and /or ensure total
coverage of areas by plans.
Strengthen motivation service and ensure regional
coverage.
Liaison with GO to develop permanent shelter
homes
Participatory approach for need assessment,
project proposal development, implementation
plan
More practice needed for interactive participation.
Establish proper learning /knowledge base
Community participation and strengthening of law
enforcing agencies.
Training on proper time management
Rallies, seminars, newsletters and motivational
campaign for parents, employers and opinion
leaders of the community.

Table 45 shows a number common items in the NGO’s barriers list, such as insufficient data on
street children for need assessment or need based planning of the projects or programs, Delay in
Government approval of the programs from NGO bureau. Despite the fact that a good number of
NGOs have put their combined efforts to improve the conditions of street children having tailored
programs on various services, it could not yet achieve any remarkable goals due to the presence
of such barriers. The overcoming strategies to combat the problems and suggestions for NGOs
street children project are also presented in the same table. It is community observed that, rather
than giving a concerted efforts, a piecemeal approach to the street children improvement program
is practiced, that is what is identified as the major reason for non bringing permanent benefit to
the needs of street children in most of the cases approached.

7.7 NGO Intervention Creates Hope and Opportunity for Street Children: Findings from Selected
Case Studies
Nine case studies on the lives of street children living and working on the street from the nine
selected NGOs engaged in improving street children in six Divisional Cities of Bangladesh have
been taken for in depth investigation. Street Children. Street Children who are the beneficiaries of

242
the NGOs providing services to the street children were selected. Since the study aims at
exploring the existing services offered to the street children and their future needs, this requires
the experiences of vulnerable street children to understanding the reality of street life and their
survival strategies.

Each case study incorporates the factors of becoming street children, migratory patterns of street
children, socioeconomic background of parents, livelihood activities, problems faced and their
future aspirations. In their deliberations street children highlighted the services that they have
received from the organizations working on the issues on the street children.

Information have collected about the life histories of nine children from the organization’s record
books as well as talked with them for more in depth information. In most cases, children have
responded positively and gave information about their past and present life history. However,
children hardly remember their way of living at the village homes. They laid more emphasis on
their present living environment with parent or without families.

In other cases some children were reluctant to give information but with intervention and
persuasion of the counselors of the organizations, they told whatever they could remember and
felt easy to talk about. Sometimes children were seen crying while they were talking about their
past unhappy incidents, which was full of abuse, harassment and torture. However, nine case
studies have been mentioned bellow with a hope to enlighten the readers, policy makers, planners
connected to street children project.
Case : 1
Name : Zharna Akter
Age : 13 Years
Sex : Female
Date of Interview: 19.11.2004
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
Aparajeo Bangladesh
Dhaka

Jharna, now aged 13 years stays in the Drop in Center at Arambagh run by Aparajeo Bangladesh.
She cannot remember her exact birthplace. She has two other sisters but no brother. Her father
died when she was about three years. Her mother worked as a domestic in a rich peasants house

243
and frequently they had to starve or remain half-fed. One day while her mother went out for work
she came out of the house and could not return to her parental home. She was hardly five years of
age when she was lost.

One kind women found her, took jharna with her other house in kawran Bazar at Dhaka . Jharna
started lived with that women till she was 8 years old. Then she sent to another house to work as a
domestic. She used to be beaten by her mistress and her children every now and then sometimes
when she did any mistake 9broke a glass, for example) she used to suffer from severe beating, she
was not given food for one or two meals. Being unable to bear any more, Jharna left her master’s
house. Her foster mother engaged her as garbage collector. She used to pick up things from
dustbins/garbage depots like many other street children. Poverty and struggle for survival has had
the unfortunate and probably unavoidable effect of putting so many street children in these kinds
of hazardous jobs. Since her foster mother did not earn enough to feed Jharna , she herself had to
earn her own living.

One day when she was collecting garbage , a middle aged approached her and told her that he
would pay her good amount and also provide her food if she helped him in his home work in
washing his cloths and cleaning his room. Being lured by the offer of food , she accompanied the
man. But when she entered his house , the man locked the door and to her horror she found that
there was nobody in the house. The rest was like a nightmare for Jharna. She was raped several
times by the man, gave her some money and asked her to go back. She suffered so much
physically and psychologically; she could not decide what to do. She lost all hopes and decided
not to return to her foster mother. She started sleeping on the street. The she came across a
vendor/ hawker who used to sell eggs and fruits. The vendor was at his 40s and hearing the tragic
story of Jharna the man expressed his wholehearted sympathy and went to her house. She found
him affectionate like a father. She felt secured at the house and was relatively happy. But her
happiness was short lived and one night the father like man turned into a beast and raped her for
the whole night. She became frustrated like anything and did not want to live any more. She
started taking drugs (phensidyl and heroine) – and ultimately became a drug addict. She used to
do all kinds of bad things including carrying drugs/ smuggling goods, from one place to another.
And police caught her while she was trying to attract customers for commercial sex.

She was taken to the police station first and from there she was sent to the Drop in Center of
Aparajeo Bangladesh. She has been rehabilitated in the DIC at Arambagh where she stays with

244
other girls of age ranging from 10 to 17 years. Jharna has started a new life after she joined the
DIC. In the morning she attends the education program run by Aparajeo Bangladesh, after
breakfast she goes for garbage collection. She earns about 20-25 taka per day from her work. She
spends some money on the purchase of food items like potato chips, ice cream, and snacks,
sometimes she can also save some amount. In the afternoon Jharna attends training on block
design. ‘’After completion of my training I will be able to find a job either in a garment industry
or will receive orders for supplying finished goods.’’ Maintains Jharna. Because of strong will
power and determination, she has been able o withdraw herself from drugs. She is leading a
normal life and she is dreaming of good days ahead.

+ %
A street girl becomes vulnerable to sexual abuse from the age of about
10 and from then on she can be exploited for any number of reasons or
movies. Child Friendly Drop in Center/ Shelter home management could
make street children hopeful.
Case : 2
Name : Billal
Age : 14 Years
Sex : Male
Date of Interview: 19.11.2004
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
Padakhep Manabik
Unyan Kendra
Dhaka

Billal was found the rhythm of his own life. He is now 14 years old. He is from Kishorgonj
district. His father works as a day labour in the village. His mother died when he was only five
years old. His father re-married and all the misfortune started when his stepmother arrived. His
stepmother did not like him at all. She used to beat him always, sometimes severely causing
physical injury. The torture on Billal continued months after months but he had to bear all these
in silence.

Her was not allowed to go to school, not given food on time and in addition to physical beatings,
he was being abused verbally almost all the time. Once Billlal was unable to beat any more
torture and he decided to protest . One day while his stepmother was sleeping with her newborn

245
daughter, Billal took a bamboo stick and started hitting his stepmother was sleeping with the
stick. At this, his stepmother become furious , took a boti (sharp weapon) and tried to hit him.
Being afraid of life , he ran away from home . He came to Kishorgonj Railway station –about half
kilomitre away from his home, boarded on the train and came to Dhaka . When he reached Dhaka
he was barely 8 years old without a single penny in his pocket.

He was very hungry and did not know where to go . For sheet survival, he started begging.
Occasionally, he also worked as a coolie at the station. But there was competition from othr
coolies, who used to obstruct him from continuing his job as a coolie. The meager earning from
begging was not enough for his two meals a day. He used to sleep in the platform and defecate in
open space around the station . But he was frequently disturbed by railway police- he was not
allowed to sleep before midnight and he had to wake up early in the morning- by 5 A.M . In the
hope of earning more, he changed his profession and started picking rags/paper/waste materials.
But the situation did not improve much because security guard/ terrorists at the station forcibly
took whatever amount he could save away.

He faced other adversities also. He was raped several times by other older street boys who sleep
at the station. He was physically hit when he tried to protest. With the passage of every day he
had to face more and more problems. One day a man aged about 35 years approached him and
offered him to work as a messenger for 50 taka per day. He gladly accepted this offer. But that
man was involved in smuggling and supplying of phensydil and other drugs. He did not
understand what type of things he was carrying from one place to another. One day while he was
carrying phensydil, he was caught by the police and taken to custody. He had to face severe
physical torture and interrogation by the police while at the custody. He was then produced before
the court and was sent to jail by the court. He stayed in the jail about a month and ultimately was
released on bail.

After few days Billal came to the Drop in Center/Shelter of Padakhep Manabik Unyan Kendra,
Dhaka becoming sick. Then he has taken training on Income generation Activities (IGA),
Rickshaw, Bycyle Repairing, Dying and Printing course and gain savings strategies at the club.
Now he earns his living as fruit seller. He stays near Ramna Park. With no hope for the future, he
spends his days in utter despair. He has no desire to go back to his parental home. He wants to
start a small teashop within next two years if he can accumulate some savings.

246
+ :
Proper guidance and affection developed inner force of street children
and helps to become a person of a mainstream society.

Case : 3
Name : Fatema
Age : 15 Years
Sex : Male
Date of Interview: 19.11.2004
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
PSTC

Fatema is a girl of 15. Like many other street children, Aleya came to Dhaka in serch of
employment. She is from village of Kosba upazilla under Brahamanbaria district; She lost her
father when she was only five years old. She was the youngest of one brother and three sisters.
Her only brother used to work as an agricultural day labor whose daily earning was no more than
Tk. 20 per day. They had no cultivable land. Her mother and her two sisters had no scope for
earning. Due to hardship, her brother could not provide them with food properly and hence they
often had to go without food. Though her mother was not working, woman sometimes she used to
collect vegetables for scaling in the local market in exchange of money. But the income of
Fatema’s brother (occasionally supplemented by her mother) was not enough to provide them
with two meals a day for most of the days in a month. The devastating flood 0f 1998 came as a
real calamity. Her mother died, her brother left home and never came back. Her two sisters
started working as housemaids in the village. Her sister’s earnings were not enough to feed her
and they started misbehaving with her.

Being fed up with her sisters, she left home and came to Dhaka with a neighbour who was
reckshawpuller. She was employed as a housemaid in a house at Bashabo, near Kamlapur
Railway Station, Dhaka . But her mistress was very bad and she used to abuse her both physically
and verbally. She used to work more than 14 hours a day with very little time to have her
breakfast, launch or dinner. Frequently she remained too hungry and tried to perform her task
properly . But her mistress used to beat her whenever she made any mistake (i.e. . broke a glass or
did not wash cloths properly) .

247
One day while she was washing the plates, she broke one plate accidentally. At this her mistress
beat her mercilessly, stopped giving her food for two days and continued her verbal abuse.
Fatema reached the ceiling of her tolerance and left the house when she could not bear any more
torture.

After 12 months stay at the house she came to the street empty stomach. While she was walking
along the roadside near Rajarbagh she met the same rickshaw puller (rabiul) from her village who
brought her to Dhaka . Rabiul allured her to go to his house near Tajgaon slum. They developed a
love affair and within a week’s, they got married. But within three month’s Fatema discovered
her husband as a drug addict. Moreover her husband used to beat her physically in addition to
hurling abusive words towards her . All her hopes and aspirations were shattered. She left her
husband due to unbearable torture inflicted on her and came to the street. Since then once she met
with the staff of PSTC and sheltered into the Drop in Center of PSTC. She attended in skill
training and received counseling service and wish to be garments worker.

+ %
Fatema was a victim of social system and ultimately has fallen trap to an evil
design other nasty husband. Efforts of social worker of Non Governmental
Organization could protect them these terrible situation.

Case : 4
Name : Shumon
Age : 7 Years
Sex : Male
Date of Interview: 19.10.2004
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
Samaj Paribartan
Kendra (SPK)

Sumon lost her father when she was 6 years old. She has one brother who is younger than her by
2 years. After her father’s death, her mother got married for the second time. sumon’s stepfather
is a rickshaw puller. He is ill tampered and used to beat her mercilessly whenever he got a chance
to do so. She was not given food on time; her stepfather also beat her mother when she tried to be
sympathetic to Sumon.. Her life was like a hell in her step- father’s house. Ultimately, Sumon

248
was thrown out of the house by her step –father. Her mother could not do anything except
shedding tears for her.

Summon then stays at the steamer ghat at Dhaka and lives on begging. In the morning she
collects onions and other materials from the vegetable market nearby and earns about Tk. 2-4 a
day. After that she starts begging and on the average earns about Tk 5 per day. She stays at the
steamer ghat with a few other boys and girls.

In her struggle to survival, summon often remains half –fed or has to starve. Most of the time she
gets her evening meal from a hotel free of cost. Other street children at the steamer ghat
confirmed this that some hotels in Dhaka –distribute the leftover food to the children and beggars
generally after 10 pm.

Sumon mentioned,’ my father’s premature death plunged our family into total darkness. My step
–father used to beat me and abuse me almost everyday for no fault of my own. I don’t know what
the future will bring for me’’. He has to remain without food at night almost every alternate day;
while for the 50% of the time he is half-fed; he eats whatever He gets from local hotel or from
begging. Sometimes the hotel boy/ owner beats him, slaps and abuses her when she asks for food
free of cost.

Once Sumon affected by skin disease. His nail was full of dirt and cloths were unclean. For
primary treatment he went to the Drop in Center of Samaj Paribartan Kendra (SPK) Dhaka and
introduced with the service provision of SPK through female paramedics and psychological
counselor through motherly affection. He then decided to stay in the DIC and engaged in
education classes and skill training run by SPK. He is now starting to see a dream of a nice future.

+ %
This is a case of deprivation and deception of his rights from parental affection NGO
can be helpful to support him getting education and skill training for financially
solvent person through proper affection.

249
Case : 5

Name : Munmun Akter

Age : 13 Years
Sex : Female
Date of Interview: 19.11.2004
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
JOGAJOG
Chittagong

Munmun Akter is from Kuakata of Patuakhali district. Her father died within two years of her
birth and her mother died before her first birthday. Her paternal uncle brought her up. But her life
in her uncle’s house was no better than a slave. She became a victim of physical and verbal abuse
in that house- she was frequently beaten by her aunt while her uncle used to abuse her verbally.
They did not show any sympathy for this orphan- who lost her parents during infancy. Most of
the time she used to remain half-fed.

She went the primary school was not far away from her home. She was a good student and read
up to class five. After her return from school, she was sent by her aunt to collect firewood. She
was also asked to wash clothes, clean utensils, help in cooking and assist her aunt in other
household activities including taking care of her cousins. Her cousins behaved nicely with her
although her aunt beat her almost every day.
She had to go to school sometimes without breakfast. She was not given lunch if she failed to
bring firewood. Sometimes her cousins gave her food in absence of their mother. It was only at
night that she was given food regularly (at the insistence of her uncle). She used to sleep on the
floor while all others slept in the cot/khat. Her life at her uncle’ s house was full of misery, torture
and hardship. She did not dare to tell other people about her sorrow in the fear of more torture by
her aunt.

When she was in class five she came across with a middle –aged man who claimed himself to be
a friend of her late father, The man who stayed in Chittagong met her several times and promised
to arrange a job for her in Chittagong. He also gave her chocolates and some money and kept on
insisting on her to accompany him to Chittagong . Being lured by the offer, she left her uncles
home one night to join the man on her way to chittagong. She came to the launch ghat and found
some other girls who were also her co-passengers. She never thought that this man was involved

250
in trafficking of children. By the time the launch reached Chittagong, the other girls were sold out
to dalals. She was waiting at the station while the man went out to buy some food for her. Then a
police came and asked her about her details – with whom she came and where she would go. The
police became suspicious at her replies and kept her waiting. The man who brought her to
chittagong , fled away when he saw the police personnel around her.

At this point , a local shopkeeper came forward and took her him in the name of giving shelter.
She stayed with the man about a week where police personnel raped her about at least 10 times –3
to 4 times. Being shocked at the cruelty and inhuman torture, she came back at the station and
started selling chocolates /toffee. She used to earn Tk. 90-100 per day but about 50% of her
earnings were forcibly taken away by the police/ mastans.. If she refused to pay them the money
she had to undergo physical torture including force sex. T a time when Munmun was passing her
days in extreme hardship, she came across a worker of JOGAJOG (Community Development
Organization), which is engaged in rehabilitation of street children. She came to the Drop in
Center of JOGAJOG and has been staying there for more than a year. She is attending the
education program run by JOGAJOG, also trainee of skill training in the sewing trade. She wants
to continue her education and wants to become a nurse in the future. She wants to stay in the
center even after she crosses age 18. She does not want to get married and have children in the
immediate future.

+ %
A helpless teenaged girl like Munmun had to accept profession, as she
had no other alternatives. As desired she could be bought back to normal
life if some rehabilitation programs of such cases are initiated by NGO
efforts.

251
Case : 6
Name : Kalu Mia
Age : 16 Years
Sex : Male
Date of Interview: 03.06.2004
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
ACLAB , Khulna

Kalu is a boy of sixteen. He has born in a brothel at Daulatpur. He does not know his parent’s
name. He was looked after by a pros-mother whom he knows as his mother. While he was 12
years old, the pros-mother took him to a hotel to Daulatpur to work as a bearer in exchange of
food and shelter . He worked for two years in the hotel and one day the hotel proprietor has
beaten and driven him away as he has stolen hotel money.

Finding no other alternative kalu has chosen begging as his profession. But his luck didn’t fevor
him. One day a terrorist of the city called him and beaten him without any reason and told him to
forget begging and get training on two fingers i.e. pick-pocketing but he failed in practice to do
that and he was caught, and beaten by people severely. His terrorist boss has suggested him to
change his present work and start stealing. For this work he was given training on pistol and gun
operation and use of instrument to make hole on the wall, wooden floor and window. Then he
became a skilled thief and started stealing rice, onion, wheat etc. from the market. Some shops of
the market were situated over the big drain of the city. Kalu used to go into the canal and made a
hole of the wooden floor of the shops by using his tools brings away the goods and sells them in
the market. He gets food from the gang leader in return all the money he earns. Kalu is bound to
return them his stolen money. Members of the gang take care of him for treatment, cloths and
shelter Ultimately he became a member of the terrorist gang led by Khokan , a top terrorist in his
locality. When Khokan was killed due to group conflict, then kalu ran away on the street again
and caught by Police as a vagrant. With the assistance of Bangladesh Legal Aid Services
Trust(BLAST), he is then referred to Drop in Center/Shelter home run by ACLAB Khulna .He is
receiving counseling, education and life skill training service frequently and coming back to a
normal life.

+ %
Kalu become a victim of evil group. Through proper care and protection services of
NGOs street children may return back to normal life like kalu.

252
Case : 7
Name : Lily Begum
Age : 16 Years
Sex : Male
Date of Interview : 15.04.2003
Place of Interview : Shelter Home
ACD, Rajshahi

Lily lost her mother at the age of years. Her father got married within two months of her mother’s
death. Her step –mother used to torture her like anything –often she was denied food regular
beating was a normal routine. Her stepmother also instigated her father against Lily by telling
fabricated stories about her. Then her father used to beat her mercilessly. When Lily was 12 years
old, she was married to Abdul Ali of the same village. Abdul was a poor day laborer who could
hardly manage to feed his wife. Her mother –in –law started abusing her for not bringing any
dowry from her parents. Moreover, on the slightest pretext her husband used to beat her severely.
Her life was no better than hell in her in laws house.

Being unable to bear any more, she came back to her parental home. But her stepmother did not
receive her cordially. She used to suffer both physically and psychologically because of the
cruelty of her stepmother. Since she had nowhere to go, she used to bear all the injustices in
silence. After three months, her husband came to take her back. Considering her stepmother’s
atrocity, she decided to go back. She came to Dhaka with her husband and stayed in a slum area.
This time her husband was kind to her and it appeared to Lily that he is a changed man. But that
was only part of a greater conspiracy. One night a entered her house and told
her that her husband had sold her to him.

The raped her repeatedly and engaged her as sex worker. Lily started living with the
who acted as her pimp. The used to take away all the money while Lily was given only two
meals day. After a stay of one month Lily got the opportunity to come that house and met with
the counselor of ACD on the street school . Then she has decided to received safe shelter
facilities in the DIC and involved in job as garments worker. She hopes to be a person of
mainstream society.

253
Findings :
NGOs would take pity on her and free her from the clutches of prostitution
through alternative mainstreaming strategy in the social life.

Case: 8
Name : Kamrul Islam
Age : 15 Years
Sex : Male
Date of Interview: 01.05.2003
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
VOSD, Barishal

Kamrul Islam, son of Hafizul Islam, is from Sunadanga , Khulna. His father married second time
within three months of his mother’s death. ‘’ I wanted to go to school but my stepmother did not
like it. She forced me to work in the lathe machine. The owner of the lathe machine shop does not
pay him any salary. If I commit any mistake the owner beats me up‘’ said Kamrul.

He is the first issue from his mother and his mother died during giving birth to the second child .
When his step-mother arrived, kamrul was tortured and abused in all possible ways by his step –
mother. Frequently, he was denied food during day when his father was away from home. It was
only during night (when his father was at home) that he was provided with food. Being unable to
bear any more, he left home at the age of 9 and came to - 7" of VOSD
Barishal with neighbor. He has received on the job skill training with the help of the F
' of VOSD in a garage. He works in the garage and gets TK. 30 as training
allowance. His dream is to become the owner of an automobile garage. He is working hard to
become a good mechanic in order to fulfill his dream of having a garage of his own.

Findings:
Youth is generally a time of relatively good health, the nature of continuous exposure to
the streets and the associated life styles makes street children vulnerable to a range of
problems which are not typically experienced by other young people. NGO intervention
may take efforts for the mainstreaming of these children .

254
Case : 9
Name : Moni Begum
Age : 13Years
Sex : Female
Date of Interview: 27.01.2005
Place of Interview: Shelter Home
VARD , Sylhet

Mani is a 13 years old street girl. Her father died at the age of her 5 years old. After
father’s death mother married again. With that step –the family life of her father was not
harmonious soothe marriage life did not continue for long. After then she was separated and
married again. At the time they state in Lalbagh of Dhaka. Moni’s father worked in Shadarghat
launch terminal. Her stepfather avoided her and did not like her. During the period of staying at
Lalbagh she attended a school but she could not recognize the class and name of the school where
she read for few days.

One day she went to her sister’s house and abused there by his stepfather. She then left the house
alone. She stayed in Kamalapur Railway Station for few days where she begged for her
livelihood. Here she becomes the victim of sexual abuse again. Then she left Kamalapur Railway
station by train and came to the sylhet Railway Station.

In the Railway Station, she has met a woman and called her G (mother’s sister). That
sold moni with Tk 500/- to a man in the name of marriage. That man kept Moni in a confined
room where she was sexually abused again and again. One day she came out from that room to
Railway station again and met with an Educator of open air school run by Voluntary Association
for Rural Development (VARD) and came to the child friendly Drop in Center/Shelter home run
by VARD. Then she has decided to stay in the DIC. When the counselor of VARD asked her,
whether she like the life of prostitute, she replied ’NO’ because she had to do it on force and she
had bitter experiences of that filthy life. Moni become attracted with the facility available at DIC
especially with shelter, subsidized food, health services, recreational activities, locker facilities,
education and vocational training . When she got the shelter facilities had to work outside one day
in a week to have meal Tk 6/- per day. She also joined with other girls of the center in cooking
and cleaning rooms. One day all children of DIC requested Centre Manager to offer free meal to
Moni. From that Moment she is given food free of cost by VARD. Other facilities are also
provided to her.

255
Now she can read and write in DIC . She is involved with (sewing). Now she
can sew cloths independently. As Moni could not recognize her mother’s name she called /
who is taking care of children in the DIC On behalf of VARD she (mother) helped her to get a
job in a Tailoring Shop .Moni is now getting TK 1200/- per month. She guides other children to
be good and not to involve in evil or bad practices in street life.

+ %
From this case study it appears that a street child falls victims to all kinds of oppression,
harassment and in her struggle for survival in the street, the child is subjected to abuse and
deprivations of various types. The condition of a street girl is much more vulnerable than that of a
street boy. A girl child is doubly disadvantaged, the perpetrator abuses her and also she is likely
to carry the burden of unwanted sex/ pregnancy including the risk of STD/HIV infection. NGOs
help and guidance may change a life of these vulnerable girls.

256
 CHAPTER: EIGHT

MAINSTREAMING STREET CHILDREN ACROSS THE REGION:

THE PROMISING PRACTICES

E 9
Asia is the world largest continent. Because of its enormous size, Asia is generally
divided into five major areas: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, South West Asia
and Central Asia. Nearly three –fifth of the world’s population resides on this continent.
The lack of human development in this region is partly to blame for its high poverty
level. The region is considered to be one of the poorest regions in the world. In the region
NGOs working with street children and young people often operate under a powerful and
sometimes uncontrolled ambiguity concept and purpose. On one hand there are NGOs
who see ‘the street’ as an intrinsically and non-negotiable unacceptable place (and social
situation) in which for children and youth to spend any significant period of time. Within
the view, street child focused development works towards ultimate goal of the
disappearance of street children as a social phenomenon through their complete and
comprehensive integration for re-integration into mainstream society.

On the other hand, there are NGOs who see the street as the inevitable temporary, semi-
permanent or even permanent home of a part of the urban population of virtually any
developing and indeed developed country some of whom will be male and female
children and young people. This view recognizes conditions of wide scale social
exclusion and poverty as endemic in the mainstream societies of many developing
countries. In these societies urban street living and working (survival escape
opportunities for income throughout freedom from norms) make sense as an alternative
way of living one which children and youth have the fight to choose as a strategy for
individual family coping survival and even benefit.

Although the geography, economics and governance systems within the Asia-pacific
region are diverse, the circumstances and experiences of street children across the region
are quite similar, This reinforced to an extent by the interconnections of countries through

257
trafficking and migration of children, criminal and drug connections and sex tourism and
pedophile-that is, the impact of adults on children.

