CASE: STREET CHILDREN IN BANGLADESH

Street children are the children of the poorest people in Bangladesh. Street children live, grow up and work on the margins of the society in a state of neglect and deprivation. They lack protection, education, affection, care and proper guidance from adults. In 1990, the government estimated there were about 1.8 million children on the streets of