However social and structural response to street children and associated issues depends
upon the particular national economic, political and cultural context. Local ideas about
childhood and both intra-and interfamily relationships from one contextual element
including attitudes toward girl children and sexual violence are one of the key conceptual
elements. Other key contextual elements are systems of governance resources allocations
( which again vary from country to country and includes the input by civil society into
state budgetary process) as well as local economic conditions . In this section the
provision of mainstreaming street children in 9 is
discussed.

In the Central Asian Republics including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan and in Mongolia, the presence of street children is a comparatively recent
phenomenon closely associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rapid
transition to market based economies. It is a new phenomenon in the Kyrgyz Republic,
the result of alcoholism of parents, poverty, abuse and domestic violence. Often the
children have stepfathers or step mothers who push children to leave home (ADB Report,
2003 p19)

Kyrgystan is a small,poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural

economy situated in west of China. The capital is Bishkek. Population was estimated at
4.8 million in 2003, and is growing at a rate of 14.46%. Kyrgyz and Russian are both
official languages of Kygyzstan . Following Map shows the location of Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, along with most of the other countries of the former Soviet Union has
experienced an increase in the number of street children. Street Children are subject to
the everyday risk of being abused and experience violence at the hands of both adults and
their peers. Many of them do not have timely access to qualified medical services their
major concern, though, is the day-to-day struggle to make a living .It is very common for
these children to be involved in criminal activities because they do not have any other for
these of earning money (Tahill, 2002, p15)

258
1 ( Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

In many of these countries, street children appear to be new because of their increased
numbers. Recent awareness of the problem of the street children, however, occurs in a
context where the presence of working street children has been a long –established
practice. Problems include the absence of welfare support systems for families and street
children in the new economies, and the emphasis on the ‘market’ that has governments
struggling to design and implement new provisions in a climate that is dismantling rather
developing or improving state services.

Social and economic reforms in the Republic of Tajikistan are taking place under
complex conditions of political instability. Consequently, owing to pressure of economic
development in the traditional period and the implementation of market reforms, the
actual means available for state bodies to provide children with the opportunity to obtain
the necessary education have diminished (GRT 1998, paragraph 4)

Regrettably the list of children (in difficult circumstances) requiring special attention in
the Republic has increased. That category should also include refugee children, children

259
from unemployed families, child victims of armed conflict , child beggars and children
left without supervision and this is not a complete list (GRT, 1998, paragraph 30) .

The report noted that the category of children in difficult circumstance previously
included ‘Orphans, children left without parental care and support, children of a social
families disabled children and children who have broken the law and need special
conditions for their upbringing.

The case of Mongolia –the increasing numbers of urban ‘street and manhole’ children
over the past decade – is comparatively well known. Economic changes have resulted in
the closure of many industries., high levels of unemployment and families moving in a
downward spiral toward homelessness . Mongolia’s harsh winters force these people to
take shelter in Ulaanbaatar’s underground heating system. Growing numbers of children
have become separated from parents or stayed with families and worked on the streets.

Mongolia’s economic transition brought an end to previous soviet-style welfare system,

but the development of a replacement system is still underway. The government is
restricted in its ability to hire more staff and there are also issues of appropriate social
work training. Training courses for social workers have recently been developed at the
state pedagogical university with the support of an international NGO (Quieta, 2002).
International NGOs continue to operate the bulk of shelters and other street children
interventions Ulaanbaatar’s in other Mongolian towns. As the country continues its
’’transition ’’ path a debate has begun over what the state and civil society can do to
address the problem of an ever-increasing number of street children. The Mongolian
government supports one large street children center, although some claim that the
approach is too institutional. An international NGO has worked with government center
to resettle many of the children with their families. However, with more than 20 domestic
and international NGOs involved in street children programming; as well as the
responsible government departments, coordination of work has become an important
concern to mainstreaming street children.

260
The central Asian republic have similar problems , but have received less international
attention. For example, children in Bishkek, Kyrgyz republic also live underground
because of the climatic conditions. The street children population in the Kyrgyz republic
also includes child victims of armed conflict. Although an increased in the numbers of
child beggars was noted, the problem has not yet been given government attention other
state reports to the committee on the rights of the child only briefly mention the increase
in the number of street children. However, domestic and international NGO worked in
the sub region have documented the situation more detail. Another category,’’traveling
children’’ has been identified in the Kyrgyz republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. These
children provide sexual and other services (such as lookouts, guards, or porters) for male
traders and travelers on trains. The children manage to cross borders easily enough and
become street children at their destination until finding another customer to take them
elsewhere. If caught, the children are returned to their ‘home countries’; after spending a
month or so in a detention or reception center, they return to the streets. (Blackley, 1999).
Such provision as exists for street children (and other categories of children at risk) is
predominantly through ‘humanitarian and charitable fund’’ for example, boarding
schools for orphans in Tajikistan (GRT, 1998,p.35 and shelters in Mongolia (West and
Tunglag 2002)
As mainstreaming street children from the street, program responses for street children
include formal and non-, formal education, life skills and vocational training. Micro
finance and other support to parents can prevent children from leaving home. Successful
programs include continuous training for and supervision of volunteers and staff. Focus
on family reintegration, Networking and institutional cooperation, Policy making,
advocacy and campaigning –based on the perceptions of children, their families, and
communities- confront the root causes of problems experienced by street children is an
innovative initiative to mainstreaming street children and improve their ability.

E!
South Asia is home to some of the largest concentrations of street children in the world.
South Asia possesses the highest illiteracy rate, as well as the largest percentage of child
malnutrition. South and Central Asia exhibit political, religious, ethnic, and linguistic

261
diversity. HIV and AIDS are not widespread in the region, but the potential for a
pandemic resembling that of Africa is evident. In this sub region, street children have
been a distinct social underclass for a longer period than elsewhere. NGOs there also
have had more experience in service provision and other interventions targeted to street
children, including the establishment of children’s organizations and working children’s
unions. Such organizations are based on the principle. The approach has developed
beyond the use of shelters toward working with children wherever they are living and at
times suitable to them, on the street or elsewhere. This approach includes a structural
focus on children’s participation, including children’s involvement in research, involving
them in the operation and management of shelters and other centers, and non -formal
education for street children. Particular attention has been given to the problems of street
children and violence.

Many countries in south Asia remain influenced by the legacies of British colonialism,
particularly with respect to legal codes and bureaucracies and other systems that have
pre-independence roots. NGOs have been active since 1920s. (ADB, 2003) Although the
northern kingdoms such as Napal and Bhutan have different political backgrounds,
overall the historical, political, legal and economic framework of South Asia are quite
different from those of East and Central Asia. Poverty again is the major contributing
cause of street children across South Asia, but the extent of poverty is such that it seems
to be an accepted or given context. The daily experience of rural poverty and its previous
probably is one reason why (rural) children are attracted to city life through the mass
media, mainly films. Although poverty is an important reason for children working on the
streets of South Asia, it seems that interfamily conflict; abuse, and violence are leading
causes for children’s separation from family (SCUK, 2001). Some abuse is especially
linked to reconstituted families, with reports of children beaten to death when they are
forcibly reunited with their families.

Children’s life on the street of South Asia is characterized by discrimination and stigma,
as well as problems of police harassment. Such harassment extends to illegal detention or
being detained on false charges, beatings and torture, and examples where the lawyers of
local drug dealers succeed in securing release of children from imprisonment where child
rights organizations have failed. A key element of the legal quandary affecting millions

262
of street children appears to be the use of antiquated, pre-independence legislation as the
basis for criminalizing children. Such laws simply do not apply to the contemporary
context, particularly in view of the CRC.

1 (

Bangladesh is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma
and India. The capital is Dhaka. Population was estimated at 138.4 million in 2003, and is
growing at a rate of 2.06 percent. Bangla, also known as Bengali, is the official language
of Bangladesh, but English is also spoken. In Bangladesh there are many NGOs working
in the development and welfare fields, although ‘unfortunately very few national and
international NGOs are active in the field of child rights’ (Khair and Khan2000, p41). In
addition, many of the large NGOs are now well established and institutionalized, and
tend to look to the upper levels of the hierarchy of poverty. This specialization is
important with respect to the development of children’s organizations, particularly in

263
Bangladesh and India. Such organizations emerge from a broader emphasis on children’s
participation. Because most agencies looking to the needs of street children in South Asia
are NGOs there is less emphasis on the placement of children in institutions as there is
elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region, Voluntary attendance has been emphasized with the
result that services lean towards what children want, or what might benefit them the most.
With aspirations of eventually operating such services in partnership with children, what
is lacking, however, is linkage to the high incidence of child labor including organization
to lobby for better working condition and protection of children’s basic rights.
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and
demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-governed
nation. Although half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of
Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-
important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods,
inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labour
force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources,
insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Economic
reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of
government. (Based on information from the CIA website, www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/, June 2004)

264
“A Civil Society Forum for South Asia on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street
Children”, 12- 14 December 2001, Colombo, Sri Lanka presented following information
about street children in Bangladesh
" 5 ) " : '
/' ) ))
'
Population: 130 Positive Severe problems of Due to relative Better mobilization
million (55 million government trafficking, CSEC inexperience of of resources,
under 18). High attitude towards and abuse. Concern Government in supervision of service
urban population reform. about potential this field, their organizations, and
growth rate (over Government is threat of HIV/AIDS tendency to mix dissemination of CRC
6% p.a. for last two piloting due to lack of the through local
decades). Increased interventions for awareness and characteristics of government level
poverty in urban street children surveillance systems disadvantaged needed. NGOs should
areas (out of through 9 NGOs in place. Programs children with mainstream principles
Dhaka’s population in 6 cities, for street children street children of the CRC into their
of 9.3 million, an funded by are inadequate due has led to the planning. Program
estimated 5 million UNDP. 17 to ever-increasing design and should be designed
are below the categories of numbers linked to implementation with the active

265
 /' ) ))
'
poverty line). 90% interventions widespread and of costly, participation of the
of the urban poor used in persistent poverty. improper and children themselves.
live in single room, Bangladesh are: Estimated that only ineffective Replication of
very poor quality research / 12% of street methodologies. existing 17 initiatives
accommodation. analysis; street children are being The 17 types of needed to reach more
Estimated number approach attended to, with no intervention street children. Need
of street children in (relationship government or NGO outlined have to strengthen inter-
Bangladesh: building); drop- plans to reach the been highly ministerial
445,226 (of which in centres; remainder. effective. coordination in
75% are in Dhaka shelters / homes; Government pilot Activating adult government. Income
city); 53% boys, appropriate project is only for 2 communities generation projects /
47% girls (Sept education; years (currently near with direct micro-credit schemes
2001 survey). All vocational completion), with contact with are
categories of street training; market no long-term street children as needed to accompany
children are called survey programme well as the wider family reunification
(‘rag (examining designed based on community helps and to address rural-
pickers’) by the supply and lessons learned. reduce child urban migration.
general public, demand of local Lack of access to exploitation as Social mobilization
although they may no hazardous healthcare facilities well as creating a and community
be engaged in a labor market and (due to lack of positive awareness
range of petty identifying skills information, over- environment for programmes
trading / required for crowding, street children (involving strong
employment / improvements in bureaucracy and and support for political commitment
criminal activities. individual discrimination) and programmes. and dedicated
Average daily children’s lack of preventive Engaging peer participation of law
income of street income healthcare educators and enforcement
children is approx. generation); (including sexual child to- child agencies) needed.
USD $0.55. psycho-social and reproductive contact is Introduction of street
counseling; health, vaccinations extremely children issues into
recreational and and basic hygiene successful. the curricula of
creative and nutrition). Ensuring training institutions
activities; legal Failure to address participation of (especially for social
aid / protection; street children’s children in workers, educators
health services; psychosocial trauma programs makes and counselors).
job placement; due to severe the children Create a forum for

266
 /' ) ))
'
advocacy; shortage of more confident street children NGOs
networking; professional social and empowers for both Bangladesh
awareness- workers and them in the and South Asia for
raising; family counselors etc., mainstreaming networking of good
reintegration; resulting in high process. Lack of practices, exchange of
children’s levels of substance training courses information and
organizations abuse. More for workers advocacy.
(self-help expensive drugs specifically on
groups). used by gangs to street children in
lure children into the country is
committing crimes. hampering
Lack of skills and development:
permanent address traditional
limits access to reliance on
proper employment. ‘learning through
NGOs are lacking in experience’ is
resources to time consuming
implement long- and leads to poor
term programs. quality
interventions
with adverse
consequences.

India is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,
between Burma and Pakistan. The capital is New Delhi. It is the seventh largest country
in the world. Religious, cultural, linguistic and geographical diversity, Population: 1.027
million of which 40% are under 18 (1/3 of the total population are under 15) and is
growing at a rate of 1.47 percent. One of the fasted grows developing countries, although
it ranks 115th among 162 countries in the Human Development Index. Rate of
urbanization was 28.77% in 2001. Nearly 29% of the population live average of 50% of
the urban population live in conditions of extreme deprivation-compounded by lack of
access to basic services and legal housing and poor urban governance. UNICEF estimate

267
of 11 million street children in India in 1994 is considered to conservative. Estimated
100,000-125,000 street children each in Mumbai Kolkata and Delhi, with 45000 in
Banglore.(www.streetchildrenconsortium/123/india.htm) Hindi is the national language
and primary tongue of 30% of the people. English is used as the language for national,
political, and commercial communication. India has fourteen other official languages:
Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi,
Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit.

India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture,

handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services.
Overpopulation severely handicaps the economy and about a quarter of the population is
too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet. Government controls have been reduced on
imports and foreign investment, and privatization of domestic output has proceeded
slowly. India has large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language.
The World Bank and others worry about the continuing public-sector budget deficit.
Deep-rooted problems remain, notably conflicts among political and cultural groups.

(Based on information from the CIA website, www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/, June 2004)

268
“A Civil Society Forum for South Asia on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street
Children”, 12- 14 December 2001, Colombo, Sri Lanka presented following information
about street children in India

" 5 ) " :5

/' ) ))
'
Seventh largest Legislative reform Lack of Old-fashioned Launch Railway
country in the in the light of the implementation approach of Children intervention /
world. CRC (e.g. Juvenile and monitoring institutionalising prevention projects at
Religious, Justice Act 2000, mechanisms for street children in major railway stations.
cultural, Children’s Code programmes and custodial care Link street children
linguistic and Bill 2000 etc.). lack of (often through into urban poverty
geographical Advocacy and enforcement of juvenile justice reduction programmes.
diversity. sensitisation legislation. Lack system) is not an Increased emphasis on
Population: workshops held for of birth appropriate or HIV/AIDS awareness
1.027 million members of registration, effective programmes as street
of which 40% parliament and the uniform adoption intervention. children are a high-risk
are under 18 police. Inclusion of law, children’s Community-based group. Replication of:
(1/3 of the total modules on participation and models with an outreach programmes,
population are children’s issues in childcentred emphasis on the community-based
under 15). One the training of approaches in contact / outreach models, night shelters,
of the fastest police officers. government. programme (trust drop-in / contact
growing Growing awareness Impact of forced and relationship centres in the vicinity
developing and attention to evictions, building) linked to of places of work/stay
countries, children’s rights in demolitions and ‘Contact Centres’ of street children,
although it the media. displacement on (access to services) innovative models of
ranks 115th Establishment of children. India has in the vicinity of NGOs with *
among 162 NGO training and the largest number their stay / work, / (Children’s
countries in the advocacy fora. of child labourers are much more Committees), and
Human Government claims in the world. effective. As the children’s participation
Development nearly 25,000 Widespread children live in in decisionmaking.
Index. Rate of children benefited poverty, groups, working Implementation and
urbanisation through 85 projects unemployment, with the group is enforcement of the
was 28.77% in in 35 cities under increasing rural- often more 2000 Juvenile Justice
2001. Nearly revised government urban migration, appropriate than Act throughout the
29% of the scheme for the attraction of city working on a one- country. Amendment
population live welfare of street life and lack of to-one basis. to Child Labour
in urban areas, children which political will to Promotion and (Prohibition and
with dramatic provides for grant- address increasing protection of street Regulation) Act 1986
growth of in-aid to NGOs in numbers of children’s rights is to protect children
slums and major cities (1998- children on the dependent on: (particularly street
shanty towns. 2000) (N.B. NGOs streets. Street sensitisation of children) in informal
An average of claim the scheme children are allied systems such labour economy.
50% of the has many loopholes subject to as the police, Simplification of
urban and problems in malnutrition, education, health, procedures to obtain
population live implementation). hunger, health judicial system, grant-in-aid from the
in conditions of Establishment of problems, media etc.; government to reduce
extreme joint government / substance abuse, attitudinal changes the burden of
deprivation - NGO project theft, CSE, in society which paperwork. Timely

269
 /' ) ))
'
compounded by CHILDLINE, a 24- harassment by the need to be release of government
lack of access hour, free, city police and addressed through grants, allocation of
to basic emergency railway public awareness adequate funds on a
services and telephone hotline in authorities, campaigns. long-term basis,
legal housing 29 cities, used by physical and Government continued financial
and poor urban more than one sexual abuse. involvement and support to ensure
governance. million children in Inadequacy of active support for sustainability of
UNICEF’s past 5 years. budget allocation NGO programmes NGO interventions and
estimate of 11 National Initiative impacts on is essential. beneficiary rather than
million street for Child Protection sustainability of Participation of donor-led funding
children in campaign launched projects and, in street children policies. Realistic
India in 1994 is in 2000 across particular, the themselves in appraisal of the
considered to police, healthcare, ability to employ decision-making situation of street
be judicial, education, qualified and and formulating children to
conservative. labour, transport, experienced social intervention acknowledge the
Estimated media and corporate workers. strategies is greatly current inadequacy of
100,000 – sectors. Broad range undervalued at government and NGO
125,000 street of NGO present. interventions to reach
children each in interventions for such a vast number of
Mumbai, street children. children in major cities
Kolkata and in India.
Delhi, with
45,000 in
Bangalore.

Indian has as many as 18 million street children, the world’s largest concentration.
Whereas all of them are extremely poor, up to half of them are Dalit, or belong to other
scheduled castes or tribes, pointing to deeply ingrained patterns of inequality (Rao, BVR
and B. and Mallik 1992). The context for street children in India is high members of
working children, estimated by one source between 70 and 100 million children
(www.streetchildrenconsortium/123/india.htm) National sample surveys give lower
figures-estimating the number of working children to be 17 million in 1987, increasing to
20 million by 2000. These figures, however, do not include the ‘unorganized sector of
economy.’’ Such as domestic workers and agricultural workers etc, that when included,
result in the much higher estimates (www.streetchildrenconsortium/123/india.htm). India
is clearly home to enormous numbers of street children, as well as millions of child
workers, many of who work in hazardous or exploitative circumstances. Because child
labor is illegal in India millions of child workers become officially nonexistent, without
faces and without voice. In addition to a violation of the principles of the CRC their lack
of legal status makes them ineligible for worker protection including compensation for

270
accidents at work (for example, losing a limb). These children are increasingly becoming
known as ‘ nowhere’ children –effectively excluded from school (education) and from
regulated work (employment), and from relevant statistics . The rapid increase in
HIV/AIDS in India affects street children in many ways, and girls rescued from
commercial sex work may be rejected by some refuges if HIV positive. ‘’An estimated
400000 children are trafficked in India every year” some shipped to the Middle East
(Stuart, 2003)

Nepal is located in Southern Asia, between China and India. The capital is Kathmandu.
Population was estimated at 26.4 million in 2003, and is growing at a rate of 2.26 percent.
Nepali is the official language and is spoken by approximately 90% of the population,
while about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects constitute the languages
of the rest of the population. English is often used in government and business.

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with 42% of its
population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy,
providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 40% of GDP.
Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute,
sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors
will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological
backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to
natural disaster.

Sri Lanka is an island located near Southern Asia, in the Indian Ocean, south of India.
The capital is Colombo, but Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital.
Population was estimated at 19.7 million in 2003, and is growing at a rate of .83 percent.
Sinhala is the official language, and Sinhala and Tamil are both national languages.

In 1977, Colombo abandoned statistic economic policies and its import substitution trade
policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic
sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages,

271
telecommunications, and insurance and banking. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work
abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year.
(Based on information from the CIA website, www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/, June 2004)

“A Civil Society Forum for South Asia on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street
Children”, 12- 14 December 2001, Colombo, Sri Lanka presented following information
about street children in Srilanka

" 5 ) " : /
/' ) ))

'
Population: Rapid progress in accepting and Strengthen
None
estimated 18.6 implementing children’s rights coordination amongst
million (1999). through the introduction / and between
Cycles of amendment of legislation, government and
violence linked to installation of monitoring NGOs. Mobilise
ethnic, political mechanisms, establishment of community and
and economic administrative structures, and corporate sector

272
 /' ) ))

'
factors exposure of child abuse by support. Compile a
experienced NGOs and the media. Inclusion national profile of
particularly over of street children as a category street children
the last 15 years. in the 1990-initiated National incorporating
Street children Plan of Action for children. statistical and other
NGOs estimate Launch of the Street Children data. Establish links
2000 street-living Network (SCN) in December with agencies in the
and streetworking 1996 which produced a SAARC region and
children in directory of street children with international
Colombo city NGOs in 1998. Establishment agencies. Activate the
(with 5000 of: National Child Protection Attendance and
children at risk) Authority (1999); Child Abuse Monitoring
and 2,500 outside Desks at police stations; 24- Committees at village
Colombo (with hour child abuse hotline. and divisional
5000 at risk). Amendment to crime and secretarial level in
Some estimates education-related legislation. relation to education.
place the at-risk Extensive range of NGO Organise more
figures in the services, including provision of services, especially
region of birth certificates and identity street-based services,
hundreds of cards, poverty alleviation in consultation with
thousands. programmes, micro-enterprises, street children
Accurate formal and nonformal education themselves in fields
statistical data and recreation. However, such as literacy,
about numbers further work is required in areas recreation, cultural
and dispersion of such as out of school children, activities, healthcare,
street children is child labour, children in conflict career guidance,
limited, but there with the law and children in counselling, skills
is especially difficult development, family
acknowledgement circumstances. support. Identify
that the number is causal factors – both
substantial and on immediate in relation
the increase. to the family, and
situational – in order to
target preventative

273
 /' ) ))

'
action.

Nepal has a population of 23.4 million(52% under 18). One of the poorest countries in
the world(49% of the population living in absolute poverty). Estimated 30,000 street
children in Nepal, of whom 3700 are homeless (UNICEF-Nepal1997). Although street
children in Nepal are relatively few, it is a growing problem: great concern that the
phenomenon will become unmanageable without immediate preventive action. More then
60% of street children belong to the Dalit ‘ untouchable ‘ community (compared with
approx. 17% of the population as a whole). Estimated 46% of street children are illiterate.
Particular Concern amongst the public at the perceived link between street children and
criminal behavior. It has only been a decade since civil society has raised the issue of
street children and child labor in Nepal. The restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990
has created an opportunity to place children high on the national agenda. (Based on
information from the CIA website, www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/, June 2004)

“A Civil Society Forum for South Asia on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street
Children”, 12- 14 December 2001, Colombo, Sri Lanka presented following information
about street children in Nepal

" 5 ) " : (
/' ) ))
'
Population: Enactment of Dangerous and Most street children Integrated approach
23.4 million Children’s Act 1992 unhealthy living programmes are needed involving
(52% under and the Child environments and needs-based rather government, NGOs
18). One of the Labour Prohibition the resulting than rights-based and INGOs. High-level
poorest and Regulation Act untreated illnesses and are limited to advocacy campaign
countries in the 2000. Existence of and frequent ad hoc, community required to sensitise

274
 /' ) ))
'
world (49% of NGO networks and injuries that entail. scale interventions public opinion.
the population activities such as Lack of adequate without integration Creation of a national
living in centres (transit, emotional support, into a holistic hotline. Develop more
absolute drop-in, food, shelter and approach to reduce cooperative, less
poverty). rehabilitation), safe places to duplication and competitive
Estimated appropriate sleep and store maximise atmosphere among
30,000 street education, school belongings, effectiveness. NGOs. Programmes
children in enrolment leading to Programmes that need to extend to the
Nepal, of programmes, inability of street fail to address street itself rather than
whom 3,700 vocational training, children to save sustained support remaining based in
are homeless health support and money. for family institutions.
(UNICEF- mobile clinics, Dependency of reintegration will Community-level
Nepal 1997). family reintegration, newcomers to the often result in the family support
Although street recreation and street on more child returning to programmes and
children in advocacy (including ‘experienced’ the streets. development of cottage
Nepal are workshops, research street children. Sustainable industries is necessary
relatively few, and surveys, photo Involvement of rehabilitation using local resources
it is a growing exhibitions on child street children in depends on home and labor. Creation of a
problem: great labor, children’s criminal activities visits and local counseling /
concern that the paintings, street (currently limited fieldwork, rather socialization
phenomenon drama etc.). to petty theft etc than superficial center in urban areas to
will become in the Patan area). intervention. Street provide moral and
unmanageable A survey on children physical support,
without HIV/AIDS among programme including provision of
immediate street children has activities lockers for children’s
preventive not yet been have not yet belongings and
action. More conducted by any addressed root washing facilities.
than 60% of organisation to causes, nor have Provision of continued
street children date. implementation appropriate education
belong to the agencies been and integration into
Dalit successful in formal schooling
‘untouchable’ developing system. Vocational
community preventative training needs to be
(compared with programmes. supported by job
approx. 17% of guarantees on

275
 /' ) ))
'
the population completion of training.
as a whole). Improvement of first
Estimated 46% aid services to street
of street children and support
children are for rural repatriation if
illiterate. requested.
Particular
concern
amongst the
public at the
perceived link
between street
children and
criminal
behaviour. It
has only been a
decade since
civil society has
raised the issue
of street
children and
child labour in
Nepal. The
restoration of
multi-party
democracy in
1990 has
created an
opportunity to
place children
high on the
national agenda

276
In Nepal most street children come from families of poor farmers or agricultural workers,
and who dropped out of school before achieving literacy or numeric pedagogical tool by
family and teachers alike is extremely common’’(UNICEF-Nepal 1997). As elsewhere,
police harassment was identified as a major issue.

A recent drop in the number of street children in Nepal has been attributed to an increase
in facilities for them, linked to an increased in social awareness. However, this reduction
seems to depend also on the way street children are counted because the same source
points to a worsening or the problem of sexual exploitation with an increase in sex
tourism (ADB, 2003). One of the reasons for not attaining the target goals (for children)
is the conventional approach towards development. Our development planning is
generally not child friendly, nor are they rights based; they are guided by the charity
based approach instead.’’ While many agencies working with children in Nepal have not
yet involved the children actively in implementing their projects, other have developed
‘’children’s clubs’’ or other groups, including groups looking at issues of violence
against girls.

Pakistan is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the
east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north. The capital is
Islamabad. Population was estimated at 150.6 million is 2003, and is growing at a rate of
2.01 percent. Almost 32% live below the poverty line . 1/3 of total population lives in
urban areas. Karachi is one of the largest and fastest growing mega cities in the world.
High population growth rate combined with weak economy is leading to increasing
poverty. Urbanization and environmental degradation have lead to widespread
displacement of rural populations to urban areas-leading in turn to social tensions and a
breakdown in family structures, thus contributing to the increase in street children. No
statistics are available for street children in Pakistan although verbal estimates attribute
10.000 street children (with no apparent family links). Each to Lahore and Karachi. Street
children are mainly engaged in unskilled (including hazardous) labor, with limited

277
occupational mobility and prospects for the future.

Pakistan's economic prospects, although still marred by poor human development

indicators, continued to improve in 2002 following unprecedented inflows of foreign
assistance beginning in 2001. The government has made significant inroads in
macroeconomic reform since 2000, but progress is beginning to slow. Long-term
prospects remain uncertain as development spending remains low, regional tensions
remain high, and political tensions weaken Pakistan's commitment to lender-
recommended economic reforms. (Based on information from the CIA website,
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/, June 2004)

“A Civil Society Forum for South Asia on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street
Children”, 12- 14 December 2001, Colombo, Sri Lanka presented following information
about street children in Pakistan

278
 " 5 ) " : /
/' ) ))
'
Population: 140.5 Juvenile Justice “Larger social, Homeless street Facilitation of street
million (almost System economic and children are more children to articulate
43% under 15). Ordinance 2000. political forces likely to initially their requirements and
Almost 32% live Drafting of combine to prefer practical skills determine procedures
below the poverty legislation in marginalize education required to attain them. The
line. 1/3 of total relation to children and bring for day-today government, donor
population live in health. them to a city’s survival, but may opt agencies and NGOs
urban areas. Ratification of streets: an for more formal / must extend
Karachi is one of ILO Convention economic night school / higher interventions towards
the largest and 182. Proposed atmosphere which education on family-based
fastest growing government pushes a section growing older. programmes. The
megacities in the rejuvenation of of our society to Children with more formal school system’s
world. High system the edges, a family contact rigid admission rules
population (Centres for Lost political agenda choose pavement must be relaxed.
growth rate and Kidnapped that is based on schools etc. with Development of a code
combined with Children) – tokenism and a flexible schedules in of conduct for shelters
weak economy is linked to a strata of society a relaxed atmosphere in Pakistan. Police must
leading to national helpline which is that fosters register cases of
increased - to address the increasingly creativity. A plan of missing children.
poverty. issue of street splintering in the action should be Awareness-raising and
Urbanization and children. course of its wary of creating an sensitization through
environmental UNICEF 1999 struggle for inducement for child media, traditional and
degradation have initiative on survival.” Street labor while offering performing arts.
led to widespread street children children are prey education in Community
displacement of including a to criminal combination with mobilization strategies
rural populations qualitative coercion by gangs vocational training. to develop monitoring /
to urban areas - survey, intended and find it Institutionalization is early warning systems
leading in turn to to address gaps difficult to safely not effective. The to identify children at
social tensions in save money. They need for discipline risk of taking to street
and a breakdown current service are subject to can be met by life and provide them
in family provision. physical and consensus group with alternatives.
structures, thus sexual abuse and decision-making on Development of viable
contributing to exploitation (both the running of the alternative income
the increase in commercial and shelter. Street generation for at-risk

279
street children. non-commercial), children are families. Formation of
No statistics are harassment by the particularly a national pool of
available for police, substance vulnerable to the healthcare providers
street children in abuse (cigarettes, worst forms of child who have the expertise
Pakistan although alcohol, solvents, labor in the to deal with health
verbal estimates marijuana and unregulated, issues affecting street
attribute 10,000 occasionally informal sector. children. Creation of a
street children crack) and are at non-threatening
(with no apparent high risk of environment to
family links) each acquiring STDs facilitate children’s
to Lahore and and HIV. Societal participation.
Karachi. Street distrust – Improvement in
children are perceived as networks and
mainly engaged delinquents. monitoring mechanisms
in unskilled to share information
(including and
hazardous) experience and to
labour, with evaluate progress being
limited made.
occupational
mobility and
prospects for the
future.

In Pakistan , street children are found within the broader context of a large number of
working children, conservatively estimated to involve 10 million children under 14 years
old in 1994 (ADB, 2003 ) . Children are said to be engaged in labor in poor and
hazardous working conditions that approach ‘’near slavery’’. Some children in boned
labor abscond to the street , other children are trafficked . In 1992 it was estimated that
some 20,000 were sent to the gulf region to be used as camel jockeys. It was reported that
children has taken into detention were placed with adults and open to sexual exploitation
and ‘’re-education’’ by hardened criminals (ibid). In this context may not be surprising
that in Pakistan ‘’ the issue of street children has not been considered important or
considerable enough for a check on magnitude to be drawn in this country, therefore
numbers are not known.’’ . However, one estimate for Lahore, alone suggested 10,000

280
street children. Given that some 40% of the 14 million population of Karachi live in
settlements, the figure for street children in this city could be many times that of Lahore.

Causes for street children being on the street in Pakistan also include poverty , family
violence and conflict : NGOs appear as a major resource in working with the children and
undertaking practice-based research of the issue . In 1999, a ‘’non governmental
initiative’’ was launched ‘’to protect more than a million street children in Pakistan
following, the sensational murders of nearly 100 children in Lahore by a serial
killer’’(www.streetchildrenconsortium/123/.htm). A report in 2001 noted that the
majority of the more than 10, 000 children on the streets of Karachi were Bengalis and
Burmese as well as other ethnic groups including Punjabis, Baluchis, and Urdu speaking
children. Nearly 90% used various drugs, with some 65% using solvent (CSC, 2001). The
range of national origins, as well as extensive substance abuse, points to the vast
differences traveled by some street children, as well a the plight of ethnic and minority
groups in these countries.

The development of street children’s own organizations and associations of their groups
of children has been recognized as an important characteristic of provision in South Asia.
Such organizations have been successfully to the extent that some religious and political
groups have challenged them apparently opposed to children’s active participation as
citizens, despite this being fundamental element of the convention on the rights of the
child. The existence of these organizations has had some impact on the development of
provision for street children and an emphasis on meeting children’s needs on the street.,
including children’s empowerment . Many of these organizations have now reached the
point that they are looking to mechanisms for organizational sustainability as some of
their client groups move adolescence into adulthood.

E+
The countries of mainland Southeast Asia represent a diverse group of countries not all of
which were colonized, but which share a history of shifting power groups and capital
locations. In addition, number of minority ethnic groups straddle current international

281
borders Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
all share borders with the Peoples Republic of China(PRC). All of the countries in this
sub region have large numbers of citizens who are ethnically Chinese but whom have
intermarried wit local populations.

An important characteristic of this sub region is human migration and movement

including the trafficking of children and young women. Rapid change in the economies
of Southeast Asia including geographic and other forms of inequality, stimulating
migration as well as providing opportunities for traffickers to earn money. These
processes of human movement are also played out in country, with migration and
trafficking from rural to rapidly growing urban areas. While not all of those trafficked for
example, will become street children, the processes invaliding are similar for those who
do end up on the street (ADB, 2003). Children moving from Viet Nam into Cambodia as
well as southern PRC (and beyond), from Myanmar to Yunnan Province (PRC) and
Thailand, from Cambodia to Viet Nam and Thailand etc reasons for such movements of
people vary, but include both economic migration and large –scale criminal trafficking
networks, usually connected with the commercial sex trade. I has been estimated , for
example, that some 20,000 children aged 3-16 years from Myanmar currently work in
Thailand as beggars, street sellers , or rubbish pickers, with many older girls(i.e. 12-19
years ) working as sex workers (ADB, 2003)

Another feature common to the countries of the sub region is the ever-increasing
availability of a wide range of illegal drugs and narcotics, with increasing abuse of such
substances by children and young people. Amphetamine –type substances are common in
Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The cycle of living on the street, using drugs,
imprisonment for drug use or trafficking, release, return to the street, drug use and so on,
was observed in a project in Thailand, the links between some street children and drug
are one cause of many street children falling of the law. The conditions of detention often
further alienate children from adults and community life, or introduce them to new forms
of criminality. In Thailand a series of riots broke out at youth detention centers in early
2000 over living conditions and treatment of children. Children and youths use of drugs

282
is another cause for their movement to the street well-off children who develop a drug
dependency may steal from their families or be thrown out of home as a family disgrace.

While there are many communities, each country has its own particular circumstances for
street children’s lives. For example, in Cambodia, children work picking rubbish on tips,
often living with their families who all depend on scavenging. The economy of rubbish
picking is complex, with a hierarchy of status and variety of income opportunities
(Gourley, S . 1996)). Cambodia also has as historical context of children working; drug
the Khmer Rouge regime, all children more than 5 years old were required to work (ibid)
the depth of poverty in Cambodia has meant that children are vulnerable to trafficking as
well as migration to seek work. The country has also been noted destination for sex
tourism although this problem is receiving increased attention, including prevention
awareness raising at village level, anti –child sex publicity at airport and hotels etc. while
such efforts have contributed to a wider understanding that sexual exploitation of children
is a crime, inadequate legislation and enforcement mechanisms, as well as endemic
poverty, have meant that child prostitution continues. Recent studies of tourism at
Cambodia’s Angkor watt temple complex have show that in addition to solicitation by
both local and foreign men, children also seek sexual relationship for their livelihoods .

In Vietnam there remain social, economic and cultural differences between north and
south, with a history of street children and widespread drug use in the south that preceded
reunification. Since the launching of the doi moi economic reform process the focus on
‘making money’ also has been instrumental in families splitting up. In 1995, it was
estimated that there were 50,000 street children in Vietnam (ibid). The government
response initially focused on existing state institutions established to deal with perceived
‘deviants’ or people out of their geographic place. By mid –1990s, counseling centers
were established by local NGOs, usually with the support of international NGOs.
Provision now includes drop in centers and open houses supported by the development of
a profession of social work. Children’s participation also is growing in Vietnam, allowing
children to decide whether to enter a shelter. Toward the end of the 1990s, the interest

283
(and funding) of international NGOs appears to have shifted from street children toward
child labor issues. This shift demonstrates both the influence of donor agencies and the
difficult of mounting long-term or sustainable programs to address the street children
problem.

Sex tourism, HIV/AIDS, and gender issues are general problems for street children across
the sub region; increasing numbers of street children are contracting HIV/AIDS in
Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam (particularly in the south). AIDS orphans have existed
in Thailand since the late 1980s and are increasing also in Cambodia at an alarming rate.
At the end of 2002, Cambodia had the highest per capita rate of people living with
HIV/AIDS in all of Asia (although it is predicated that India will soon take over this
dubious distinction)

In Indonesia, political, the 1999 military campaigns in Timor-Leste, and that country’s
subsequent independence, provide the contemporary context for street children in this
part of the Asia –Pacific region. A 1999 survey of 12 cities in Indonesia found 170,000
street children (Child Hope, Asia news bulletin 11(1-2). The numbers of street children
have been increasing rapidly in northern Sumatra, trebling during 1999-2001(Berman
Laine , 2001). As of 2001, Yogyakatra in Java had large numbers of girl’s street children.
There reasons have been cited the separation of families during the forced evacuation to
west Timor; the destruction of many homes in the capital Dili; and the September 1999
destruction of all orphanages in the western part of Timor-Leste. Around 1000 street
children have been reported in Dili; and religious groups to provide some services have
established two projects. In west Timor, orphanages are said to exist in all major
townships, run principally by religions organizations-catholic protestant and Muslim- as
well as some other groups.

The incidence of street children across Malaysia appears to have not been documented,
although one estimate suggests that peninsular and island Malaysia may be home to up to
75,000 street children (ADB, 2003 )

284
There are reportedly large numbers of street children in the Philippines, although
estimates vary widely. One report suggests 1.5 million street children (Jubilee Action,
Undated) while another suggests only 15000 street working children (West. A, 2003).
However, both reports agree that there are some 100,000-child sex workers in the
country. The Department of Social Welfare and Development in 1998 estimated that
there were 222,417 street children in 65 major cities in the country. As elsewhere in the
region, the context for Filipino street children is endemic poverty-more than half the
country’s urban population is categorized as living below the country’s absolute poverty
line a figure rising to 64% in some rural areas according to one report (ADB, 2003).

The sexual exploitation of children, including sex tourism, continues to be a major

problem in the Philippines. Filipino girls are trafficked out of the country for sex work
(ECPAT,1999). At least one NGO rescues children from brothels and other exploitative
work situations.

The situation in the Pacific varies. Urban youth are identified as a problem in Papua New
Guinea. There are large numbers of homeless children in neighboring Australia. Some
pacific nations report no issues associated with street children. Research in Australia in
2002, using data from the 2001 census, found an 8% increase in homeless children in the
country since 1994. There are now reported to be some 26,000 homeless children aged
12-18 years across Australia. The rate varies by state from 69 out of every1000 children
the northern (http://fnbnews.org/news/2002/07/259.php ). Territory, high levels of
domestic violence and family breakdown are associated with the problem of
homelessness. It would seem that homeless children in developed countries also are
publicly stigmatized and given low priority for attention much as with street children
developing countries.

E01 ) ' ' ) '8

There are numerous examples of promising practices in projects across the Asia-Pacific
region, although it must be recognized that individual projects cannot address every

285
aspect of a street child’s life. Rather, approaches usually are limited to particular issues,
such as health or education, children and work, children and drugs and trafficking.The
following section provides some examples of best practice from the Asia –Pacific region
(West .A, 2003).
3 5
The practice of children’s participation is uneven across the region, and probably best
developed in parts of South Asia and Philippines. Preparation for the May 2002 United
Nations Special Session on Children featured child participation. While such activity is
important, one –off promotional events often detract from the need for children’s ongoing
involvement in decision-making in family and community and daily life. In addition,
such opportunities rarely extend to poor or vulnerable children, including street children.
Well-known examples of child participation include children’s unions in India (Box
6.6.1), the Child Brigade in Bangladesh (Box: 6.6.1) and the Street Children’ Butterflies’,
project in India (Box: 6.6.2). Other examples include the children’s clubs of Nepal, and
children’s involvement in decision-making in connection with making a move to shelters
in Thailand (Foundation for a Better Life for Children).
Many developed countries as well as some Asian states have undertaken the setting of
national standards for provision. The establishment of such standards is linked to the
development of legislation and the coordination of services. In the Propels Republic of
China (PRC), the Ministry of Civil Affairs has begun the development of standards of
care. In Thailand , new legislation for children was developed by 2000 . While
cooperation and multisectoral working are in evidence in some countries, there are many
gaps and issues that require further attention. Research, certain prevention initiatives,
development of street work, provision of temporary accommodation, and education and
vocational training are more advanced. Capacity building has been an integral part of
most good projects, if only to train project staff in ways of communicating and working
with children. In some countries, efforts has been directed to the development of social
workand related professions including the establishment of university courses, for
example, Save the Children, UK’s support of a social work course at the State
Pedagogical University in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

286
C. Child Protection:
Child protection usually has been linked more to issue of protection from abuse or
exploitation rather than the broader remit of social protection. Increasingly child
protection looks beyond physical protection to the varied circumstances and reasons why
children are at risk. Collaborative and multicultural working, the coordination of services,
and partnerships are playing important parts in the wider protection of children’s right’s.

The Bal Mazdoor Union (Child Workers Union), New Delhi, India
The Bal Mazdoor Union sees itself as a platform of and for children who are denied access to their basic rights.
It enables children to gain strength from their unity and increases their bargaining power. The Union is
concerned with the situations of abuse , exploitation , and /or denial of basic fundamental rights such as the
right to a childhood , education, recreation, leisure ,shelter , health care, the right to respect and opportunities to
participate in policies and programs offering children. Through their Union, the children also seek to mobilize
public opinion and unemployment of their families. The Bal Mazdoor Union in its various collective actions
has also highlighted the situation of children in this larger context and has held adults accountable when
children’s rights have been severely violated. For example, in 1994 the Union brought to the attention of people
the callous death of 15-year-old Zaffar Imam by his employer .In this case the Union through its dialogue with
the chief Minister of Delhi , was able to change the change from attempted murder to murder. Further , on
behalf of the child’s parents, the Union filed a case in the Delhi High Court for compensation.

Child Brigade, Dhaka Bangladesh

Child Brigade is an organization that started in Dhaka in 1995 as a pilot project of Save the Children, Sweden,
Child Brigade since has become an established and well-known organization its own rights. Its motto is ‘’Be
together and Organized’’. Child Brigade also strives to improve the circumstances of street children. The
children of Child Brigdae seek to participate at all levels in issues affecting them.

A core group , elected by a wider group of street children bears responsibility for carrying out the
organization’s activities. Any street child aged 10-16 years who is willing to follow the rules and regulations of
Child Brigade can become a member . Members have opportunities for training and personal development,
education, health care, space to leave belongings, and some income –generating activities. Child Brigade also
organizes a street and social networking program to raise awareness among street children through a group
training process. The organization reaches out to some 400 street and working children through 6 contact points
in the city. Through drama and ‘’Babloo’’ their literacy kit, Child Brigade involves street children in
discussions on issues affecting them on child rights and on literacy and numeracy, Child Brigade has published
its own book 3 based on the observations of street children and has produced a series of posters
highlighting the problems facing street children in Bangladesh .

Child Brigade members have made linkages with street children involved in other projects and with child rights
activists. For example, Child Brigdae members played an active role in discussions and wider forum of children
from other NGOs and children’s organizations. Child Brigade recently formed partnerships with an adult
human rights organization (adhikar) as well as with a group of journalist. In addition to helping to sensitize the
wider public in Bangladesh about the abuse and exploitation of children, Child Brigade has helped to establish a
‘’ monitoring cell’’ that provides street children with immediate free legal assistance.
" % 3 !2 #3 / %" 3 5 # 3-*# <>>B

- ! 7/ - 2 $ 18 99

287
 The Butterflies Organization of Street and Working Children has been working with
of New Delhi since 1988. Through a team of street educators the organization is in contact with
approximately 700 children at 9 nine contact points where there are concentrations of street and working
children. Butterflies general objectives are to empower street children with the knowledge and skills
necessary to protect their rights as children as children and develop as respected and productive citizens: to
provide such children with necessary support and assistance for reinstatement in their families where possible
and to use the CRC as a major tool for ensuring government and public accountability for the well-being of
all vulnerable children.

Butterflies believe in the principles of democracy and community participation in decision-making. Every
fortnight children of each contact point hold a meeting to discuss issues. Unique on going activities plan
future activities etc. Once a month, representatives from each contact point come together for the Bal Sabha
(Children’s Council, the supreme body and the guiding force and mechanism of the Butterflies program).
The children elect a chairperson and a minute taker. Each member is encouraged to share any agenda issues,
and each of the outlined points is discussed with key decisions recorded. Most often, the issues concern
police harassment, nonpayment of wages, need for better jobs wages, education , saving schemes, problems
of gambling or drugs, and planning picnics and other outings.

The meeting enables children to discuss and share information that concerns their lives to analyze various
social and political events and to work together toward collective action. It has helped in refining Butterflies
program interventions as well as helping to organize children and create a forum where they can speak and
share their ideas. The idea of a Children’s Council provides a concrete mechanism for children’s collective
voice to be heard.

Butterflies also helped launch children planned initiatives. For example, in 1989, children started their own
Butterflies Restaurant as a training venture as well as to provide subsidized meals to other street children. In
1991 children formed their own Child Workers Union (Bal Mazdoor Union) and in 1996 children established
media group called ‘Bal Mazdoor Ki Awaz’(Child Workers Voice) that produces a regular wall newspaper
on issues affecting children . In 2000, a children’s Health Cooperative was established. All these initiatives
were the out comes of children’s collective response to Bal Sabha discussions.

" % 3 !2 #3 / %" 3 5 # 3-*# <>>B

*" # #
In Sri Lanka, for example national coordination has been developed through the National
Child Protection Authority. In Pakistan, a lawyers organization has developed
partnerships with other groups focusing on legal aid, awareness raising on child abuse
and policy input. The Philippines has developed a multisectoral approach to case
management in the area of sexual exploitation of children .

NGOs also have undertaken training and rights awareness activities with police, such as
in anti trafficking partnerships. One NGO, Child Helpline International, is attempting to

288
provide vulnerable children and street children with information and services of which
they can avail, as well as a crisis line for assistance (Box: 6.6.3)

Figure 37 provides an indicative list of necessary practice areas relating to street children.

Figure: 37 street children basic areas of practice in south Asia

General
•Participation •Partnership •Law •Advocacy and Awareness Raising •Protection •Standard Setting •Capacity
Building of organizations •Multi sect oral working •Coordination and regulation •Budgets •Research
•Monitoring and evaluation•Training of Staff

⇓ ⇓

⇔⇔ ⇓

⇓
Prevention Street Activities
-Street work
-Family violence -Outreach
-Detached
-Poverty Reduction
-Legal Aid and Advice
-Schools -Identity Papers
-Community -Education
awareness -Health
-Anti trafficking Peer Education
-Sex tourism -Drop in Centers
-Transport -Services for children in
-Life skills conflict with the law
-Substance Abuse -HIV/AIDS
-Reproductive Health -drugs and
-HIV/AIDS
substance abuse,

Another example of a broad approach to protection is found in Bangladesh, through the

Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) and ARISE (Appropriate Resources for
Improving Street Children’s Environment), A project of Ministry of Social Welfare and
UNDP. BSAF is a national network of 200 NGOs that are actively involved in child
rights activities, with the objectives of establishing a social environment that ‘respects,
promotes and protects the rights of children. Where the child is free of abuse,
discrimination and exploitation irrespective of their nationality, caste, color or religion’’

289
(www.streetchildrenconsortium/123.htm) .The forum’s activities include interagency
networking, coordination, capacity building and lobbying. The holistic approach of
ARISE project ensures the protection of street children’s rights through the Nine Partner
NGOs working in six Divisional cities in Bangladesh.

Child Helpline is not only belonging to the organizations that constitute it or to the
partners who found it or to the Ministries that support it. It belongs primarily to the
children who are the reason for its existence. A group of NGOs working with street
children committed themselves to the project. This group brainstormed, discussed,
debated amongst them to design an effective strategy to ensure that a child calling from
anywhere in the city, could be reached quickly. The implementation of child Helpline
was also discussed with other networks for children. Thus a partnership evolved between
academics, NGOs and NGO networks to strengthen the service.

Box: 6.6.3 !
The NGO . ) aims for a global network of telephone and outreach services for children and
young people. As of 2002 there were some 38 help lines for children in different countries .A children’s telephone help
line is accessible and free of charge to children around the clock, enabling them to contact someone in an emergency
situation. Children’s helpline allow children to directly express their concerns on issues affecting them. Child Helpline
International believe that children have rights and children can identify the problems that confront them. A telephone
help line ensures that children have access to assistance whenever they want and also provides a platform for the
community to partner in protecting children.

The experience of help lines across the region includes listening to children, responding to crisis situations, networking
amongst organizations working with children, and generating data to lead into government policies. Children in need of
care and protection often are unaware of services available to them, or do not have easy access to such services.

Helplines could provide 24 hours service for children and young persons in emergency situations and include a range
of media, such as telephone (fixed line mobile telephones, text messaging), Internet, band radio, and mail (including
free post) .The target group s are the most marginalized groups of children in developing countries.

" % 3 !2 #3 / %" 3 5 # 3-*# <>>B

-
Research, particularly participatory action research, has been used to identify problems
and initiatives. This type of research has been used in ‘cross-border projects’ in South
east Asia and the PRC to reduce the incidence of trafficking (for example, Caouette ,
undated , SCUK , 2001) . Such work has been very effective in promoting awareness

290
about trafficking. But underlying issues such as poverty, abuse, discrimination and
exclusion, all need to be tackled to prevent children’s drift away from home.

An important development in the research agenda has been the active participation of
children in research as well as children’s own research (Box: 6.6.4) . Such research has
brought new insights into children’s situations and the processes needed to realize
children’s rights. Adults, including those with much experience of work with street
children, have expressed surprise at some findings, with children highlighting issues not
otherwise seen as important. For example, street children in Bangladesh highlighted the
problems they experienced in playing outside because of police harassment and the
attitude of the general public (West .A, 1999)

5
Prevention work includes advocacy at different levels and training of adults
(professionals, community leaders, local residents) as well as children (including peer
educators). This type of work has been very successful in the western PRC, in reducing
the numbers of children migrating or being trafficked eastwards. The style of advocacy
and training, however, must fit local conditions and culture –mass meetings were used,
inter alias, in western PRC, but they might not be as effective elsewhere. Other examples
of prevention work in the PRC are given in Box 6.6.5. Campaigns against sex tourism in
Cambodia have included printed material (such as maps of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap)
given away free to tourists upon arrival. Some projects have looked to community
awareness raising and training in different areas, but this work needs also o be linked to
issues of poverty.
Thailand offers an interesting example of preventing training of vulnerable girls from
poor communities (Box: 6.6.6). In South Asia, there are many projects working against
violence toward girl children, as well as projects focusing on disabled children. While not
necessarily undertaken to prevent children coming into the street, such work has impact
on the context of children’s lives and the opportunities that correlate with the
development of circumstances of risk and vulnerability.

291
 Box 6.6.4" # $ " % & ' ("% )

In Yunnan Province, the Provincial Public Security Bureau (PSB), together with the provincial Women’s
Federation, the Civil Affairs Bureau , and Ethnic Commission , undertook projects in two prefectures (Honghe
and Wenshan) along with the local PSB and Women’s federation , the work was supported by Save the Children,
UK.

The principal aim at the Honghe Township sites was to influence local people in a joint effort to produce
educational materials related to trafficking prevention. The focus included rescued women and girls, mobile
children and youth under 18 , children within the community , and community members in general. Among the
activities used was the singing of mountain folk and popular songs revolving around the subject of trafficking.
Prevention of Trafficking in Women and children calendar and the knitting of a fabric poster on the same subject
in the style of the Hani people by persons from the Bamu Village Office ( a grass root level administrative
district),Sancun Administrative Village . A video recording (VCD) of community-based activities at project sites
in Honghe was produced with strong support from support from the Honghe Prefecture PSB, Honghe county
Women’s Federation, and Honghee County Breau of Culture. The VCD was shown on the Honghe Prefecture TV
station as part of the program ‘Twenty Minute Police Forum’ and had significant social impact.

In western Prefecture, project objectives included engaging in projects that benefited the community as a whole
improving the organizational skills and self- demonstration of community members (especially women); bringing
about community –wide participation, increasing trafficking prevention awareness and skills among community
members and making the village into a ‘trafficking prevention civilized village’ involving interdepartmental
operation . The responsibilities and functions of the different organizations were established and village laws
drafted with the support of the Guangnan County PSB and Women’s Federation, the Nanping Township
Government, the Women’s House, Village Protection Bridge, and the Villagers Team.

To the northwest, in Xinjiang, the provincial Street Children Protection Center involved the Justice Bureau. Civil
Affairs Bureau, the Women’s Federation, and the University and Social Science Academy, again with the support
of Save the Children, Uk, in providing training on children’s rights parenting and children’s issues, awareness –
raising workshops on
" trafficking
% 3 !and
2 urban
# 3 life,
/ and participatory
%" action3 research. The
5 collaboration
# 3-*# <>>B was repeated
around the province and included mass meetings in local languages. In addition, much use was made of local
television. Apparently as a result of project the members of street children coming from Xinjiang Province
dropped significantly over the following year.
-" 2

There are many kinds of street work , such as providing education on the street at
designated times and places or in drop in centers, helping children without formal identity
papers to access hospitals services and medicines, and providing legal aid services
through drop in centers. The development of street work is unevenly distributed across
the region. While common in some countries, it does not exist in the PRC and has only
recently started in other parts of East and Central Asia. For example, street educators
have been employed recently in Mongolia with aim of drawing street children into
services provided by day centers or drop in centers (West and Tungalag 2002)

292
 %& '('() * + , #
* * % ' $ +

Since 1997, street children in Bangladesh have conducted research with support and help by adults. The ‘Shoshur
Bari’ research focused on street children who, at some stage of their lives, came into contact with law –enforcing
agents, which resulted either in their being taken into custody or incarcerated in jail or a home for vagrants. There
were 14 children in the research group, comprising both boys and girls. The research took place over six months.
Uniquely, the children were given the authority and space within broad parameters to decide specific research
issues and various methods for accumulating information and identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing key findings
and recommendations. Interviews were also taken of lawyers, magistrates, government officials, police personnel,
jail officials, and former and current child and adult prisoners. The adult core team members then carried out
interviews with a similar sample group to strengthen the children’s research findings.
The study described the stages through which children often leave home and how they often and up in jail.
Maltreatment by family members emerged as the major cause of children leaving home .On the street , they often
are picked up by police, usually without specific case or warrant , and become victims with no recourse to legal
representation. Police have various tactics to apprehend street children , usually intensified during the eve of strike
days on account of ‘street violence , as described by the children . Under custody children experience physical and
psychological abuse from the police , and when taken court are not properly represented leading to their indefinite
detention in jail without any follow up for release . In jail and shelter homes they suffer a denial of the basic
necessities of life as well as egregious violations of their human rights.
The child researchers also developed recommendations to improve the situation of street children in detention ;
stopping police from apprehending children without specific charge , the establishment of alternative center(s)
exclusively for child detainees, stopping abuse of children by family members at home, treating street children’s
situation with special consideration , and effective NGO involvement to ensure the protection and well-being of
street children in support of these recommendations, the children suggested certain advocacy measures, including
meetings with senior government officials and NGO representatives as well as holding press conferences and
producing television features on street children issues.

" % 3 !2 #3 / %" 3 5 # 3-*# <>>B

Two particularly important aspects of work on the street includes HIV/AIDS awareness
and the provision of ‘life skills’ and /or harm reduction around the use of drugs and other
substances as well as sex and reproductive health . Useful strategies have included peer
education, whereby a group of children are trained to be able to pass on accurate
information to others. There are a number of issues in the provision of accurate material
and sustaining projects(west 2002) . Peer counseling among abused and exploited
children has also been found to be useful in the Philippines in community based program
. Another important area is vulnerability of street children in relation to the law , and
particularly their relationship with police.

293
 Box 6.6.6 , # - " -
The youth Career Development Program has contributed toward a reduction in commercial sexual exploitation of
children by giving girls aged 17-20 employment training for the hotel and travel industry. The girls are selected
from provinces in northern and northeastern Thailand. The target provinces are among the poorest in Thailand and
have the lowest levels of nonagricultural employment. Social pressures, parental expectations, poverty, and a lack
of educational and employment opportunities can put girls at risk of economic and sexual exploitation. Each year
thousands of young women flock to Bangkok and urban areas in search of work. Many young women without
appropriate skills end up working in bars, massage parlors and brothels. Some girls are even sold into prostitution
by parents and relatives and in several areas northern Thailand it has become acceptable to encourage daughters to
enter commercial sex work. The Government estimates that 20,000-40,000 girls under the age of 18 are engaged
in commercial sex work (ECPAT, 2002-2003).

The Pan Pacific Hotel in Bangkok and the Child Protection Section of UNICEF Thailand worked together to
develop the program, which uses the hotel’s expertise in human resources development to provide disadvantaged
young girls with the skills to work in the hotel and travel industry. UNICEF finances the girls stay in Bangkok and
their transportation to and within the city. It also organizes child rights training and coordinates the activities of a
number of other partners such as the Ministry of Education and NGOs. The Pan pacific Bangkok coordinates the
activities of 17 other hotels participating in the projects. The course covers hotel service and life skills .The hotel
service component is taught by department heads and supervisors from participating hotels and includes
housekeeping, laundry, floral arrangement , food preparation , and food and beverage services. By providing these
vocational and life skill training the program ensures long-term social and economic security for young girls
otherwise at risk of economic and sexual exploitation.

" % 3 !2 #3 / %" 3 5 # 3-*# <>>B

D.Moving On
There are several components to providing support to children moving from the street.
The provision of accommodation and /or places of refuge is widespread, although quality
varies and there often is an absence of standards. While child protection remains an
important element, not all projects place priority on this or have the capacity for
protection mechanisms, being run on a low –cost basis. Police checks on the identity of
personnel working with children, for any record of abusing children, have become
common in the west, and mandatory in many countries. But these require circumstances
of governance; systems of child protection including arrest, trial and record; and levels of
technology not always available.
Although projects directed to the development and improvement of foster care and
residential care have been undertaken in many countries, projects for street children more
often focus on temporary accommodation (shelters) and education/training. The two are

294
linked in that a project will attempt to provide or find vocational training (or education)
for children who live in project based shelters.

$1 ! &
The Any overview of practice for street children must be linked to related sectors. The
issues of coordination and cooperation have been noted above including the importance
of partnership between projects The role of state parties (to the CRC) also is necessarily
linked including the establishment and minimum implementation of appropriate
legislation: there are also the roles of duty bearers in relation to children’s rights.

+ "
Drop-in centers and shelters are common means of maintaining contact with children and
providing a range of services, from healthcare and advice to education and vocational
training. While drop in center/shelter is the key component of work for some projects and
provide a visible face to donors and point of engagement with street children (Box:
6.6.7), for others, such centers are viewed merely as an extension of street work. i.e.
conducting informal education sessions, peer information, etc, in a building rather than
on the street, perhaps for reasons of safety. Shelter’s aim to develop the child in a holistic
manner –physically, emotionally, psychologically, socially, morally and financially thus
enabling them to settle comfortably in society.

Street Children an alarm signaling the dire need for social development and poverty
reduction policies to improve the situation in the community at large, and to prevent more
young people from becoming marginalized. While preventive interventions are essential,
those children already facing the hardships of street life need immediate opportunities for
human development via special protection programs. To mainstreaming Street Children,
recently the project ‘Development of City Firms by Street Children’ has developed across
the region which is based on the premise that environment and socio-economic issues are
closely interlinked and that one can be tackled with the aid of the other. To improve the
socio-economic condition of street children through integrated environmental
management , City Firming by itself is a very beneficial activity. It improves the quality

295
of health and environment in the city by providing locally produced organic food which
is otherwise transported from long distance using precious fossil fuels generating
greenhouse gases and pollution. It also adds to the visual greenery in the city and reduces
the paved surface of the city. On the other hand, Street Children who are normally looked
upon by urban dwellers as vagabonds and troublemakers are highly talented. Having to
fend for themselves and survive in a mega city, their creative instincts are better trained
than children who are taken care of by the family. It is these latent creative abilities that
need to be tapped in order to make them productive, economically independent and free
from exploitation in society.

The concept of city farming was first experimented and developed by Dr Ramesh T.
Doshi, whose 1200 sq. ft. terrace in bandra , Mumbai yields 5 kg of fruits and vegetables
daily for 300 days a year.
These plants ranging from lady’s finger, eggplant and leafy vegetables to coconut,
pomegranate, chickoo, guava and spices, not only consume the entire household’s
organic waste, but also provide more than sufficient food throughout the year, thus
making the household self-sufficient. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
spends Rs. 1.5 core each year for the collection , transportation and disposal of
approximately 7500 metic tones of garbage. The burden of disposing off this waste is a
whooping Rs. 265 per person per annum(Udyavar Roshni,2004)

296
 Box 6.6.7 * ' +!
Since 1987 Shelter Don Bosco has been consistently reaching out to the unreached children on the street and has
gradually developed a holistic rehabilitation program. This program has various different facets. They are :
1. " : In an over populated city like Mumbai where millions of people flock to seek their fortunes, the
child on the street is often ignored and rejected. These Rootless and Roofless children live usually on the streets,
railway platforms, market places and other isolated areas. Few bother about their needs, their problems or care
about them; even in this crowded city they are lonely. One of the major interventions of Shelter Don Bosco is
street contact wherein the children are met by the outreach staff at the places they live or frequent. A street contact
person spends time with these children responding their immediate needs, often without any formal activity.
When necessary, basic health services and counseling is also provided.
2. Drop-in Center: In times of need, children on the street can visit the Drop-in Center situated just outside the
Western Railway station at Dadar, to avail of services to meet their immediate needs. Various facilities like
counseling, basic health care, savings, non-formal education, recreation, a missing children’s bureau, water and
locker facilities are provided here.

3. <C( . ' . % Children living on the street have no place to go to in crisis situations. Even their basic
needs may seem difficult for them to meet. Thus at Shelter Don Bosco , a 24 hour service is provided where any
child in need can walk in to seek assistance. Basic services like bathing, washing facilities, health care, savings,
counseling, contacting home, etc are provided here and the child can confidently move in to avail of these and
move back to the street whenever he feels like.

4. 5 : Through an institution is definitely not the best place for a child to be in as compared to
the family, for those on the streets without one, Shelter Don Bosco has a residential facility .For the young
children who come from various parts of India to Bombay with the aim of earning a better living, Shelter Don
Bosco besides providing them with a permanent address, gives them an opportunity to reveal their potentials and
fulfill their dreams. The enter Shelter as rag pickers, beggars, Shoe Shine boys etc. Here living in a group they
develop a sense of belonging, safety and new friends. In addition, they are provided with ample opportunities
depending on each one’s interest, aptitude and hard work. Once they acquire confidence in themselves they are
helped to move out in society as responsible adults and earn their living, settle as a family or return to their natural
family.

Children below the age of 12 are encouraged to attend formal school. Those not interested are given the
opportunity for non-formal education. Those who are above 15 years of age and wishing to pursue their studies
are provided opportunities to enroll for distance education (through the National Open School). For boys above 14
years who are interested in learning a trade , these are tested for their interest and aptitude, are then prepared and
helped to find a suitable placement to learn a trade. This is done in following ways :
-Boys are placed in small workshops around shelter Don Bosco
-Those interested in doing a trade from a formal setting are sent to other Technical Institutes.
-Some of older boys learn short term trades courses like tailoring, electrician, electronic, cycle repairs, motor
mechanics, screen printing, commercial art, computers, driving etc.
Boys are given adequate opportunities to develop a holistic personality. Their innate talents and potentials are
identified and developed . Situational and need based counseling is provided. An ample dose of music, recreation,
dance, picnics etc is given. Regular group meetings and discussions enable them to be involved in the decision
making process. They are assisted in time of crisis to handle their own individual and group problems.

During sickness street children are especially vulnerable and helpless. Thus , shelter Don Bosco gives priority
towards preventive, promotive and curative health care . Minor ailments and major sickness are tended to .
Generally the street children are susceptible to skin diseases, malnutrition, fevers, respiratory disorders and
sexually transmitted infections among others.

Street Children have ample time in hand. If this time is not purposefully directed, they veer towards unproductive
and antisocial activities. Instead condemning their free time gainfully. School children and those in training learn
to make greeting cards, bandhani art (tie and dye) , plaster or Paris status, paper bags, paper jewellery etc.
Through these, they earn and share the profits. The uniqueness of this is that children have started a cooperative
within which they decide what to make. Thus, the hobby center has successfully helped to gain skills, money and
hence empower them.

Most children live for the day. They are not worried about tomorrow. At shelter, children are encouraged to have
their own small savings. Some of the boys have also opened bank accounts in Child Development Bank (Box:
6.6.8) where they keep track of their growing savings. After stipulated time , a group is formed of four or five
boys , who are provided with an initial deposit to hire a room outside the institution. Some token amount is also
297
provided to meet their initial expenses , like maintenance food, marketing and daily living. They are also trained
and prepared to share the responsibilities of running house and as a family start moving into this new home.
Shelter encourages street boys to re-establish ties with their families. Contact is established through letters,
telephone calls when possible and home visits. Wherever possible, efforts are made to counsel the family
 Box 6.6.8 # - $+ !
The Bal Vikas Bank, or Child Development Bank (CDB), was started for Delhi's street-children by the non-
governmental organisation Butterflies three years ago, the report said.

The bank has 12 branches in Delhi and now plans to open branches in other Indian cities as well as Afghanistan,
Bangladesh and Nepal in the near future, according to a representative of Butterflies.

The CDB's 400 account holders -- mostly "rag pickers" and street-children -- own and run the bank from
its headquarters at a night shelter for homeless children. Many of the children, some as young as 10 and 11, sell
newspapers, boxes of tissues and other wares at traffic intersections. Some work on daily wages. Others collect
waste and then sell it for recycling.To open an account, a child first has to become a member of the club that works
as collective guarantor. The bank also disburses loans, but the applicant has to sign an undertaking that the money
will not be used for wasteful expenditure.

Butterflies recently organised a workshop for directors, country co-ordinators and managers of the bank -- all
children -- from organisations in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and the Indian states of Bihar, West Bengal,
Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. Members of the CDB, including 17-year-old bank manager Anuj, addressed the new
initiates on the nitty-gritty of taking deposits, disbursing loans and maintaining account books.It is now owned and
run by children working as rag pickers and street children from its headquarters located in night shelter for homeless
children. Some of the children work for daily wages whilst others search in scrap heaps for anything they can sell.
The CDB provides a way for these children to invest in themselves. In order to open an account, the child must
become a member of the club that acts as guarantor. The child may also take out a loan but must sign an undertaking
certifying that the money will not be used for ‘wasteful expenditure’.

The bank used to provide loans to children who saved regularly and, for example, if a child could did not withdraw
money for six months he/she would be given a 50% interest on the total amount saved. At the beginning of 2003, the
bank had roughly 160 members and was hoping that the initiative would grow to include more children. The bank is
now reported to have about 400 members (West, A. 2003)

Street Children, most conspicuous in emerging urban centers of the global south, are the
visible manifestation of the deteriorating socio-economic and cultural fabric of a society.
There are an estimated 20 million street children in India ( R. Agarwal, 1999) . They are
engaging in City Firming gradually and mainstreaming in the society as a productive
citizen.

00 ) ) '8 1 ) '

The chances for positive , long term child development will depend in part on the lesson
learned from past experience .The lessons of the programs just discussed revolve around
the use of trained professionals, a development-related focus , reaching children where
they are , individualized attention and tailor-made services, children’s participation ,
inclusion of physical and mental care , involving family and community , lobbying and
advocacy, integration of services , networking and institutional cooperation , and links
with programs at first and second level of risk.

298
0J, 5
Goodwill is not enough to ensure positive, long-term impact children. As the programs
described earlier demonstrate, little can be accomplished without the help of experts. The
program, for instance, relies on highly trained professionals for its education activities,
and making use of interdisciplinary teams of experts to assess children’s needs and
continuous training activities for their volunteers and staff.

- ? +
Good programs are not limited to basic assistance to children in the street. Rather, they
incorporate development –oriented activities through integration into family, school, and
labor market. In the long term, mere assistance does not in fact motivated children to
strengthen connections with the family and society. The ongoing provision of food,
clothes, medicines, and shelters may even help to perpetuate the problem by making
street life bearable and intensifying a child’s dependence on programs. In some cases
children, have learned ‘’ to make use of street educators as a survival strategy’, taking
advantage of the most attractive outreach or residential services offered by the educators,’
who often, quite literally, competed for the child’s attention’ (Elena Volpi , 2002) . By
contrast, development –oriented practices actively promote links between children and
social institutions. They teach their participants a wide array of practical and emotional
skills (from communication to money management) that will enable them to function in
different social context. Integration is a long –term process, and good programs follow up
their cases sometimes for several years.

+
In principle, reuniting the child with the family is the most desirable outcome of a
program. These general objectives must, however, take into account the family’s
capabilities and will to receive and protect its child, and the child’s wish to go back. In
some cases, families are ready to have their child back if programs can help them get a
job or a house. In others, parents have died, moved to other marriages or cities, have lost
interest, or are not psychologically fit to raise a child. Whatever the circumstances,

299
reintegration is a gradual and delicate process that requires counseling for children and
parents, confidence building, conflict resolution, and, sometimes financial help.

Incases when it is not advisable for the child to rejoin the natural family, programs need
to identify alternative solutions such as foster families, adoption, or community homes.
Flexible and individualized approaches are those most likely to succeed. Follow-up
activities are also necessary to make sure the reintegration is a long –term success.

"
Helping children return to school-or remain in it-presents many challenges. For one thing
children may have developed health, psychological, and behavioral problems that affect
concentration, discipline, and school social relations. For another, many street children
have more skills and life experience than their peers, but these are not taken into account
in normal school curricula to enable children to enter the mainstream of the education
system and labor market.

It is also essential to train and sensitized school staff to overcome stereotypes, accept and
integrate street children, and pay attention to their specific skills and needs.

) 1 /
Traditional job-training programs based on the simple transmission of technical skills
have failed in the past because the imparted skills do not meet labor market needs,
children are unable to adjust to the working environment, employers are reluctant to
accept them, and the labor market imposes structural constrains. Some of the programs
discussed in this to address the long-term employment needs and interests of children,
help them develop a work ethic and life skills, and work in close cooperation with the
business sector. Integration into the labor market should be based on the young person’s
specific capacities and desires.

300
 2
Children cannot be forced to leave the street, and programs need to respect their rights to
stay there if they wish . The correct approach is for educators to socialize and initiate
dialogue right in the street, hoping that at some point the young person will become
aware of other possibilities and be ready to change his or her life. Building trust is
fundamental, as many young street people have had traumatic experiences with adults
and do not trust them. Educators are nonjudgmental, and modalities of interaction are
based on children’s schedules and rhythm of daily life. Several of programs establish a
phased –in transition to allow the child to gradually leave his or her street habits; after a
period of befriending in the street, children are encouraged to join center based activities
and residential structures.

) 4 3 (/ "
Every street child has its own needs, medical and family history, skills, and aspirations.
The complex combination of reasons that have taken him or her into the street is also
unique, as is the situation that he or she would face once back in the family. Promising
programs thus invest time and multidisciplinary expertise in assessing the individual
situation of each participant and in designing tailor-made life plans and services. In
Shelter Don Bosco, for instance, participants are divided into groups, and activities are
designed according to the stage of a child’s life transition. Programs must also build on
the positive resources-skills, cultural background-of the children involved, to enhance
their self –confidence and chances for a successfully independent life.

5
Much of the literature on children’s programs emphasizes that children should participate
in their design in order to ensure positive and long- lasting outcomes. All the programs
view children as subjects of thereto recognize them as one of the powerless groups in
society. own development and therefore have designed activities in accordance with
children’s aspirations and life plans. Some of them involve children as peer counselors
and facilitators.

301
The special life experience of street children makes them potential leaders and advocates
for the development of their communities.

5 / .
Programs need to pay special attention to physical and mental health, either through their
own specialist or by referring children to community services. Because of the special
nature of their physical condition, street children tend to require immediate treatment,
most often for injuries from accidents or abuse, malnutrition, reparatory and intestinal
infections, skin diseases, sexually transmitted diseases. HIV/AIDS, and drug addiction.
They are usually the survivors of traumatic experiences in the family and in the street
itself, and they need to reconcile themselves with their life history to find meaning and
healing. Many Children will need individual or group therapy and counseling to turn their
lives around.
Public health workers should become familiar with the specific needs of street children ,
and children need to know where services are and how to ask for help. Medical issues can
also be addressed by having peer volunteers obtain information in a nonjudgmental way
on subjects such as sexual health and drug addiction or to convey educational messages
and information. Substances abuse or HIV/AIDS infection cannot be prevented or
controlled without an understanding of the specific needs and behavioral patterns of those
affected.
The Therapeutic Center for Street Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation of Shelter Don
Bosco , India would be a model . Shelter Don Bosco has developed a unique five stages
program to enable these children move from the depths of addiction on the street to a
habilitation off the streets. The program follows five connected steps or phases, each of
which is participatory in nature and works on the child’s innate ability, skill and interest.
These are as follows-

2 4 62 )
This involves the process of street contact, orientation camps and motivation, combined
with counseling the child about his addictive habits and preparing him for the

302
rehabilitation program. It is a crucial period when clear information and communication
about consequence, process, and etc .is of primary importance.
5 % < ?/ - A
During this phase the street child addict is admitted to a local government hospital for a
period of detoxification of his biological system from the effects of the drug abused. This
period may vary from 4 days to 2 weeks. The children’s general physical health is also
catered to during this phase and psychological assistance is provided via the hospital’s
counselors.
5 % B?1
In the serene and scenic setting of Lonavala , a hill station on the outskirts of the city of
Mumbai, the next phase commences. A residential counseling and psycho-spiritual
program, for the group in khandala for a period of 12 to 15 weeks or more, is conducted
to help the growth and recovery of these boys. The program includes yoga, meditation,
occupational therapy, counseling, outdoor activities, recreation and self discipline,
confidence building, coping strategies, stress management, future life management, etc.
5 %C? "
This stage involves skills training programs in an institutional or in a residential setup in
shelter Don Bosco, wadala or a ‘Shanty’ in Mumbai or Lonavala , for a minimum period
6 moths to 1 year for skills training or academics ventures. This is to facilitiate a practical
application of lessons learned in phase 2 and 3 leading eventually to settlement in society
at the end to phase 4.
5 %=? . "
This stage involves reuniting the boys with their families (if possible and advisable) or
helping them settle into a regular and normal life style in society (i.e. (Re) integration in
to society). This phase as well as the first and fourth phases is not time bound, they
follow the pace of the child.
Life on the street is fraught with great risks. Often children on the street, both girls and
boys, become victims of various forms of abuse-physical, emotional and sexual. In
addition, their economic independence and exposure to drugs promiscuous relationships
makes them highly susceptible to HIV infection. Thus Shelter Don Bosco intervenes
through peer educators and Mobile Clinic to provide relevant information on issues

303
surrounding sexuality, health and relationships thus assisting in the process of a normal
and healthy growth.

) +
The circumstances in which street children find themselves are a reflection of the
vulnerability of their social environment. The street gives them a new sense of belonging
and of emotional and material function that the community and family failed to provide.
That is why many go back to street life after periods in shelters and foster homes, or after
being reunited with their parents. Therefore it is important to strengthen the capacity of
the family and community (including the school) to receive and take care of their young
members.
As the Promising program shows, parent involvement can increase the chances of school
reintegration. In particular, a family’s recognition of the importance of education and its
active participation in learning activities has been found to help children succeed in their
studies. Poor families may also need help to cover education expenses. In response to this
need, some programs provide scholarships for a certain length of time.
Family-level programs can also have a preventive function. Promising program works
with street children’s siblings who are still with the family to prevent them from
following the same path. Note, too, that it is also essential prevent and treat violence and
sexual abuse at the hands of the family. This kind of abuse is among the first reasons that
children leave home.
Community-level programs in the sample focus on job creation, education, advocacy
among relevant stakeholders, the improvement of school and other basic services, and the
strengthening of social capital. To help overcome negative stereotype, they also call for
greater awareness of the problems and risks faced by street children, and of the reasons
why they are in this situation. Promising programs are ones that identify and strengthen
the network of community resources available for street children and that train
community members who play a significant role in a child’s life, such as the police, shop
owners, health staff, and teachers. Recall that the some program fought girl prostitution
by having all significant community members involved in the advocacy and rehabilitation
efforts.

304
 1 3 $
No matter how technically sound –alone programs provide only partial solutions to the
problems of street children. National laws and policies on education, social protection,
health, child labor, juvenile crime, social work, adoption, and many other factors directly
affect their opportunities in life. NGO involvement in lobbying and advocacy at this level
can spur changes in the environment-affecting children and strengthen the impact of more
typical services. The massive social mobilization of street children and educators resulted
in the introduction across the region, and with the contribution of NGOs lobbying, a
street children component has been included in the Child Welfare Reform.
A lesson learned from these experiences is that strong NGO networks make the public
aware of the street children’s cause. The involvement of the mass media and the quality
of information that they provide are also key factors. In all the cases mentioned, support
by international agencies and donors provided further legitimacy to NGO efforts in the
eyes of their governments. In Bangladesh, donor support has increased the capacity for
local lobbying campaigning,, which contributed to NGO’s positive achievements.
Finally, in India, the promising program shows that advocacy and legal defense are
essential to protect the rights of street children from police violence and abuse of other
adults and to raise public awareness of this issue.

) "
Many of the programs mentioned in this chapter cover more than one sector. In fact, the
health, educational, survival needs of street children are often impossible to address
separately. A drug-addicted, ill, or malnourished child will not be able to benefit from
education, children require psychological support before being ready to reunite with their
families; job training works better if it is provided in conjunction with counseling on
health and life skills; recreation, sport, and culture and are essential to gain children’s
trust, and motive them to participate in other program activities.

305
 ! )
Up to now, NGOs have played a central role in street children programs, in most cases
providing those services that local and national government could not afford. Compared
to public service staff, their educators are more experienced in street work and outreach
services, flexible methods, and the capacity to involve and mobilize poor communities.
However, with their limited reach and duration, NGO programs alone are not enough to
significantly reduce the number of children in the street, nor are meant to be. Many of
them are in fact more effective when they remain small scale.
A better division of roles and models of institutional cooperation between NGOs and
public sectors seems necessary to adequately promote the positive development of street
vulnerable children. The experience of some programs suggests that, through networking
with other governmental and non-governmental service providers at the local level,
NGOs can overcome their isolation and increase their impact. Several programs for
instance contemplate training schoolteachers, health staff, social workers, and police to
enable them to meet the specific needs of street children.
In some cases, NGOs innovative experience, rather than being a substitute for
government action, has been used as a model to be replicated and mainstreamed by
public services. National and social services have replicated the HIV/AIDS services and
transitional living structures experimented by the promising program.

1 5 + " 1
Some Ngo activities mentioned in this report are integrated into municipal development programs
for children at the first, second, and third levels of risk. Such partnerships have the potential to go
beyond sectoral and remedial interventions by tackling the multiple determinants of child and
youth distress. The involvement of local governments, schools, health services, and other public
institutions is also necessary to create a favorable environment for children who decide to leave
the street. Interesting examples are the Urban Basic Services in Philippines; international
agencies are involved in facilitating and supporting the institutional cooperation.

306
 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Street Children are the mute testimony of economic recession, increasing poverty, the
break-up of traditional patterns of social and community life, family disruption and the
inability-or unwillingness-of governments to respond. Because street children exist in
greatest numbers in the most troubled societies, their needs often go unattended. They are
forced by hunger, neglect, abuse or orphaning, to live and work on city streets and
marginalized group in most societies. They do not have what society considers
appropriate relationships with major institutions of childhood such as family, education
and health. The continuous exposure to harsh environments and the nature of their
lifestyles make them vulnerable. Some street children are part of entire families who live
on the street. Others are born to older street girls. Some streets children are ‘on the street’
which means that they still see their families regularly and may even return every night to
sleep in their family homes. Children ‘of the street’ on the other hand, have no home but
the streets. Even if they occasionally spend time in institutions for children or youths,
they consider the streets to be their home. The street child neglect, abuse, exploitation,
abandoned and destitution and its consequences, deprives street children of their basic
rights to personal and social identity, protection, care and preparation for a productive
life. Their presence on the streets, whether working or not, is a symptomatic indicator of
social phenomenon of underdevelopment, such as poverty, overpopulation, illiteracy,
unemployment, on the one hand, while the social nuisance, on the other hand, in the form
of begging, charity, crimes, anti-social activities, moral degradation, sexual abuse, etc
hinges on the national image and dignity on the eyes of the outside world through
multimedia (both electronic and press). Unless this complex and crucial problem is
addressed forthwith through social mobilization under national and international
endeavors, our national dignity, pride and image would remain at stake.

307
The street children issue can be addressed through preventive programs and policies that
will strike at its social and economic causes. Special protection measures are also needed
to increase development opportunities for young persons currently suffering the hardships
of street life.

Street children living in abject poverty face deprivations of many of their rights: survival,
health and nutrition, education, participation and protection from harm, exploitation and
discrimination. Street children whose rights to safety and dignity are denied are the worst
sufferers. They become victims of exploitation, violence and abuse, which rob them of
their childhood, preventing them from fulfilling anything close to their full potential.

Street children often find themselves enveloped in a battle for survival against disease,
inadequate shelter, a lack of basic services and poor nutrition. Every aspect of a street
child’s life is adversely affected: Their emotional well-being, physical security, mental
development and overall health. It deprives them of the right to live in a family
environment, exposing them to a world of violence, abuse and exploitation. Girls are
especially vulnerable to sexual violence, abuse, exploitation and stigmatization.

Once on the streets, children have to undergo all kinds of oppression, harassment and
deprivations. They are economically exploited, socially prejudiced and they are subjected
to abuse and maltreatment by the law enforcing agencies. Without any support from the
society and the government, they have to struggle constantly for their survival working
tirelessly to eke out an existence. Most of the time the street children are cheated and are
subjected to abuse, violence and rape. The condition of a street girl is much more
vulnerable than that of a street boy. A street girl becomes vulnerable to sexual abuse by
the police, by , by employers or even by older street boys. A street girl is doubly
disadvantaged, she is abused by the perpetrator and in addition she is likely to carry the
burden of unwanted pregnancy including the risk of STD/HIV infection.

308
Street children face a variety of dangers, most usual being hazardous working conditions
which expose them to major health risks without access to adequate health care. The life
of a street child is characterized by hunger and malnutrition, sexual exploitation and
abuse by the police, substance abuse and drug dependence. The police are viewed by the
street children as agents of repression and extortion rather than as agents that uphold the
laws of the country and protect the interest of the street children. They are particularly
susceptible to abuse by the police and are the most likely to be assaulted, caught by the
police or thrown in jail or taken to police custody.

Living in unsanitary, dangerous, crowded and poorly serviced areas the life of a street
child is characterized by violence, drugs/substance abuse, gang warfare and muggings.
Given the trauma of their existence and the lack of social support, the worthy potentials
in these children as citizens of Bangladesh is being lost to the vicious elements of the
street. They attempt to cope with their situations in various ways including working and
being in solidarity with other street children. Resources, other than themselves and their
peers, are rather scarce. They have experienced discrimination, rejection and even
brutality from those ostensibly there to assist them.

Street children are in special need of three things: (i) shelter (ii) access to services and (ii)
opportunities for personal growth and development. The street child’s access to basic
amenities like primary education, health care and legal protection is largely excluded
under the present system. The ARISE project and partner NGOs might play a crucial and
significant role in this regard. However, there exists a big gap between the services
provided by the organizations and the actual need of the street children.

Emphasis should be given on strategically positioned drop-in-centres (DICs) where

children will have access to services like health care, legal support, awareness raising
programs and counseling services. Since most of the organizations have resource
constraints and limitations on capacity building, there is an urgent need to increase the
number of partner NGOs and it is important simultaneously to increase budgetary
allocations for increased coverage of street children.

309
The response of the problems of street children has been gaining momentum in the recent
times both with the initiative of national government and private sectors including NGOs
with substantial support from the international agencies. As a sapling needs the right
amount of sunlight, water, air and additional nutrients to grow into a fruitful tree, in the
same way children need love , respect, support and encouragement and opportunity to
become confident and successful adults. We have to desire to provide this to street
children. We are heading towards the new millennium, where we desire to strengthen the
process of intervention with vulnerable children on the streets. We also aspire to work
towards the empowerment of these children client group by advocating their rights. Most
important in breaking of poverty is providing these youth and their families with income
and a sense of power in their lives. One way to do this is through training, which will
allow these youth to function within society and earn an adequate living for themselves
and their families. Eventually these strategies may prevent the children of tomorrow from
having to work on the streets.

As mentioned earlier, goodwill alone cannot guarantee a positive, lasting impact on the
lives of children. Focusing only on assistance is just as ineffective and can even make the
problem worse, by increasing the child’s dependence on charity and destroying its
incentive to leave the street. The right kind of program is one that will help young
participants strengthen their connections with family, school, and the community.
Lobbying and advocacy can make the voices of street children heard, by producing
changes in policies and laws that affect their life. The impact and sustainability of NGO
programs can be increased by networking and cooperating with municipalities and local
services in developing initiatives geared range of vulnerable groups.

To date, few programs for street children have been adequately evaluated. Those that are
able to show and quantify their results are usually operated by the largest and the best –
endowed NGOs. But a significant part of the work in this field is carried out by small,
low-funded organizations, whose results are undocumented and unavailable to the public
at large. At this repot makes clear, funding can assist street children programs in various
ways, depending on each donor’s mandate and ultimate goals.

310
The following list outlines areas in greatest need of support at present.
Program Services, including salaries or incentives for expert staff
M A
* 8 &'

Training of program staff

Funding allows programs to continuously upgrade their levels of professionalism. This is
particularly important for small young NGOs.

: !

Small NGOs need to be able to train staff in this area of expertise and to conduct regular
monitoring activities. Donors could not only contribute financial support but also provide
guidelines or conduct external evaluations.

Institutional Cooperation
Donors should facilitate and support the establishment of municipal, multi -agency
development programs with street children as one of their components.

1 # # !
Funding these activities is a way to help NGOs overcome their isolation and give stronger
voice to street children themselves.

Finally, not all donors have the mandate and experience to directly support street children
activities. Some of them can however play an important role in promoting policies and
legislation that encourage the positive development of all children in need of special
protection and that help governments remove some of the social and economic causes of
child vulnerability.

311
The cities are for all to live in a decent manner. The children are the future dwellers of
the cities. They need to be developed properly with their rights. The required services and
facilities are to be provided by the different services giving agencies at the right time and
the right places so that they have accesses to these services. However, the task and
activities relating to child friendly cities are new in Bangladesh as such these are
challenging tasks. These require judicious policies and planning at all the levels. The
assistance and cooperation’s from all the stakeholders are vitally important to make it a
success. Above all, there are urgent needs of timely commitment from the policy makers
of the country.

D! )) $4 ()

( 3 from needs-based planning to rights-based strategies

approaches for program development.

( $ of the existing policies and laws and

introduction of new laws where necessary.

( $ programs are an integral part of CRC implementation

in order to ensure that CRC implementation also makes a measurable impact on
improving the lives of street children.

( 5 ( through regular reviews and evaluation

of all National Policies and Plans of Action related to health, nutrition, and
education and shelter sectors with the view to mainstreaming street children’s
concerns within these policies.

( #
in decision –making process that affects their well being.

312
( Recognize and ensure that the
! 8
! at national and sub-national levels. It has a distinct role to
play in policy and program formulation, legislation, regulation and facilitation of
implementation. Correspondingly, &' of
advocacy, social mobilization, demonstration of new and more effective
approaches, and sharing of good practices to influence the updating and
refinement of national policies and programs.

( Lobby for and in

improving the well-being of street children with greater emphasis and focus on
issues such as HIV/AIDS, child labor, child abandonment, child abuse,
commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, children with disabilities and
children affected by conflict.

( ! A : in order to
acquire a uniform understanding of term among all stakeholders.

( / by bringing national laws into

conformity with the CRC, strengthening and improving the enforcement
infrastructure; abolishing corporal and capital punishment for children under 18
years; providing quality statutory legal aid to assist in the defense of children;
setting up high quality counseling services in course of law, police stations and
custodial care institutions; providing adequate scope for non-custodial sentences;
making judgment process time-bound thus minimizing the duration trial time.

( into multi-dimensional aspects of the street

children phenomenon including those street children conscripted or forced into
the streets by armed conflict with the view to ascertaining policy and program
directions.

313
 ( " for regular monitoring and review of
programs addressing the issues of street children

( Ensure that all relevant #

8 in a child friendly manner
( / outreach service and responsibility
of all major municipalities.

( / # 8 # with flexi-schedules and

vocation-oriented curricula.

( Urge GOB and NGO to make A

! #
especially in promoting and protecting the rights of street children.

( A standard organizational arrangement has to be enforced with the aim of testing

a nationwide approach and operational mechanism.

This mechanism has to respond to the following needs:

▪ Cover, with an effective professional expertise, all the service fields;

▪ Ensure the capacity to promote a local policy advocacy
and policy dialogue initiative;
▪ Ensure continuity of the service process and capitalization of

professional experiences;

▪ Ensure gender equity in service provision

D+1 $ ))

Rural to urban migration especially the children alone or with their parents or relatives is
a regular feature in our country due to different reasons. The poor parents in the urban
areas compel their children to work to generate family income. So, if this situation is

314
allowed to continue then the number of street children will be increased and as a result
their future will be ulceration. In this circumstance, the policy should be adopted to stop/
reduce the migration of disadvantaged children from rural to urban area as a preventive
measure. On the other hand, the disadvantaged children who already been in the urban
areas difficult circumstances, some effective policies should be adopted to overcome their
situation as curative measures. In this situation the policies have been suggested for the
reduction of street children as well as for their overall welfare in connection with rural –
urban migration context.

⇒ Poverty alleviation programs should be encouraged as well as strengthened in rural

sectors in close cooperation of GOs, NGOs and POs to stop the flow of rural to urban
migration of the rural poor. Street children as a special group will have to given the
required priority in government policy/ programs, particularly in the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP) currently being prepared by the Bangladesh Government.

⇒ Compulsory free subsidized vocational along with the non-formal primary education
should be provided especially for the dropouts and non-enrolled children in education
program at the rural level to develop their skills .

⇒ Rural based small-scale industries should be encouraged to provide employment for

the skilled children so that their tendency of migration from
rural to urban areas may be reduced.

⇒ Counseling, motivation and employment opportunities should be institutionalized with

the partnership effort of GOs and NGOs for not to disintegrate our traditional joint family
system so that the children can get proper care, affection and socialization at their
childhood level in the kinship system

315
D% $ )) 7 "

⇒ There is an urgent need to increase the budgetary allocations for addressing programs
targeted to street children, the number of partner NGOs should be increased at least by
three-folds for increased and better coverage of street children.

⇒ Laws to protect the street child from abuse have to be given top most priority. The
legal system has to be restructured if necessary to make the laws more effective to protect
the street children from the abuse and oppression by the police.

⇒ Shelter cum vocational training program should be institutionalized at the urban sector
for the development of skill of the street children. The subject of the training should be
production oriented so that they can get employment after the attainment of their skills.

⇒ Special training program on cooking for disadvantaged girls should be provided along
with the non-formal education. Moreover, social education, personal hygiene and
cleanliness courses should be given at the same time.

⇒ Maidservant employment cell should be introduced by the initiative of NGOs at the

urban sectors to provide job for the trained maidservants. There should be terms and
conditions from both sides to get job and also to discharge from job by the employers.

⇒ Communication network should be introduced by the initiative of NGOs at the urban

sectors. The nature of communication will be over telephone to the law enforcement
agencies when a street children and maidservant are being abused by their employers and
the community people.

NGOs Capabilit %

, * / " :

316
 Recommended plan of action includes:

-Assisting the selected NGOs in locating appropriate places in the city/sub-urban

areas for construction of shelter-homes/training centers/ health care for street
children,

-Constructing shelter homes at different places at the initiative of GOB for

management, with a provision of regular monitoring.

< &' " - %

Possible plan of action include arranging with financial and technical assistance
from GOB for training of NGO staff, both at home and abroad, on the issue of
handling street children: such training is highly expected to enhance the staff
capability of doing such challenging task more effectively and efficiently.

B 3! / &' :

Possible plan of action include organizing in a planned way awareness and

motivation programs for NGOs to imbue them a sense of dedication and
commitment for providing services to the street children.

9.5 1 ( $ ))

⇒ The exiting service providing organizations/institutions to the street children should be

strengthened so that they are capable of running sustainable innovative pilot projects of
good practices to cater to the fundamental needs of the street children, such as shelter/half
way homes, food and nutrition , drop in centers, functional literacy, marketable
vocational training, health care and sanitation, poverty alleviation through income
generating activities, psychological counseling, especially for adolescent girls who are
often sexually abused.

317
All existing and potential service providing agencies to the street children should be
equipped with adequate physical, financial and skilled human resources so that they
could support the empowerment of the street by offering opportunities for their skills
development and productive future through a comprehensive system of support and
Community Development Fund (CDF) program.

⇒ District level baseline survey needs to be conducted in order to determine the actual
number of street children. This will help to chalk out realistic planning and policy about
the street children in urban Bangladesh

⇒ Street Children are the most vulnerable, assets less, homeless, uncared for and
underserved segment of population of the society 9 should be brought within the policy
parameters of the mainstream national development programs. Therefore, an alternative
policy for the development of street children should be formulated to recognize their
basic needs and thus make them productive human resource in line with the government
commitment to the UNCRC.

⇒ A partnership effort should be encouraged to undertake action project for street

children. Partnership could be between the GOs and NGOs.

⇒ Community based shelter should be established for the street children with the
initiative of community people and the stakeholders.

⇒ Specialized training institute should also be established to impart professional and

skill training.

⇒ Since the street children issue is an intricate and hazardous problem, press and
electronic media along with other means of communication like posters, cartoons, plays,
story telling, dramas, folk songs, video and documentary films, story telling, etc may be

318
utilized to increase awareness and sensitize the policymakers and public at large on the
gravity of this vital problem..

A National Action Plan for awareness rising has to be launched, and local initiatives to be
launched. This initiatives has to based on: community Events and Systematic Community
Mobilization Initiatives. The awareness raising initiatives has to be continuous and aimed
at creating Local Standing Committees involving local leaders, influent people,
businessman, community leaders, ward commissioners etc.

⇒ Possibilities of running mobile holiday/off time schools for the street children in
public places like market corner , railway and bus station, launch terminals, plazas, parks
etc may also be reviewed and taken into consideration.

⇒ Media advocacy program should be initiated against the abuse street children of both
female and male.

⇒ All the existing potential service providing organizations to the street children should
be equipped with adequate physical, financial and qualified personnel so that they could
provide a comprehensive support for the empowerment of the street children.

⇒ The channels of information sharing, exchange of ideas and experiences, regular

inflow of communication between the GOs, NGOs and POs should also be strengthened
to minimize gaps between the support services available and the actual need of the
children.

⇒ A separate " & . could also be arranged with special provision for toilet
and bathing facilities as well as privacy for resting and sleeping in security . Separate
hostels or shelter-homes be established to ensure empowerment of the most vulnerable
girl-children who are living on the street and frequently become victims of physical and
sexual abuses to anti social elements including local mastan(muscleman) and police as
well. Opportunities should be developed to accommodate them, in safer homes or

319
shelters, with psychological counseling in order to compensate for their mental and
psychological trauma for being the victims of sexual harassment. Through this process
they could be made productive human resources and empowered through educational
programs and productive skills training to enhance their capacity to get employment and
independent livelihood.

⇒ In 1 sector , establishment of mobile rescue units to street children

for reunification with families or sending to NGOs, shelter homes and maintain liaison
with legal aid agencies and NGOs as Ain O Shalish Kendra for providing legal aid to
those street children who need legal protection. To eliminate /reduce unnecessary
disturbance created to street children by police measured should be taken. Hoodlums
should protect street children from the harassment and torture. Police protection in case
of violence, physical torture sexual abuse trafficking, etc. should be ensured. Close
contact with juvenile court should be strengthened.

⇒ Develop a referral system which can be uniformly applied by law enforcement ,

lawyers, judges, and social service providers to provide legal and social services to street
children who report sexual crimes, and train these professionals to identity and refer
street child victims to appropriate services.

⇒ Concerned effort be needed to impart appropriate education, if possible formal

education with vocational skills training for the street children, the coordinating agencies
should build up linkage programs with other supporting / supplementing agencies and
philanthropists as well as parents, children centers and school management. The school
management may also organize special programs for preventing drop outs and responsive
to the deeper needs of their children. Besides, health education, family education and
preventive education may also be offered.

⇒ To strengthening the capacity for employability of the trained street children in the
sense of high likeliness of the service package to produce specific job and income

320
generation effects in the field Provision of Vocational Training and Job Placement would
be following logic:

To this end a F " ( / ' whose logic is the following figure :35

Figure : 34 F " / '

$ )
F " F "

.* (
1 > ' '
)

)
7 < G (( (

$
((

-
< *
8 )( $)

Methodologies and Policy Lines for the Job Related Service Package are reported below;

Job Related Service Package has to be strengthened through provision of Vocational

Guidance is aimed at:

a. Identifying the conditions for an effective involvement of the children in training:

b. Identifying possible difficulties and criticalities;

c. Direct the children to work opportunities promoting their knowledge and awareness
about the kind of job we’re going to train them for.

These objectives can be achieved through the following activities:

321
/ &
Motivational Guidance is aimed at promoting disclosure, understanding and awareness of
individual aims and values, self-representations towards job and working life.
Psychological Counselling can take the responsibility for providing the children with this
kind of support.

This kind of guidance is aimed at creating a realistic motivational condition likely to

support job place and effectiveness and to reinforce cognitive and psychosocial
components of the learning process.

Operational approach will be based on:

Promote self-awareness and self evaluation of trainees children;

Clarify bents and inclinations;
Facilitate the creation of realistic expectation and life projects for the children.

The above issues will be approached through:

Group Discussions
Individual Sessions
Meeting with Potential Employers
Use of psychosocial and Vocational tools for individual analysis.

Although a job placement activities is provided it is important to support the children,

when they are close to 14 years, with provision of information on self-promotion in the
labour market
A possible methodological approach to job placement is presented in the table 46 below:

322
Table : 46 A possible methodological approach to job placement

"# 1 1 '$
Support Self evaluation of children’s Creative Sessions - Disclosure and
children’s motivation and expectations Group Discussions awareness of
motivation Written exercises motivation
Identify one’s Self-evaluation of children’s Lecturettes Disclosure of
expectations motivation and expectations Creative Sessions expectations
Group Discussions Self-evaluation
Individual speeches
Individual Sessions
Tests
Promote Relationship of one’s own Lecturettes Children’s Positioning
awareness motivational set and potential Creative Sessions Self-disclosure
for job placement and/or self- Group Discussions Building of copying
employment Individual speeches strategies
Individual Sessions
Tests
Knowledge of Simple explanations of Lecturettes Quantitative and
Labour Market territorial job opportunities Creative Sessions qualitative analysis of
and Job and characteristics of specific Group Discussions job opportunities
Opportunities job opportunities
Support Identify one’s own Creative Sessions Identification of job
children’s preferences and relate them to Group Discussions expectation
choice job opportunities Individual speeches In-depth reflections on
Individual Sessions job taking

Vocational Guidance has to be provided all along with the Vocational Training course:
5 &
Aimed at introducing the children and facilitate their learning;

' &
Aimed at verifying, strengthening and redirect individual cognitive and psychosocial
changes able to motivate and direct bents, tendencies and values.

+ &
Aimed at fostering the identification of a behavioural and motivational set likely to
support job placement and individual effectives at work.

323
5 F 5
It will be called “3 " ”. The accompanying system will lies in a
systemic support aimed at facilitating job placement integrating different actions such as:
Facilitation Action

It will be an intervention towards the Labour Market aimed at easing the meeting
between potential demand and the labour represented by the trained children. Offer.
Actually it can be carried out organising two “JOB WORKSHOPS” following the
methodology below

A. Potential employers will be contacted proposing them meeting between them and the
pupils. A personal profile of the pupils will be created at their enrolment in a training
initiative (to be made available to potential employment) and a short profile of the
organisations will be provides to the pupils alongside what some specific advices on
what these organisations are looking for and some advices on how to approach them.
Two meetings with the potential employers will be organised, aimed:

ü The first, at an in-depth analysis of the training provided and to focus the training
process on specific “workplace related” training subject and to organise a period
of “on the job training”;

ü The second, at verifying actual opportunity for job placement of specific pupils.

The carrying out of “ ( ” such as organisation of apprenticeship or systemic

tutorship for the children etc. In this phase the training staff will be supported in
preparing meetings drafting materials, supporting the children, analysing the results of
the meetings and proposing strategies and further actions
⇒ Emphasis and focus should be given on policy issues, with different kind of
implications:

-Strategic choices aimed at identifying policy lines on all the operational issues;

324
-Promotion of policy dialogues on street children issues
-Identification, dissemination and mainstreaming of best practices;
-Identification of specific sector issues and support to the line ministries for
implementing the policy lines and related service lines.
-Identification, dissemination and mainstreaming of best practices and lesson learned.

⇒ The street children should be preventing from hazardous and dangerous occupations,
especially mechanical helpers, workshop helpers, use of heavy machinery etc. They
should be given lighter jobs for a period of not executing four hours a day under any
circumstances with provision of leisure and rest time.

After giving practical vocational training of 3-6 months course, the children over 15 years
of age with entrepreneurial knacks may be encourage to start small enterprise by
supporting collateral free micro financing from financial institutions at softer terms. By
this way, they could be turned to be a formidable force of human resources who would
eventually be able to contribute sustainability to the national economy. Along with the
vocational training they should also be given business oriented managerial skills training
to the selected few who are really interested to be involved in entrepreneurial activities or
business enterprises with micro credit. Some income generating programs for those street
children could support these street children to go a long way to address their economic
hardships.

⇒ The exploitation of street children could be stopped by social mobilization,

community sensitization through awareness raising, civil society, and political
commitment with strong and dedicated participation f law enforcing agencies.

⇒ Awareness among the street children about routine hygienic issues, such as washing of
hands before taking meals, regular tooth-brushing and bathing, washing hands after
defecation, having medical treatment from GO/NGO clinics when fallen sick, etc should
be practiced.

325
⇒ A specific research activity has to be envisaged to support innovation , knowledge
about the process, identification of best practices , knowledge of the target groups.

⇒ Based on their perceived plans , apparently no viable commitment, those who wanted
to go home, arrangement could be made to take them to their permanent homes and some
incentives in the from of income earning or getting them involved in the development
programs as a source of income. This has a long term implication of reducing migration
from rural to urban centers and thus pushing some population from urban resulting in
reduction of social burden of floating population and thus conserves energy, fuel, water
and other utilities, having a pollution free clean environment.

⇒ A child protection card should be issued jointly by the police and NGO as guarantor
for the child . The card can be issued for any child . But is particularly useful to children
who live on the streets, stations, markets with inadequate family support. A regular
coordination with police in conducting training courses for police officers with aim of
sensitizing them to the rights and needs of deprived children and juvenile offenders and
link them with social and protection services. Police station should coordinate with set of
NGOs operating in its area of justification and hosts health services in a week to protect
children at risk.

⇒ IGA Support to the children helping the establishment and start-up of the self-
employment activity, and his first period of consolidation through group enterprise
development.
The Operational Scheme is logically identified below:
Figure 36 shows the Operational Scheme for IGA activities for street children.

326
Fig : 36 The Operational Scheme for IGA activities for street children

((

$
$
PNGO Mentor Context
+ the Children Analysis
$ ' 9
( " )

Start-Up '

Running of -
IGA ((
Financial Partners

Specialist Advisors Running of $ ((

IGA

⇒" ! #5 * !
! ! BJ -
⇒ Establishment of Street Children’s Forum to ensure children’s participation and Street
children Village for permanent shelter for parentless children may be a sustainable
initiative.
⇒ Community housing will be sometimes offered to children and young adults as an
alternative to shelter accommodation. Small units may be rented in a community area by
a project and offered as accommodation for children and young people who used to live
on the streets. Usually these have a level of supervision lower than in the shelters. Often
the children and young people living in this type of accommodation are paying all or
some of the rent.

327
Fig : 37 Flow Chart of ! #5 *

Pre Initiative Organizational

Support for
support for . / Networks

networking

Devising, Building and

Organisation and Consolidation of
Implementation of Coalitions and
Initiatives Networks

Advocacy and
Policy Engagement

Services for Networking, Partnership and Coalition Building

328
⇒ An Advocacy and Resource Mobilization initiative has to be started for the
establishment of a, " + aimed at ensuring financial sustainability
.A work plan should be developed which contains a clear definition of the advocacy
topic, the desired goal, the power analysis, and the objectives to bring about the goal, the
strategies to be carried out, and a chronology of activities, which are sufficient to bring
about the desired result.

⇒ Policy Dialogue and Policy Initiative have to be implemented in almost all the
operational fields. A systematic policy initiative with members of Parliament belonging
to all parties has to be establishing to lobby for law.

⇒ Following table : 47 shows the four stages Street Children Development Program
would be effective for the empowerment of street children-
" %6 Four Stages Street Children Development Program

- ' 4 () ' )
1. An open access walk in Children can wash, play, have a meal, meet other children, and talk to
centre project workers
Classroom work, recreational activities, group discussions, and work
2. A residential program activities. Counselors emphasize detoxification, motivation, and the
elimination of street ethics
3. Full time school education
Work skills such as market gardening and making small goods for sale
and specific vocational skills
4. A self governing
Support, disciplinary problems, and sanctions dealt with by peers
community

⇒ Scaling-up has to be realized at the following levels:

1. 8 ( : activities and organizations have to be supported to
strengthen their constituencies and linked to that , their geographic working area.
This is the most evident kind of scaling-up, equaling ‘growth’ or ‘experience’ in
their basic meanings;

2. + -up: organizations have to be supported to expand the number

and the type of its activities;

329
3. ' 4 -up: organizations have to be supported to increase their
organizational strength so as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their
activities, by improving the internal management capacity of the staff (such as
through training or personnel development) allowing he organization and its
programs to grow, to be flexible, to be sustainable
⇒ Ddifferent Action Research would be conducted following the cycle mentioned in
the table bellow .Cycles, whose deployment is described in the table : 48 overleaf:
Table : 48 Cycles of Action Research for Street Children Empowerment project
$ 1 )
Reflection Actors, stakeholders, approaches and tools are identified trough
participatory (focus groups, in-depth interview, workshops)

Actions and Investigations are planned and people are target

- $ Plan with ensuring their participation and involvement with the aim
of ; $ ) ) ) <

Action and An Action Plan is decided and implemented and groups

Observation involved reflect and identify Best Practices, weakness and
opportunity for innovations at community and external level.

Groups reflect on their perceptions and views and identify in-

Reflection depth problematic and themes and carry-on a self –evaluation
on progress and innovation in relation with community interests
and project scope.

Groups plan changes to be adopted, their likeliness to address

the problem, assumptions and risks for their implementation.
Plan Changes are approached on the basis of negotiated priorities
(with participation of the children) and shared ethical rules for
$ community involvement.

Actions are carried on charging different community members

with tasks and roles proportioned to their capacity, willingness,
Action
competence, personal influence etc. Initiative is take over by the
territorial community.

Groups reflect on consequences of the changes and discuss the

Observation
priorities for completing or closing the action.

The cycle continues till the group will be satisfied of the results
attained.
Reflection
$ Activity produces permanent territorial organisation and
community awareness.

330
This action will be carried on by the PNGO at local level supported by the Central Unit
on Policy Issues and the Technical Assistance Unit.
A specific training initiative will be carried on.
At the level of TAU a specific Matrix Inter-disciplinary Team will be created.

⇒ Best Practices from the first phase will be collected analyzed, systematized and
disseminated through periodical workshops and internal materials

Best practices has to be considered and analyzed as follow with the aim of mainstreaming
and institutionalizing methodologies of intervention likely to increase the effectiveness of
project initiatives shows in the figure :38 bellow –

Fig : 37 Best Practices

Project Strategy Quality of Actions

Objectives Organisation and Resources
Methodologies Management
Partnership and Integration with Beneficiaries
Networking Capacity Development

Transferability
Reproducibility Possibility of utilising the
Possibility of replication mechanisms and
in characteristics of project
different conditions organisation and tools to
address different problems

9 9 9

331
A standard format will be designed by the TAU and made available to the Field Staff. A
systemic attention will be devoted to detection of Best Practices and Field Operators will
be sensitized to the problem. Periodical Seminars will be organized with a high level of
external projection. Publication and website would established to disseminate the best
practices.

⇒ To improve the quality of life and future prospects of street children replicable model
that will directly reach to children and promote their education, livelihood, health and
protection like figure 5;

-' +E 4 () 1
Advocate and strengthen
Duty bearers Empowerment & support
Of family

CSO & Different GO

departments

Awareness and Capacity Support and empowerment of

Building Children
A B &C – 60%
D – 40%

Source: Plan Bangladesh 2011

332
⇒ * 5 $ % the children between
ages 8 to 14 who are illegible for primary education will be covered by this intervention.
These out of school children will undergo with a bridge course to make them prepared for
entering primary school. The duration of bridge course will appropriately be designed by
the technical Adviser and his/her team. The infrastructure belongs to Govt. Primary
Education Department or other NGOs will be associated to accommodate the course and
further relation will be developed with Govt. to get the children enrolled in primary
school.
The children are living in street to meet their livelihood requirements. To ensure their
attendance in school and bridge course there might require financial assistance for their
food and lodging. There should be an arrangement of temporary rehabilitation of the
children for their regular study. A conditional cash transfer will be one of core strategy to
support the children in mainstreaming education.
During the tenure in primary school the children will have extra support through
Tutorial classes beyond academic hours. This course will enable them to perform
better in school
a) Education for livelihood (14-18 years) (YED strategy)

The children who are not eligible for primary education will be offered with
functional literacy in a very child friendly manner for developing their basic literacy
and numeracy skills to ultimately equipped them better in terms of reading and
writing basic things as a process of empowerment that would help them to fight
against the odds they are facing in their day – to – day live. In most cases, these youth
children work in different area of employment without having appropriate skill. They
start as an apprentice and gradually become skill person. But most of time in the
beginning neither they chose their appropriate job nor they are capable in literacy and
numeracy resulting possibility of exploitation every day.
b) Education for health

Because of living in the street they are very much reluctant on personal health care
and personal hygiene resulting effected by communicable diseases. In case of severe
illness they didn’t find the right place for medication and counseling. Especially at
reproductive health age they became more vulnerable. These children will be
supported through raising awareness on personal and reproductive health and referral
place for treatment thus they will be linked with Govt. health post and others NGOs
facilities.
An effective relation and collaboration will be built up with Govt. Primary education to
get the children in mainstream education through optimal use of Govt resources. A good
referral system needs to be established with Govt. health department and related health
post for availing health services.
A collaboration with local Govt. and NGOs to sensitize them towards street children
issue eventually helping local resource mobilization for the sustainability of the project.

333
Lobby and Advocacy with Govt. in this project aim to increase Govt. allocation and
supportive policy formulation for the street children. In this endeavor use and support
from media both electronic and print will be explored. The project will also undertake
operational research finding of which with recommendation to be shard with media and
national policy makers. Industry owners and multinational companies will be aware on
street children issues and to receive support from them for various king of vocational
training easing for employment in the formal sector.A closer and build –in monitoring
and evolution system should be developed to continuously implement follow-up action
and a feedback mechanism be developed for regular management decision.

608 )) 1 'H $ )
Following area would be developed for effective monitoring and evaluation System -

• - /N$
•

• "
• * /N$
• /N$
• )
• '

- /N$

• Design the M&E system during the project preparation phase; it will help in
planning the project and in assuring that everyone knows and agrees on what is
expected.
• Proper understanding of M&E and strong support from the highest levels are
crucial for an effective system.
• Use a system that is simple and straightforward, and where appropriate, link it to
existing data collection systems.
• Use a project management tool such as the Logical Framework to guide the
systematic design of the M&E system

334
The Logical Framework is a useful tool in preparing the M&E system. It assists the
project team in designing a project based on the logical relationship between project
inputs, components, outputs, outcomes and the project development objective. A clear
and realistic objective will guide future implementation and form an adequate basis for
the selection of M&E indicators. On the other hand, a too rigid reliance on the logical
framework might harm flexibility of the project. M&E outcomes should lead to regular
evaluation of the framework itself to adjust it to changing circumstances or outcomes that
differ from expectations.

• Involve all stakeholders in deciding on which indicators and targets to use for
measuring objectives.
• Define during project preparation the information sources from which data
regarding the measurement of indicators can be retrieved (ministries of
health/education/family etc.; national household/labor market/poverty surveys;
class room or child center observations; school achievement tests; beneficiaries
assessments; growth monitoring; specific evaluation studies; financial
management system; training documentation).
• Identify the data sources that do not exist yet and which should be set up within
the M&E system
• Determine during project preparation the roles and responsibilities of everyone
involved (data collection, analysis, dissemination, etc.)
• Set up a schedule of reporting and determine who reports to whom
• Determine who will receive what type of information (parents, ECD workers,
communities, local / central government, local / central project management
units, donors, public).

After identification of the management information needs of key stakeholders,

performance indicators will be selected to address objectives and outcomes. At this
stage, decisions should be made regarding the collection of information. Finally, the
preparation and design stage should determine how the data will be analyzed (who
participates in the data analysis, how will the data be presented and used for project

335
decision-making). Keeping the system as simple as possible and in line with capacities of
and incentives for the project management team is essential.

It is useful to organize a workshop for stakeholders and users during project preparation
that aims specifically to set the indicators and design the M&E system.

The indicators are the benchmarks or results that will measure whether an objective has
been reached.

• Choose different indicators to measure all aspects of project implementation:

inputs (financial, human, natural resources etc.), outputs, outcomes and impact.
• Choose indicators that are SMART: specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic,
and time-bound.
• Choose key performance indicators that will steer the project towards objectives
and will adequately show the project progress and impact. The right choice of
indicators is very important, especially if people will be held accountable for
reaching the objectives.
• Too many indicators will diverge attention from the most important goal of the
project. Keep the key performance indicators or impact indicators limited to a few
(e.g. up to six).

The importance of a well-funded choice of indicators cannot be overstated. This choice is

generally made during project preparation when the planning framework (Logical
Framework) asks for indicators related to the development objective, outcomes, etc. The
chosen indicators determine how the project’s results, success and progress will be
measured and what aspects will be considered important in evaluation. Very often, "what
you measure is what you will get". For example, if a project that aims to increase
preschool enrollment measures only indicators such as the number of constructed ECD
centers, without sufficient attention to the training of ECD workers, the project team is
focusing on quantity, such as construction (or the 'hardware') and less on quality of the
ECD services (the 'software'). Note that this is not only a matter of choosing the right

336
indicator but also setting the right objectives. An abundance of indicators will not help to
monitor the project effectively.

A useful tool in assessing the quality of an indicator is the ‘SMART’ method: Indicators
should be specific (clearly and directly related to the objective or output that they are
supposed to measure), measurable (data definition is unambiguous and collection
feasible), attributable (the indicator should measure changes that are direct consequences
of the project intervention), relevant (the indicator should add value in measuring project
outcome or progress), and timely (it should be possible to collect and analyze data fairly
quickly to ensure relevance of information). Moreover, indicators increase in quality
when they are valid in the eyes of all key stakeholders, gender sensitive through
desegregation by gender, sensitive enough to measure important changes in the situation
being observed, and cost-effective, i.e. the information/learning should be worth the time
and money it costs to collect data. Indicators should take into account local capabilities
and resources for data collection. Ideally, they build on existing local data collection
activities.

It is useful to also include the cost of activities in relation to outcomes. Unit costs could
be accounted for regularly (annually) in relation to specific products or outputs, and this
information can be used for decision-making, as well as for cost-effective improvements
of program design.

"

Targets define the level of the indicator that the project aims to achieve at a certain point
in time.

• Set the targets during project preparation in a participatory manner with

involvement of the stakeholders and make sure that everyone is in agreement.
• Targets state the level that an indicator should reach (IMR reduced to 40 per
thousand) but also include the beneficiaries and the moment or target year (IMR
of 40 per thousand in the participating districts by the end of 2005).

337
 • Targets should be ambitious to stimulate the people involved, but they should
always be realistic and take into account the particular circumstances, project
team capacities and time frame.
• Mid-point evaluation could identify the need to revise targets.

* /N$

• Assess the existing institutional capacity for M&E during project preparation
(number of staff and training/knowledge, existing information systems, financial
resources) and compare it with the requirements.
• Adapt the M&E system to the local circumstances. It makes more sense to scale
down the
• M&E system to a simpler form than to expect that the complete environment can
be changed to fit the requirements of the system.
• Make the design and implementation of the M&E system a specific and separate
component of the project.
• Incorporate financial resources into the project plan specifically for the M&E
system (building institutional capacity, setting up and using the system, etc.).
• Make sure everybody involved understands the importance of M&E and its use.
• Training on analysis and interpretation of data can not be underestimated.
• Dedicate sufficient time, money and effort to the design, purchase, piloting,
introduction and implementation of a reliable information system.

Special attention should be given to the introduction of new computerized information

systems. They may prove difficult to design and to implement, so ensure that future
requirements of the system are clear, the system and the operation guides are user-
friendly, and that the system is practical. This means that adequate and realistic
implementation milestones are needed for the system itself. Enough time should be
devoted to pilot testing the system before adopting it. This period will help adapt the
M&E system to local realities and constraints. Adequate and sufficient training of project
staff and users of the system is a critical but often underestimated part in introducing an
M&E system.

338
 /N$

• Use an M&E system to measure project progress, to analyze intermediate results,

and to provide feedback in order to improve implementation.
• M&E systems loose a lot of their value if the resulting data are not used for
feedback into the system. Reporting should occur both to higher level
management (for accountability and strategic decision making) and to lower level
management (for direct use in improving implementation).
• Don't burden ECD workers with too much data collection: only ask for the most
essential information.
• Find the right balance between learning and accountability. If people get punished
for not reaching a target, they might be less motivated to report on
implementation if the project is not progressing as expected although this is
exactly the situation in which M&E can provide useful insights.
• Recommended actions resulting from the mid-point evaluations need attentive
follow-up.

• Conduct a baseline survey at the start of a project to be able to monitor progress

and evaluate project outcomes and impact.
• The impact evaluation should take into account that impact might take some time
to come to effect. A longitudinal study a few years after the end of the project
could capture the long-term benefits and consequences of a project.

Monitoring is about keeping track of project progress. Evaluation aims at determining to

what extent project objectives have been reached and to assess project impact. In general,
evaluations are more comprehensive and in-depth than monitoring of project progress.
Without evaluation there is no way of judging the impact of a program. In addition,
evaluation studies are essential to demonstrate the project’s effectiveness.

Projects need adequate baseline data on which to compare progress. A first step to
obtaining baseline data is the selection of the key performance indicators during project

339
preparation and M&E design. Next, the baseline data should be collected, preferably right
from project start, to capture as much of the project effects as possible. A few common
shortcomings of evaluation surveys and systems are related to: 1) the control group
(being too small, not very well matched or not available at all) and 2) the match between
baseline and evaluation survey (being carried out in different seasons for example). These
limitations will lead to difficulties in separating project effects from effects of similar
programs or secular trends in the state.

Annually, the project team can conduct a ‘self-assessment’ where the team and other key
stakeholders gather to review project performance, compare progress and outcomes with
stated objectives, indicators and milestones, and decide on actions for improving project
performance. A mid-term review by local and external team members can be conducted
after three to five years to rigorously evaluate project performance so far and to decide on
the future course of the project. Delay or absence of a mid-term review means that
corrective actions cannot be taken in time.

Good impact evaluation systems can form the basis of permanent systems which will
allow for future follow-up and a longitudinal focus on child development. To avoid being
confronted with poor evaluation, a project could constitute an evaluation panel, including
external expertise to design, monitor, and evaluate the evaluation activities as well as
oversee key operational research.

'

• Prioritize operational research that is meant to shape project implementation.

When the number of intended studies is too high, you run a risk of not finishing
any of them on time.
• Focus on a limited number of high quality, carefully conducted, and punctually
reported studies to be carried out in the first few years of the project.

Operational research studies mostly investigate topics with direct relevance to the project.
Results are meant to be incorporated during project implementation to improve outcomes.
It is very important to avoid delays in reporting the research results. When projects

340
initiate a considerable number of operational research studies, the studies are generally
not completed until later in the project life which seriously limits their utility.

Set priorities. Operational research needs to focus on a reduced number of high quality,
carefully conducted, and punctually reported studies to be carried out within the first 2-3
years of the project, in order to use the findings for improvement of the project. A clear
plan defining the topics and administration of the studies, as well as provisions for their
use and dissemination is needed. Better procurement planning, improved assessment
criteria for bidding agencies (such as consultancy organizations), improved quality
assessment of proposals and better monitoring of the studies’ progress can all contribute
to timely and high quality research results.

D61 " ' 5 ))

Mobile Schooling is an appropriate education methodology for street children. The

primary object of the mobile school concept is to socialize the street children at different
city points with a systematic program of basic literacy and life oriented non-formal
education. By expanding the non-formal education program through mobile schooling
development, it is expected that a large number of street children could be prod into
positive action. This humanitarian concept professes to inculcate among the non-
privileged children lessons of good and civilized community life. It express a strong
desire to do something meaningful about these non-privileged groups who do not obtain
access to even non-formal educational facilities. Street children constitute non-privileged
groups falling far apart so far as non-formal primary education is concerned.

In the domain of non-formal education the efficiency of the new approach to school
development deserves special mention. For, it has emerged with of community based
sustainable programs of a literacy drive. This is a contextual action research relevant to
the management of participatory development. It is enjoined upon the voluntary
organization to steer this pro-people activity to a success through community
involvement. The guardian class might feel that street children are their children and they
belong to the community.

341
The new method calls for pragmatic perspectives with timely operational strategies
specific to the needs of the vulnerable. Its implementation with a revised out-reach
approach is capable of producing results. Mobile school is expected to turn non-formal
educational policies into effective situational practice. (Mashreque Shairul, 2001)

) 1 " '
Street Children as special group need following curriculum (Roy, 2001)
Age: 6-18 years (Never bellow age 6 years)
Features of the children:
1. Absolutely illiterate
2. Inadequate Literacy skill
3. 12% dropout (who have had at least two or three
years schooling few years ago) i.e. three members out of
twenty-five can be accommodated in the groups.
Size of the group : 25 children per group (maximum)
Flexibility:
Group size could be flexible according to the local situation of the center. Duration of the
course might also be rearranged according to demand of the children.
Duration of the course:
Six months (including weekly, seasonal and special holidays)

" %6 . )' A ' 1 " '

" %6 7 5 7 1 8 54
1 2 3 4 5 6
Major s
A Family Family Familial Women Social Commu- Social problem A.31
and structure conflict and family structure nity and
Society and a.13 A.19 social amity
amity A.25
A.7
B Health Cleanlin Health Sanitation Popula- Protecting Remedy and prevention
and ess B.2 educatio B.14 tion environment of disease C.33
Environ n health B.27
ment B.8 B.20
C Nutritio Nutritio Water in Some Roots of Infectious Remedy and prevention
n and n and daily life special disease disease C.27 of disease C.33

342
 Disease food C.3 C.9 disease C.21
C.15
D Educatio Educatio Educatio Traditional Bangla- Recourses Festivals of Bangladesh
n n for all n and and amity desh and and location D.34
Culture D.4 develop- D.16 liberatio of
Country ment n war Bangladesh
D.10 D.22 D.28
E Income Self- Skill Employ- Savings Group or Simple trades for the
Generati employ develop ment of and loan organization street children E.35
on and ment ment women E.23 building
employ E.5 E.11 and E.29
ment children
E.17
F Laws Fundam Laws Children Family Local Urban life rights and
And ental and rights laws government receipts of receipts of
Rights rights children F.18 F.24 F.30 services F.36
F.6 F.12

Table : 48, 49, 50 shows the out put of the curriculum of the Mobile Schooling

CI% ' / " %

First term Second term
Reading Reading
1. Learner will be able to 1.learner will be able to read
recognize and read 50 Independently words constructed
alphabets 10 vowel signs by two signs (vowel and
2. Learners will be able consonant) of four alphabets
to read familiar or (without conjunct letters)
already practiced 2. Learner will be able to read
sentences of three words words constructed by 3 alphabets
constructed by 3 with one conjunct letters
alphabets with one 3. Learner will be able to read
vowel sign. sentences of maximum 6 words
3. Learners will be able 4. Learner will be able to read
to read familiar or paragraph of eight sentences
already practiced 5. Learner will be able to acquire
sentence of three words the skill of reading using three
4. Learners will be able punctuation marks like full stop.
to read paragraphs of Interrogation and commas
four sentences with 6. Learner will be able to read
repetition of words. issue-based essay of five
paragraphs containing six
sentences on an average
7. A) Learner will be able to read
words/sentences with simple
conjunct letters (forms of which
are not changed)
b) Learner will be able to have a
clear conception about most of the
conjunct letters
8. Learner to be able to answer
questions verbally from the
reading contents already been
practiced
9. Learner will be able to read
Third term
Reading
1. Learner will be able to read and
comprehend words constructed by
maximum six alphabets (without conjunct
letters)
2. Learner will be able to read and
comprehend words constructed by
maximum five alphabets provided there is
only one conjunct letter
3. Learner will be able to read sentences
constructed by maximum ten words with
accurate pronunciation
4. Learner will be able to read
independent paragraph of ten sentences
5. Learner will be able to read issue-
based essay of six paragraphs with
heading containing eight sentences on an
average
6. Learner will be able to read and
comprehend signboards, posters, leaf-lets,
printed letters and invitations written
easily with common type and font
7. Learner will be able to read and
understand Bengali calendar i.e.
recognizing days and dates.
8. Learner will be able to read simple
writings of 18 points
9. Learner will be able to read
supplementary reading materials (graded)
with comprehension
10. Learner will be able to read Words
per minute.

343

' '
1. Learner will be able to
write easy
alphabets/signs
independently
2. Learners will be able
to write conjunct but
difficult letters/signs by
looking
3. Learners will be able
to construct familiar
words by simple signs
with one vowel
4. Learner will be able to
write familiar sentences
of three words by
looking
5. Learner will be able to
transform the from of
words constructed by
two alphabets by
changing signs and
syllable
6. Learners will be able
to fill-up gaps of familiar
words with alphabets
and syllable
7. Learners will be able
to write familiar
alphabets and words
from dictation
8. Learners will be able
to write numbers from 1
– 10 in words
Table 49: Out put of Accounting in Mobile Schooling:
written text of 22 points
10. Learner will be able to read
supplementary reading materials
(graded) with comprehension
11. Learner will be able to read….
Words per minute
12. Learner will be able to read
simple printed letters (invitations)
'
1. Learner will be able to construct 1. Learner will be able to write
and write words with conjunct words/sentences correctly through
letters of maximum three alphabets dictation
they already practiced. 2. Learner will be able to write simple
2. Learner will be able to construct letters, applications and invitations and be
and write simple sentences with able to write the answer of simple letters
simple and familiar words from 3. Learner will be able to write any
with in or outside their reading decision with simple language
contents 4. Learner will be able to describe simple
3. Learner will be able to write picture in writing
sentences by transforming 5. Learner will be able to write addresses
words/sentences (into opposite and the names of the months of Bengali
words, genders adjective, verbs, and English years
tenses and voice etc.) 6. Learner will be able to express ideas on
4. Learner will be able to write the any familiar contents in writing
names of the pictures the opposite 7. Learner will be able to use punctuation
words and make sentences looking marks in writing (full-stop, comma,
into the picture interrogation etc.)
5. Learner will be able to write 8. Learner will be bale to acquire the skill
names of familiar objects such as of writing passbook and receipt etc.
names, objects of the environment. 9. Learner will be able to write different
Foods, festivals, occasions, synonym and pairs of words.
disease, name of districts, days of
the week etc.
6. Learner will be able to write
simple sentences of four words
from dictation
7. Learner will be able to write
answer of simple questions from
the familiar contents
8. Learner will be able to write
paragraphs of three or four
sentences from the simple and
familiar contents
9. Learner will be able to have the
conception how to write letters,
pass books and receipts etc.
10. Learner will be to use at least
two punctuation marks in writing
(e.g. full-stop, and interrogation)
344

First term
Accounting
1. Learner will be able to
recognize numbers from 1
– 50 and read and write.
2. Learner will be able to
arrange numbers in
ascending and descending
order
3. Learner will be able to
arrange odd and even
numbers.
4. Learner will be able to
operate simple addition of
two numbers containing
two digits (without
carrying)
5. Learner will be able to
solve simple addition,
subtraction, multiplication
and division orally
% => ' " /
!
Second term
Accounting
1. Learner will be able to comprehend read
and write numbers from 1 – 1000 write
recognizing their place value
2. Learner will be able to read and write
number from 1-50 in English with
comprehension
3. Learner will be able to explain the use
of calendar and clock
4. Learner will be able to have the
conception about measurement in metric
system and be able to operate simple
addition and subtraction in metric system
(distance, weight, length etc.)
5. Learner will be able to operate addition
and subtraction of three numbers
containing three digits (carrying) and be
able to operate addition of four numbers
containing two digits and of five numbers
containing one digits
6. Learner will be able to apply
multiplication table of 1 - 10
7. Learner will be able to operate
multiplication of two digits by one digits
8. Learner will be able to operate division
of two digits by one digit (with remainder)
9. Learner will be able to solve easy
problems sums
10. Learner will be able to have the idea of
simple budgeting credit and expenditure
11. Learner will be able to do mental
math’s, simple addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division both orally and
in writing
12. Learner will be able to read and write
numbers from 21 to 50 in words
"
Third term
Accounting
1. Learner will be able to
comprehend read and write
numbers from 1-100000 with
recognizing their place value
2. Learner will be able to read
and write numbers from 51-
100 in words
3. Learner will be able to
comprehend, read and write
numbers from 1-100 in English
4. Learner will be able to
operate addition of four
numbers containing four digits
and be able to operate
subtraction of two numbers
containing four digits
5. Learner will be able to
operate multiplication of three
digits by one digits
6. Learner will be able to
operate division of three digits
by one digits
7. Learner will be able to solve
simple problem sums (having
two digits)
8. Learner will be able to
produce simple familial and
group budget and expenditure
9. Learner will be able to
operate simple math’s in metric
system (distance, weight,
length etc)
10. Learner will be able to
operate accounting of money in
decimal

First term Second term Third term

Speaking
1.Learners will be able to from
words with the help of new signs or
alphabets
2. Learners will be able to from
sentences with the help of new
signs/alphabets or words
3. Learners will be able to compare
the local and standard mode of
pronunciation while speaking and
listening
4. Learners will be able to explain
familiar pictures
5. Learners will be able to take part
Speaking
1. Learners will be able to
present own experiences and
comments on any subject
they have gone through
2. Learners will be able to
tell stories incidents and
puzzles etc.
3. Learners will be able to
share ideas and take decision
on any subject
Speaking
1.learner will be able to speak
properly
2. Learner will be able to express
own experiences comments,
realizations and reactions clearly
3. Learner will be able to ask
related question/questions on any
discussed topics
4. Learner will be able to follow
the question and answer properly

345
 in discussion on personal and
circumstantial situations
6. Learners will be able to explain
adequate technique or procedure in 1. Learners will achieve the
order to develop own literacy skill habit of listening the
(group discussion, question-answer abstract/abstracts of
etc.) described topic
7. Learners will be able to tell
stories and proverb etc.

1. Learners will be able to

comprehend lectures, questions and
comments after listening
2. Learners will be able to
comprehend messages from
different mass media clearly after
1. Learners will be able to listening
comment and answer listening the
questions etc.

'1
Following methods should be adapted to the needs of the underprivileged children and to
the resources that are available in the community.

Group Discussion
During group discussions, the underprivileged children do more talking than the
educator. The method provides an opportunity for everybody to participate during the
teaching session.

Demonstration:
A demonstration is a practical skill presented by the educator. Demonstrations are
successful if they are followed by practice sessions for the street children.
Field Visit

This method enables the street children to experience real situations. To be effective, the
choice of the place to be visited should be relevant to the subject what are teaching or
what the street children want to learn.

346
Games:
Many educational games are available which could be used to teach street children. The
critical part of an educational game is the ‘learning questions’ that come after the active
part of the game. These questions are intended to help the street children in analyzing
what they have done and in drawing important conclusions. It is important that the games
used are culturally appropriate and acceptable in our country. They also are appropriate to
the age of child.

Role play /Drama

This is a method in which problems are outlined, acted out and discussed real life. The
method is effective in teaching attitude. * $ 3!
would be followed.

Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is a fast moving activity during which you gather as many ideas as
possible from the participants or street children .It stimulates street children to generate
ideas. The method is most useful at the beginning of a teaching session.

Learning Aids:
To be effective learning tools, learning aids must meet the needs of street children. The
street Children should be familiar with them and understand their use. When planning a
teaching session, we have to consider their needs. There are a number of reasons why
learning aids can be used during teaching-
•To secure interest of the child
•To transmit information that is difficult to convey with words.
•To reinforce information that other teaching methods have given.

1 '9 ( ' 8 ( '

We learn most effectively while we remain actively involve in the learning process .The
objective of participatory method is to maximize learning through involving learners in
the learning. When we say it means, making learners active in the learning
process.
Considering the life and nature of the street children, we consider following process that
could help teacher to make kids of the street involve in the process of learning.

347
•Micro-teaching
•Peer Learning
•Group Learning
•1 * '
Microteaching is defined when learners act as the facilitator to help other learners in
learning. In brief micro- teaching is teaching

Although these children, while teaching others, may not always be in the right track but
their smartness can be useful, at least to draw their interest involving the them in learning
through teaching.

• '
Peer Learning is defined when a peer of learners help each other in learning .As can see,
there is always found at least 4/5 levels of learners almost in every class where level of
understanding of different groups can never be identical. Now one advanced learner of
one group can help the other learner of other group who is less advanced than him or her.
Teaching one learner by the other always empowers oneself. Like microteaching
approach, peer learning may not always result the desired learning but the approach can
be useful, at least to draw heir interest involving them in learning through teaching.
•8 ( '
Group teaching is an effective approach of learning while a group of learners (ideally 3-5
learners) interact each other on a topic (or on a problem) and come to a consensus. A
group can be homogeneous where every learner is almost in the same level or from the
same perspective and heterogeneous where levels or perspective of the learners are
different. Although both homogeneous and heterogeneous groups are effective at
different context but we consider homogeneous group is more appropriate in the context
of the target children of the project.
Learning is maximized while learners are involved actively in the learning process.
Somebody might argue that involvement of learners are in direct learning can also be
ensured through lecture and question answer method but in most cases lecture method
can not make all learners of a class to be active in receiving message of the lecture .In the

348
case of question-answer method however, many learners might be active but the
methodology, which is more interactive and activity based should be followed to ensure
more involvement of learners in the process of learning. Figure 38 shows the learning
process of mobile schooling .

+ % BL 1 5 "

Mathematics

Language Creative
Learning Writing

Reading Game

A lesson plan is a framework that outlines the steps of a teaching session. The lesson plan
should include learning objectives, duration of the teaching session, content of the
material to be covered, teaching methods, assessment and if you are not well conversant
with the subject, possible answers. Remember that a lesson plan is only a ‘skeleton’.
• ' "# these are statements of what you expect the street children to
have learnt and what they should be able to do after completing the lesson.

349
• 4 ' this will depend on the objectives, the teaching
methods and whether you plan to have exercises and field visits. Some teaching methods
such as demonstration, group discussion and field visits require a lot of time. Pay
attention to the time allocated to each component of the session in relation to the content
and teaching method.
• this is the list of the issues you plan to cover during the teaching session.
• ' ) : these should reflect the objectives: for example, if you plan to
impart knowledge, use talks or group discussions; for skills, use practical exercises; and
for changing attitudes, use role plays.
• ) always plan to assess the street children in order to find out if you have
achieved the set objectives. Remember your assessment can be formal or informal.
The use of lesson plans can help in maintaining consistency in what you teach. Even
when you are not present, another street educator can continue from where you left off by
referring to the lesson plan you had developed. Lessons should be designed to promote
the street child’s sense of self-esteem and confidence that their actions can help to
improve their lives.
Table : 51 shows the time management of lessons in the mobile schooling

Table : 51 Time Management of Lesson

SL Activities Mode Teacher’s Time Students Time

1 Attendance/Exchange of views Combined 10 minutes 02minutes
2 Project/Subject based discussion Combined 15 minutes 15minutes
3 Creative writing Individual 10 minutes 20minutes
4 Reading Individual 20 minutes 01minutes
5 Practice (exercise / Individual 07 minutes 15minutes
worksheet selected by the
teacher)
6 Checking Exercise Book Individual 20 minutes -
7 Group work on Maths Individual 07 minutes 15minutes
8 Group work on language Individual 07 minutes 15minutes
9 Group work on awareness issue Individual 07 minutes 20minutes
10 Co curricular activities Individual 07 minutes 10minutes
11 Review Combined 09minutes 07minutes
115 minutes 120 minutes

350
 )
•3
Assessment focuses on knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is aimed at determining the
street children’s performance and progress. This provides feedback to the trainer and the
street child about the progress made. Corrective measures can be taken if things are not
going well. Most of your assessments will be informal and take place during the teaching
session. Formal assessment could be of an oral, written or practical nature. Assessment
can be conducted at the following times:
• Before the training begins (pre-test).
• During the teaching process (continuous assessment),
• At the end of the course (final assessment),
•" (
To make improvements on the teaching approach, make an assessment on how you
presented a particular session. This could help you in planning your next teaching course
better. There are several ways in which the teaching material could be evaluated. You
could ask the street children to evaluate you or you could record the session on a cassette
and assess your own performance. The information gathered should tell you whether the
learning objectives have been achieved, what went well and what want wrong. Ask the
street children to talk about what they have learnt and what benefits they have attained.

' )
Evaluation can provide important information for future educational activities with street
children. Ask yourself and/or street children the following questions:
• To what extent did the street children think the training program was enjoyable,
informative, worthwhile and stimulating? Do they have any suggestions for improving
the teaching and learning process?
• Have the aims of the teaching been achieved? What kind of change occurred as a result
of training? Did they do things differently after having gone through the program?
• Did the program affect their life in a positive way? What did they learn about
themselves? Do they do things differently after having gone through the program?
• Are there any areas in which street children need more teaching/educating?

351
 ' '
The following details have to be take care of, to ensure that the teaching sessions are
effective:
• Time: schedule the sessions in agreement with the street children. Avoid long sessions.
Allocate time breaks.
• Learning aids: ensure that they are appropriate for the group and are in working order.
• Size of the group: teach a manageable group.
• Place: select a convenient and comfortable place, which is free from noise and
interruptions.
• The actual lesson: break up the lesson into manageable portions. Ensure they are
presented in a logical manner.
The special characteristics of teaching materials of under privileged children’s Non-
formal education are as follows:
-Cater to different needs and abilities to the under privileged;
-Relate to child’s home environment:
-Help to develop the self-image in the child:
-Provided for the cognitive, psychomotor and effective needs of the learner:
-Stimulate and instill enthusiasm in the child:
-Include self-learning materials:
-Help to develop language skills:
-Develop the ability to solve problems:
-Assist the child to achieve to solve problems:
-Engage the attention of the child for longer periods of time.
-Allow the teachers to be resourceful:
-Be flexible enough to accommodate changes:
-Not be heavily ‘home work’ oriented:
-Strengthen the relation between home, school/teacher and parent:
-Reflect local socio-economic and cultural factors.

Figure : 40 shows the activity based learning as project work

352
Fig : 40 Activity Based Learning- project work

HISTORY SCIENCE
Source of water Production of water
Canal/river/ocean etc Properties
Classification –Saline
water etc

8 5 1

W in the How long a particular

WATER 9. '( '
Volume of pot can take to be
Filled with water? Volume of water etc

I4 5 8
4 1 Drawing pictures
of things on water
Writing story/Drama on water etc
8 8 G
8
Singing song on water, Reciting rhymes on water etc Name and location
of Imp Rivers and oceans etc

" %5 G #" 5 $ # 5 <,

: ! "
System of evaluation in the schools for street children should be different from that of
general schools. There should not be any pass/fail system in these schools. Unlike general
schools; these schools should not have formal annual examinations. The assessment will
be continuous and progress maintain of the student will be recoded on the basis of weekly
or monthly tests. The teachers have to maintain if possible, a cumulative record card for
each student.

353
The above measures, through not exhaustive, could contribute towards improving the
situation of street children. As street children’s health, security, life and indeed that of
families and society are at stake and undermined by the existence of street children, all of
us must work towards improving the situation of street children.

A child’s experience of life –childhood, especially in their earliest years, is largely

determined by the care and protection they receive, or fail to receive, from adults, from
the family and also from the wider community, including state parties. It is the
responsibility of all duty bearers for children-governments, international organizations,
civil society, families and individuals- to ensure that children’s rights are fulfilled and
protected. When children are left unprotected and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse,
their childhood is undermined. A protective environment is pivotal to ‘governments and
societies’ commitment to ensuring that no child is deprived of the material, spiritual and
emotional resources needed to achieve their potential or participate as full and equal
members of society. The government, non-government organizations and other
cooperative organizations should come forward to undertake joint programs to find out
strategy in launching rehabilitation programs for the welfare of the ill-fated street
children

As urban centers continue to expand unchecked throughout the third world, it is the urban
poor in cities who must endure the worst extremes of social and economic deprivation, ill
health, lack of security and a deteriorating environment. Among the most neglected of the
urban poor are the increasing numbers of children who depend for survival on the streets.
In recent years, increasing global concern has been directed towards these children. Their
growing numbers and worsening urban conditions have resulted in street children being
focused upon as a critical human and social development issue. Within the context of
children’s rights, moreover, street children have been identified as surviving in
‘especially difficult circumstances’ and being amongst those whose rights are the most
commonly violated. ‘Street children,’ therefore, have become an integral part of highly
visible children’s rights agenda in this century. Despite all this, in Bangladesh and other

354
developing countries, street children continue to be universally scored or treated with
indifference.

The national government cannot alone tackle this gigantic problem unless some dedicated
and committed NGOs and POs supplement or complement the government’s efforts
towards resolution of this social problem. For the matter, government organization (GOs)
concerning this problem should come forward to an understanding with the capable
NGOs and POs through establishment of networking or linkages for addressing these
problems phase wise on pilot basis with limited command areas.

There is no longer any reason for governmental complacency. Children are Bangladesh
future and Bangladesh must invest in them in no uncertain terms. The presence in cities
and other urban areas of large numbers of disgruntled young people can be politically
destabilizing. They are prime targets for those prepared to use violence as a political
weapon. Street youths –tough, ruthless, unattached, half-educated, intellectually
vulnerable and familiar with secrecy, deception and the subversion of authority can be
perfect recruits. The street children and street youths of today can be the guerillas and
terrorists of tomorrow. The problem can no longer be ignored. What is clear is that if
Bangladesh is serious in its efforts to promote children welfare it must pay urgent
attention to the plight of street children. There is at present no real alarm or outrage from
the government or general public on the increasing number of children on our streets.
These children face starvation, are at the Marcy of unscrupulous individuals and a brutal
police force and often die from preventable diseases. It is argued here that the welfare of
children, particularly street children cannot be advanced in a situation of declining human
development. It is suggested that Bangladesh governments introduce measures, which
will offset the increasing excesses of the free market economy. The idea of a welfare
state, which will oversee the protection of children and other vulnerable pioneers and
most capitalist of states have in place strong measures, which protect children and other
vulnerable members of society. The tragedy of Bangladesh is the introduction of crude

355
and unhindered liberation as a strategy of economic and social development. This trend
must be reversed in the interests of our children and future generations.

A multidisciplinary approach is always a better proposition than a single one. For that
matter, a multidisciplinary approach fostering the cooperation between the GOs and
NGOs including POs, social activists, media, etc may be an alternative strategy.

DE- '
1. To make the findings of the current study available to people from various
institutions working for street children, so as to enable them to plan and
implement appropriate intervention strategies to meet the educational and
occupational needs of their respective target group(s).

2. To provide a basis for other organizations to carry out similar studies to assess the
changing patterns of needs of the target groups they cater to.

3. To initiate a process of encouraging service providers to evaluate their

services to see if they actually meet the needs of the concerned target
group(s), and if not, to revise and / or build on the existing services.

356
 " ' ( $
A
Abed, F.H.et.al, 1984 “NGO Efforts and Planning: Development as an Experimental
Process’’ in a paper presented at a seminar on Focus on 50
Million: Poverty in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Seminar organized by
ADAB.
ADB, 2001 Long-Term Strategic Framework of the Asia Development
Bank (2001-2015). Sec. M17-01, p.19, 21 February 2001,
Manila: ADB.
ADAB, 2003 “Genesis and Growth of NGOs in Bangladesh” in ADAB News
(May-June). Dhaka: ADAB.
Agnelli, Susanna, 1986 “Street Children: A Growing Urban Tragedy” in the report for
the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian
Issues. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
Ahmed, Mohiuddin, 1989 “Voluntarism in Bangladesh” in Asian Exchange, Vol. 6,
Nos2/3, Hongkong.
Ahmed, M., 1999 Bottom UP: NGO sector in Bangladesh. Dhaka: CDL.
Ahmed, Z., 1989 NGO Approval: Is it a Formal Theory of Development’’ in
Social Studies, Vol. 3. Dhaka.
Ahmed, V., and Monitoring and Evaluation Projects: The Asian Experience in
M.Bamberger, 1989 EDI Seminar Series. Washington
D.C.: World Bank.
Ahmed, M., 1999 Bottom UP: NGO sector in Bangladesh, CDL Dhaka.

Ali, A.K .M.M and Misplaced Childhood: A Short Study on the Street Child and
Sarkar, R, 1997 Prostitution in Dhaka City, Dhaka: INCIDIN.

Alma, Vaness, 1998 A Brief Analysis of Non-formal Education for Street Children
in Bangladesh’’ in the newspaper The Independent, 11
November 1998.
Aminuzzaman, S., 1992 ‘’Project Management in Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis‘’ in
Development Review, Vol.4, No.2, July 1992. Dhaka
Aminuzzaman, S., 1992 ‘’Project Management in Bangladesh: A hand-note (P.A.408,
Public Policy). Dhaka: Dept. of Public Administration, Dhaka
University.
Anonymous, 1990 ‘’The Plight of Street Children in South Africa’’ in the paper
presented at the Mailbongwe Conference, January 1990. Child
Welafare Resource Library, Cape Town.
Aptekar, Lewis, 1988 Street Children of Cali., Duke University Press, Durham.
Ayer, Eleanor H., 1997 Homeless Children (Lucent Books Overview Series). Lucent
Books, London.
Ali, Salma, 2003 Violence Against Women in Bangladesh 2002. Dhaka:

357
 Bangladesh National womens Lawyers association (BNWLA).
ARISE, 2001 Review of Related Existing Services for Street Children in Six
Diviusional Cities in Bangladesh, Vol: 1-5. Dhaka: Ministry of
Social Welfare and UNDP.
ARISE, 2001 Baseline Survey in Six Diviusional Cities in Bangladesh
Dhaka: Ministry of Social Welfare and UNDP.
ARISE, 2002 Manual of Gender and Development for Street Children.
Dhaka: Ministry of Social Welfare and UNDP.
ARISE, 2004 Estimation of Street Children in Major Urban Areas. Dhaka:
Ministry of Social Welfare and UNDP.
Apetekar, Lewis, 1989 Colombian Street Children: gamines and chupagruesos in
Adolescence. v24, n96 (Winter, 1989): 784 (12
pages).Colombia
Armpoor, J., 1992 Street Children of Madras: A situational Analysis. National
labor Institute., India.
Aminuzzaman, S., 1996 ’’NGOs and Development Management in Bangladesh‘’ in
Administrative Change, Vol 24, No. 3., Dhaka
B

Bangladesh Institute of Estimation and Socio Economic Analysis of Street Children of

Development Studies ,2004 Bangladesh, Ministry of Social Welfare and UNDP Bangladesh
Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar An Inventory of Projects and Services for Disadvantaged
Forum and UNICEF ,1999 Children in Four major Cities in Bangladesh, Bangladesh
Shishu Adhikar Forum and UNICEF, Dhaka.
BBS,2000 Bangladesh Buraue of Statistics Report Dhaka , Bangladesh
Berman, Laine, 2001 Surviving on the Streets of Java: Homeless Children’s
Narratives of Violence , Yogyakatra ,Indonesia
Begum, Afroza,2000 Government-NGO Interface in Development Management,
Department of Administrative Science , University of Tampere
, Tampere, Finland
Begum, Najma Ara, 1999 Role of NGOs in Social Development, Department of Social
Services, Ministry of Social Welfare, Dhaka .
Byrne, I, 1998 The Human Rights of Street and Working Children. London:
Intermediate Technology Publications, London
Bothma, M ,1987 ‘’ Strollers: A Qualitative Account of a Community of Street
Children in Cape Town’ Unpublished Paper , Department of
Anthropology , University of cape Town,. Located at the Social
Justice Resource Project, University of Cape Town.
Bothma, M ,1988 ‘’ Urban Hunter-Gatherers: The Social Structure and Survival
Strategies of Street Children in an area of Cape Town.’’
Unpublished Honours Dissertation , Department of
Anthropology , University of cape Town,. Located at the Social
Justice Resource Project, University of Cape Town.
Burne, Ian, 1998 The Human Rights of Street and Working Children – a
practical manual for advocates. Immediate Technology
Publications. London, (ISBN 1 85339 449 1)

358
Balnc, Cristina Szannton, Urban Children in Distress: global predicaments and innovative
1994 strategies, UNICEF Florence.
BSAF, 1998 State of Child Rights in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Shishu
Adhikar Forum (BASF), Dhaka.

Barker, Gary and Felicias

Exploited entrepreneurs : street and working children in
Knaul. 1991 developing countries .Child Hope, New York
Black Maggie,1993 Street and Working Children . Summary Report. Innocent
Global Seminar .15-25 Feb.1993.Florence, UNICEF.
Bhatnagar, B ,1991 Non-governmental Organizations and World Bank Supported
Projects in Asia : Lesson Learned, Technical Department, Asia
Region , World Bank.
Bhattacharya,D. and S. GO-NGO Collaboration in Human Development Initiatives in
Ahmed ,1995 Bangladesh: BIDS Research report No. 139, BIDS, Dhaka.
Bowden, P,1990 ‘’NGOs in Asia: Issues in Development .’’Public
Administration and Development, Vol.10.no.1, London.
Brown,L. and D.C. ‘’Working More Effectively with Non-Governmental
Korten,1991 Organizations’’ in S. Paul(et.al.) Non-Governmental
Organizatioons and the World Bank: Cooperation for
Development, Washington D.C : World Bank.
C

CHILDLINE ,2001 Listening to Children: an overview to Childline, Childline

India Foundation, Mombai, India
CIRDAP, 1997 Workshop Report on Street Children for Community
Empowerment Project, CIRDAP, Dhaka.
Cernea, M.M, 1989 Non-Governmental Organizations and Local Development,
Washington D.C.:World Bank
Chadha,S,1989 Managing Projects in Bangladesh : A Scenrio Analysis of
Institutional Environment for development Projects, University
Press Limited, New Delhi.
Calingacion, Belen ,2001 "From Street to Stage: Theater as a Communicative Strategy
for Recovery, Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Center-
Based Street Children"
(Ph.D. Dissertation, University of the Philippines, Diliman)
Counins W.,1991 Non-governmental Initiatives in ADB, The Union Poor and
Basic Infrastructure Services in Asia the Pacific. Asian
Development Bank, Manila.
D

DUICSP,1993 Street Girl Children Research Study: Addressing the Plight of

Street in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area , Dhaka Urban
Integrated Child Survival Project (DUICSP), World Vision of
Bangladesh, Dhaka .
E

359
ECPAT,1999 Standing Up for Ourselves: A Study on the Concepts and
Practices of the Young People’s Participation. ECPAT
International. Manila, 1999
Ennew, Judith,1994 Stress and working children: a guide to planning. Save the
children, London
Elena Volpi.,2002 Street Children: Promising Practices and Approaches,,
International Bank for Reconstruction And Developmental and
World Bank, Washington D.C.
F

Faston and Associates, Meeting the Educational Needs of Street and Working Children
1993 , Center for Policy Studies in Education , Newyork.
G

GOB ,1994, National Children’s Policy , Ministry of Women and Children

Affairs (MOWCA), Dhaka , Bangladesh.

Ghosh A .1992 Street Children of Calcutta: A Situational Analysis , NOIDA :

National labor institute, Child Labour cell, Ghagiabad(India)
GOB,1998 Technical Assistance Project Proforma on Appropriate
Resources for Iproving Street children’s Environment (ARISE),
Dhaka : Ministry of Social Welfare , Bangladesh

Hansson,D,1991 A Bibliography on’’Street Children ‘’ in South Africa

.Occasional Paper 03-91. Institute of Criminology, University
of Cape Town. Located at the Social Justice Resource Project,
University of Cape Town.
I
ICCW & UNICEF.1987 Report on Street and Working Children, New Delhi, India.

Islam ,S 1998 Children on the Street: From Danger to Dream, Dhaka :

Unnayan Prochesta –o-Karjokorme(UPOK), Dhaka,
Bangladesh
J

Joan Larid and A Handbook of Child Welfare , The Free Press, New York
Hartman,1985
Jacobson,G.,1989 Motivation and Recommendation for a formalized senior
bridging program for street children in Johannesburg. Located
at The Homestead Resource Libray . Cape Town.
Joe Arimpur ., 1992 Street Children of Madras. NOIDA: National labor institute.
India .
K

360
Karim, M.1994 ‘’Non-Governmental Orgainizations in Bangladesh: Issues of
Legitimacy and accountability’’, Grassroots, Vol.3 No .12,
April-June
Khan , S , 1999 A Study on Street Children , Save the Children(UK) , Dhaka
Khan,Z.R. and Arefeen, The Situation of Child Prostitutes in Bangladesh , Dhaka :
1990 Center for Social Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka ,
Bangladesh
Khalil , Ibrahim, 1995 Street Children in Confliict with Law, Department of
Sociology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka , Bangladesh
Korten, D.C,1987 ‘’Third Generation NGO Strategies: A Key to People Centered
Development’’, World Development, vol 15, (supplement).
Korten, D.C,1991 ‘’The Role of Non –Governmental Organizations in
Development: Changing Patterns and Perspectives’’ in Paul, S.
(et.al.) Non-Governmental Organizations and the World bank:
Cooperation for Development, Washington D.C. : World bank.
L

Laird Joan and Hartmen A Handbook of Child Welfare : Context , Knowledge and
1985 Practice , The Free Press , Newyork.
Lewis, J.P ,1993 Cooperation between Official Agencies and Non-governmental
Organizations, in Rice, A. E. (et. Al) The Role of
Nongovernmental Organizations in Developmental
Cooperation, Development Center, OECD, France.
M

Muchini ,1994 Children of the Street: A Study on Street Children in Zimbabwe

, Zimbabwe .
Mandal, Manabendra Nath Street children and slum children in India: report of the
(ed.), 1990 workshop on street children and slum children: legal protection
and social security, Calcutta, Socio-Legal Aid Research &
Training Centre, India,124,[6] p.
Mishra, Shashi .1988. Street Children: A Strategy for an institutional –plus program.
Bombay; Government of Maharashtra, India
N

NGO forum for street and A report of the workshop on the Orientation of street
working children, educators.28Feb-March,1995 Ahmedabad, India .
Ahmedabad.1995.
O

OCCW & UNICEF, 1994 Workshop on government and NGO participation for street and
working children. Dec.15-16, 1994Bhubaneswar, India
Ontga, Lazima and Rachel Non formal education for street children in Kathmandu : Child
Baker.1995 Welfare Society, Nepal
P

361
Pandey , R, 1993 Street Children of kanpur: A situational Analysis, National
labor Institute, Gaziabad , India .
Panicker, Rita and Street Children of Delhi, NOIDA : National labor institute,
parveen Nangia .1992 India
Plan Bangladesh, 2004 Children’s Consultation-Bangladesh Report, and Dhaka
Bangladesh.
Paul, Delia.,1991 Street Survival: Children, Work and Urban Drift in Cambodia,
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: World Vision UK, 46 p.
Porio, Emma,1994 The National Project for Street Children: outcomes and lessons:
a synthesized evaluation report for UNICEF, Manila,
Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University, Department of
Sociology-Anthropology, 53 p.
J

Quieta, 1998 Advocacy Workshop for Mainstreaming Street Children in

Mongolia , Mongolia

Rane Asha J., editor 1994. " % !

Bombay: Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Rao, BVR and B. and Working and street children of Delhi. National labor Institute,
Mallik ,1992 India
Rahman, H. and A Study on Street Children of Bangladesh: Survey of Dhaka,
Associates, 1988. Chittagong and Khulna, Dhaka, Terre des homes, Dhaka,
Bangladesh
Reddy .N,1992 Street Children of Banglore : A Situational Analysis , National
Labour Institue NOIDA ,NewDelhi India.
Rane, A., ed. 1994 Street children: A challenge to the social work profession. Tata
Institute of Social Sciences: Bombay. India.
RANE, Asha J. (ed.). 1994 Street children: a challenge to the social work profession, Tata
Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay, India: 252 p.
S

Sarwar, S.(ed), 1997 The State of Floating Children : A Study of Working Children
in Rajshahi City, Rajshahi: Association for Community
Development, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Shamim , Ishrat; Homeless and powerless: child victims of sexual exploitation,
Chowdhury, Quamrul Dhaka: Bangladesh Sociology Association; University of
Ahsan, 1993 Dhaka
Swart J Malunde ,1990 ‘’ Of the Streets: A Study of black street children in South
Africa ‘’. In P. Hugo (Ed.) Truth be in Field: Social Silence
Research in South Africa, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
T

362
Tahill ,2002 Report of the State Party to the Committee on the Rights of the
Child , Tashkent Center for Social Research Report, Uzbekistan

Childhope Asia, 1993 The Life of Street Children in Cambodia: The Situation of
Children Without Support in Urbanizing Areas in Cambodia,
Manila:, 24 p. (Research Series No. 5)
U
UNICEF ,1999 Situation Assessment and Analysis of Children and Women in
Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh
UNICEF , 2003 The State of World’s Children 2003 Report,UNICEF : Oxford
University Press New York, NY 10017,USA

UNESCO/ICCB, 1995 Working with street children. Selected case-studies from

Africa, Asia and Latin America. (UNESCO Publishing/ICCB,

<

Volpi, Elena, 2002. “Street Children: Promising Practices and Approaches”, WBI
Working Papers - The World Bank
Vittachi ,Anuradha ,1989 Stolen Childhood : In search of the Rights of the Child , Polity
Press Cambrige, UK
W

Webber, Martene , 1991 Street Kids: The Tragedy of Canada’s Runways, University of
Toronto Press,Canada
2 # 3 <>>B 3 / %" 3 5 /
#5
Williams, C, 1990 .,”Street children and Education: European and Third World
Approaches,” PhD dissertation, School of Education University
of Birmingham

Wilson,S.G.1983 ’The Role of Non-Governmantal Organizations in Aid to the

Least-Developed countries’ in Rice, A.E.(ed.) The Role of
Non-Governmental Organizations in Development ,
Development center, OECD, France.
World Bank, 1990 Bangladesh Poverty and Public Experience: An Evaluation of
the Impact of Selected Government Programs, Report NO.
7946, Bangladesh, Washington, D.C. World Bank
World Vision,1993 Street Girl Children Research Study: Addressing the Plight of
Street Girl Children in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area. Urban
Integrated Children Survival Project ,Dhaka
Z

Zarina, R.K and Arefeen, The Situation of child Prostitution in Bangladesh, Center for
1990. Social Studies (CSS), University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

363
 "
" Accessed on
European Network on Street Children www.enscw.org 19 Nov. 2006
Worldwide
European Network on Street Children www.enscw.org 17 March
Worldwide 2006

European Network on Street Children www.enscw.org 16 December

Worldwide 2004

World Bank Institute, Study on www.worldbank.org/wbi/publication 19 Nov. 2006

Promising Practices ((Elena Volpi) s/wbi37196.pdf
Street Children – Community http://pangaea.org/street_children/ki 17 March
Children ds.htm 2006
Worldwide Resource Library
Stairway in the Phillippines www.stairwayfoundation.org 16 December
2004

Casa Alianza in Guatemala, www.casa-alianza.org 13 May 2006

Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico Bruce@casa-alianza.org
Consortium for Street Children www.streetchildren.org.uk 17 March
United Kingdom 2006

Defence for Children International http://www.childhub.ch/webpub/dci 16 December

home 2004

A very comprehensive bibliography http://www.geocities.com/joelmerm 16 May 2006

on street children, compiled by Joël et/streetchildren2.html
Mermet.
Rädda Barnen, Sweden www.rb.se/childwork

CIA website www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbo 16 December

ok/, June 2004 2004

Asian Development Bank (ADB) adb.org. 1- 16 December

(www.streetchildrenconsortium/123/ 1998
india.htm,
adb.org. 2-
www.adb.org/socialprotection
adb.org. 3 -
www.adb.org/socialprotection/child
8 - http://( ' .org/ _ / 16 December
Community Worldwide / .htm 2005
Resource Library

364
 ! - . / ! 0" / 10 . ! "0 " /0" 1

2 3 / $ 4

SL. NO.

5 # & 6 3 * 6 1 *7 6 $ 3 / ,
$* $# 3 $ # * + $ % *$ #
* 8

9( 3
4 &:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::((
;( "**
&::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::((
&::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::(
<( 3 *
&::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::
=(
&::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::(
)( 3 4
&::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::
'(> 3 6
&:::::::::::::::::::::::(:::::::::::::::
:::::::

365
?( &
:::::::::::::::::::::::(:::::::::::::::
:::::::::((
@( > 3
&:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::
A( *, , #
* ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::(

9B( 3 3 3 $# C> *C 3# *" $ 6

4 &

3 > * " / 3# " $

$# /

99( 1 , 4 * 3 *

9;( # 3 *

9<( 6 # $ 3 D

366
9=( "# $

3 3 "# $ - 3#
53 * ** *
* ** 8

9)(

9' - 3 E
9?(- , 3 E

9@( - 7 6 # 3

9A( - 3 E

;B( - $ $ 3 C, # # # (

;9( - 3 # $ 56 * # $ 8 # 3
$ 3 # * E

3 3 "# $ - 3#
53 * ** *
* ** 8

367
;;( 1 , * * $ # $ 3 * E

;<( 1 , * * # $ E

;=( $ $ * # E

;)( * # $ $ 6 $ *E

>

3 F+> F+ , *, , # * E

26 Number of Street Children who are no longer Street Children after being provided
your services (if possible provide information about their whereabouts):

;?( 6 3 * $ 7 $ 6 # # 3 4

;@( D 3 % 3 * # $ &
>

;A( 3 CD #3 3 6 # $ *
<B( 4 3 , * # % , , *
* # , ,3 # * E
> * 6
% ,

368
<9( 3 F+ , , * * *3# * * * # , , *
,E
*3#
-

9::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1 ,

9::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
,
-
9::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1 ,
9::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

;::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

<;( D 3 % 3 $# 3 * 5 #3 3
$# 8
& $ ) *
<<( 4 # 5 6 # 3 4 # 8
<=( 3 &
<)( 6 3 3 # ** ) 5 8&
;BBB:::::::::((
;BB9:::::::::((
;BB;:::::::::((
;BB<:::::::::((
;BB= :::::::::(

369
<'( # 7 # &
( * # * &> 7
6( # * # > 7
#( * # * * *7 , $ &> 7

<?( # 7 # &
( 0 $ &GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( *0 $ & GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#( 0 , 0 $ &GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*( *0 $ &GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

<@( 0 $ 3 * # * &
" $ ($' (
+ , +-. ,

<A( * 5 & 6 # 3 <7) 6 * 8

=B( # * % * 5;BBB<G;BB= 8

# 3 # " 1 * 3 % * "

=9( # * *3 4 6 $ 6
:::::::::::((
6:::::::::::((

370
=;( D 6 # * *
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

=<(D # $ * 6 3 % 3# $ * $#
(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

==( 6 3 % * # # &

(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG----------

371
 ! - . / ! 0" / 10 . ! "0 " /0" 1

, (:.=,:/ - >:1 0: ?+. -(.::( >,01.:

SL Code No

///////////////////////////01 .2 //////////////////////// ///////////////////////////////////

//////////////////////////////////////////

9( 3 * GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;( %&
<( " GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG=( * # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

)( GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG '( $ D # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

?(D 0 # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG@(D

0 # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGA( GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG9B(- 7
- GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

99( 3 , & 3, GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

9;( 3, GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG9<(D GGGGGG

9=( GGGGGGGGGGGGGG

372
9)(" $ EGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG9'(> 7 (" GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
3 , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
9?(1 , 3 *# * # $ * *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
9@( & 7 , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG9A( 3 7 33 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;B( , & 7 7 5GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG8 5GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGG 6 5GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG8
;9( & *7" $ GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG;;(" GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;<(H *7 *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;= D 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG(GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG;)( # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;'( & GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG;?(" GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;@(H *7 *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
;A( D 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG(<B( # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

<90/ 1 * / *7 * 7 *
<;( *7H * *7 $ * *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
<<( *# 3 # $ 6 # * GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
<=( # C 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
35.How long suffering--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---36.What treatment going on?----------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

373
<?(1 , # *6 $ EGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
<@( # * EGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
( D $ 3 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( * 6 * 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#( GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*( # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
3 3 # 6 6 *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
<A( # I # # 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
=B ( 3 3 *3 $ * # 6 # # # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
=9( 3 $ 7"6
( $
G % 3 %# $ 7 * 7 ** 3# #
G % 3$ %# $ 7 * 7 ** 3# #
G G 3 # 7 3 # 7$ 3 #

6( $ 1 4 *
- % * * C C #GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- # 36 * GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- % * C * # * GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6 # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6 # * GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#( % 6
- * J # 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- $ , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- D # 6 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*( % 6
- * * 3 # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- $ , *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- * J 3 * *# *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
( - 1 4 *
- *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
- # * *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

374
340 '
( - # * $ *6 3 7 76 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( - * 3 , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#( - 6 # * 3 7 7 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*( - # * $ 3 7 76 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

350
( 5 (GGGGGGGGGGG8
6( 5 (GGGGGGGGGGG8

#( - * # * $ , 6 * E
0 $ 7 * 33 7 *GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
*( - $ , # *C 3 C, * $ E " * - E GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
( # * # * 6 * E GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
! # 7 * 7 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

330 1 ($'

( - # *+ * , * E
0 $ * # 73 * 7 * GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( # *
*, 7 # *76 E GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

360

( 1 , # * * 6 * E
# 71 #7 * 33 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( 1 , * # * # # *E
* 7H 3 * 7 * 33 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#( 1 , 3 J * # *# 3 , # * E
", 7 ## 7 $ GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

370

375
 # *
( 9( " % 7;( * GGGGG97;
6( 9( $ 7;( 6 $ GGGGG97;
#( 9( # 7;( # GGGGG97;
*( 9( 33 3 3 3 GGGGG$ # 73 7

380
( # 3 */ GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( # 3 # 7 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

$ ." '

=?( ( 1 # * 6 7 3 3 E5/ $ * 8GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
=?( 6( - * # * * 6 EGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
G * #
G # 3
G 6

390

5- 9 *; , 3 * * $# ## * $ 6 # *8
G * 5 8
G 7 *6 5 8
G * # 5 8
G *# 5 8
G 5 8

3:0) . ' $; > 7 1 , # E

6<0 1 ! + $ , $ .
+ ,

376
 ( 1 , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
6( 1 , * * # E # *7 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
#( - 6 *
G # * / *7 * 7 *
G * # * / *7 * 7 *
G1 * 6 33 / *7 * 7 *
G" / *7 * 7 *
6=01 > ; >

3 F+ F+ C $ 3 GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

64 > ; +& , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

650 > ;GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

630 1 $ > ;GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

660 ! > ' ; >

3 F+ ++ C , $# $ $* 3 6 3
# * E
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
670 ' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

$ ! *
3 $ , GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

* 3 $ GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

377
 ? @ A ?@ ) @ )? + A ,

& GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! &GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

D #

* # 3D #
3 6 / $ 3 $
# * + $ * *
6 # $ 3 *
* # # * 3 /
* # # * 3 3
# *
% # * $# $ 6 3
# *
$ 3 % 3
/ , 3 $ # * +
$ * (
* 3 $ 3
7# * 3 # *
D 3 # 3 3 $
3 $ (

378
 (B@(") ? ( @ )( ? (( )" (

0
3 * &

" & %&

* #

3 6 3 6 &

D 0$ D # &

D $ 0$ D # &

0 * , D 5 8&

D 3 7 ## * 3 &

Income TK. Sources of Income

Present Previous
(child +family members) (child +family members)

6 &5 3K, 8

0$ * $ * 3

- * &

379
/ 1 4 * * &

0$ * $ * 3

4 $# &

Organization:

Type of Support:

0 Shelter:
3 % # & Drop- in center Others

Case Studied By:

Date

380
 Appendix
H 1

) 1 < " =4 '

(91 * *

9( 30 # 7 # 5 #3 * # $ *8GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

;( 1 * 5 <# 6 3 * 8
6G ( %7" / ( 6 /
53 8 5 (8
/ L 9B 99G9@>

<(" &

31 * 5 6 3 * 3 * 8

6G 6 %7" /
53 8 /
L9B 99G9@> L9B > 99G9@>

(; I 3 $ , *&

381
) * "3 *# 3 *C# * # 3 ,5 )8 G 3
$ , 5, C C # , * * C C, *# 8
(
9( C % , # 6 3
$ 6 # * 5 $ , &
D( % 6 * 3 3 $ 6 # * *
7 * $ # $ *, *# 8

" H 10

3 9 3 ; 3 < 3 = 3 )
3 +
* #

( 3
*

;( * (6 6 * 3# 6 3
# * * C# * )79B E5 #
6 M9BB8

1" H 10

3 9 3 ; 3 < 3 = 3 )
* 3
#
6 )

* 3
#
6 9B

3 * 33 # GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

382
 Appendix F
D " !"0H" / - / 10 " /0" 1

(
3 # * 3 # C ## 6 * $ 3 /
, 3 # * * ( # # * # 6 J $ *# C * # *
# $ 3 C 3 # *6 3 * $ *3 $# (H , # * $*
#3 *6 # $# $* * # # $ * * ## # 6 # $ (

# # * 6 * 3 # 6 # * * * $ *( # # *
# # # C # # 6 * C 3G# 3* # C , C * # C
, # # * # ( # 33 # $ * 3
3 * 3 # * 6 * 3 # 6 * * $ 3 J
$# (

!" !
9( 3 6 * * ** $ * 3 # 3 # 3 / , 3 $
* + $ * , * & D # * # # C
3 *# 6 3J *J ( * 6 ## # # C
3 # 3 # $ 6 4 *6 3# $ $ 6 # * * # # C
6 J 6 3 % # * (

;( # # # * ## *# (

<( C *$ * # # 3 # 3 / 3

=( " 3 # 3 # # &

)( 6 3 # & # # 3 # * * < # C C96 , *<

( ! "
# $ " $ % " $
% " ! & '( ) ! * % % "
% ( % ! " ! "+ ( " % ! $
% * " ! $ ( , ( ! $ %
" * % -. # ( / 0 * ) $ # .

383
 / $ $ # 6 , 9B 9= 6 # * *
" / $ $ # 6 , 9B 9= 6 # * *
/ $ $ # 6 , 9B 9= 6 # * *
The above mentioned scores are obtained from the total number of criteria multiplied by score against each criterion and dividing
the products by total number of components, the results being rounded off to the nearest whole numbers. The calculation involved are
shown in the following box:

A $ + C=3 D6: 5 ' ÷=5

& $ + C<: D6: 5 ' ÷=5

$ + C<6 D6: 5 ' ÷=5

@( 3 $ # *# 3 # 3 / % * 3 3& %
A E&

A( 3 # $ 6 # * # * # # $ $ *

9B( * % # *6 C # *6 3 * * * * 3 (

384
 - +.: .1

?+.

2:.?+. : := 0 (,+ +? *+- /+., * ?+.

, 2.+=, * -(.::( >,01.: - : =,.+ : (, 8 *0 1:->

$ A?* *
" $ ? F % &
) %

<= ( (" # 3 # ( ( GGGGN 3 # # $ *( GD # !

6( D $ * * " # # * 6( - * GD #
* # # ( # # $ 6 GGGN 3 $ 3# 3
# (
#( $ , * #( GGGG 3 * 3 G" * #
4 *3 # ( * # (
*( 3 # *( GGN 3 * # # *( G 6 $ $
( $ $ 3 # # ( GGG 3 7 GD # #
# ( *( *

3( 3 *, *# # , 3( *$* * # G 33 * C
# * 6 * # 6 # * 6 GGN * #
# ( ** # ,
# *
( % # ( *$* * # G" * #
# $ 3 # * # * 6 GGN *
* # ,
# *
(/ * 6 # ( GGGGG 3 */ G * # *

<4 (D # 5 73 8 $ 6 (( ( GGG ( 3# * * G"

% ( * 6* #
6( 6 * 3 ( 6O 3# * 3 *3 G # * #
% ( $
#( D $ * * # *# #( GGG GGGGGGG# 3 *# G *#
* % ( *$ # (
*( * # , *( I ( 3 * # GD #
4 * % * # *
( 3* # (

385
 ( * 3# * $ 3 (I 3# * 3 * * G # * 3
# * 71 ! # * (( 3# $ * GG * 3 * *
GGGG/ GGGGGGGGG( $ *
# * 0
<5 & ! ( $ # * # * #3# (9 $ 3 * G $ 3
3 * # *( * # * G *
6( D *# $ * * (; ! #( 4 * G $
* I * *( $ 3 * > GG G % *
GG GGG

<3 % ( 3 # 3 ( GGGG 3# * * 3 G0 3# * *

. ! 4 * ## ( ( # * 3 3

$ * *(
6( "* J 3 # * # 6( 9 GGG 3 * ( G0 3 * *
$ * *( 6(; I 33 7 # 3
( * , (
#( 2 3 ( #( * # * 3 G * 3
% # * * # * 3
3 *7 * (( 33 # # (
*( 3$ # # ( *( GGG 3# ( G # *
4 *# (
( 6 3$ # # (( ( GGG 3# ( G" * #
# *(
3( 3 * # * $ 6 3( GGGG 3# * ( G # * *
# 7 # $ (
( ", 4 * ## ( ( , * 3 * 33 G $ ,, 33
4 * 6, GGG *# * (
3 4 * 6(
(/ * 6 # ( GGGG ( 3 6 * G 6 #
*( # *
G $ ,,
3G *
# * (
<6 # ( $ 3 6 # ((( ( GGG ( 3# * * G"
$ * 6* #
6( 3 $ , 6O 3# * 3 *3 G # * #
** *(( % ( $
<7 ') ( 3 # * ( ((GGG 3 G"
* $ GGGG 36 * # 3
** ( G * #
6( "* J 6 * 3 # 6( GGGG 3 6 * 7
3 # 36 C GGD #
*, ( 6 $
#( J * # 3 # #( I 3 6 * / 3 #
$ # 3 # ( $ 6
*( J *# 3 # ( *( I 3 6 * G # * 6
# # 3 ** ( GD #
( * 3 # 0 ( GGGG 3 6 * $ 3#
* * ( / $ ,,
3( "$ 6 # 3 # 3( I 33 # $* * # *
% ( /
(D # # # $* * ( GGG 3 *$* * GGGG G $ ,,
3 # #
# * # *6 # ( G 3

386
 ( 3 # ( ( GGG 36 * #

( G3 * # $* * ( GGGG 36 * * G"$ 6 3
* # # * ( (
(! # $ 6 ( O 3 * * J
$ 6 0
<8 ( 4 , (O ( 3 6 * / # *
, # * ( # * , G
0 G" * #
6( 4 , , 6( GGG 3 4 *
# (( , # ( , #
#( 4 , , 33(( #( 3 *$ # * D
3 $ 3 6 * D 7 3
*( 73 *( I 3 7, $ ,,
# # * # *( G * C 33
(0 3 7 7* 6 7* #(( ( 9BBN 33 , 6 *# (
H
3( * # , 7 , 3( I 3 7,
* * # ( # * # *(

<9 ( 4 # ( * G0 3 #
# * 5 &/ 8
> GGGGGG GGGGGGG G # *
6( 4 # #7 7 % $ 6( *
# *
> GGGGGG GGGGGGG
#( 4 # #( *
# *
> GGGGGG GGGGGGG
<: ! ( 6 , $# (0 , GGGG 3 G * #
$* 4 4 3 GGG 3
$# G
6( $ , , ( # 6( I 3 *I 3 G0 3
7 $ ( 4 *I 36 * *
7 * *(
#( $ * 6 *# 6 #( I ( 3 # $ 7
, / 7 / ( * # 6 (
=<0 ( 4 *6 * (O 3 33 # $ * /
# # G 3
6( $* * # * 6(9 I 3 # #
3
6(; I 3 *$* # $ ,
6(< I 3 6 ## *
* 3 *(
6(= I 3# * $ *
# (

387
== " (0 * $* * (I 3 *$ # #
4 *, 3
7 *
7 * * ,
3 # # (
=4 ( 4 * *$ # # , (GGGG 3 *$ # # G
3 7 * 4 *, 3 G
7 * * , 3 # 7 *
# ( 7 * * ,
3 # # (
=50 F ( # 3 # 33 (GGG 3 33 GGG GGG G # *6

& $ 6( D 33 6( 33 , G"
0

#( 6 * #( 7 3 GD 3

( G 3

*( " * 6* # *( 9BBN 33 # $ *
* 6* # G $ ,,
# 33
G $ ,
G!

( $ 3 # 33 (I 3 33 # $ * G"

# # $ 6
4 G
G D
3( " % # $ 3 3(O 3$
G! # *
33
( "* J * ( *
G
## # * 33 ## # # *
3 *6 # # *
$ ( $ J 3 #
G # J 6
# $ (
C# 6 $ #
* 3 #

GD 3 #
$
G
(- 3 # *( ( ## 3
G-
* # $
G *!
G $ ,

*
$ *

388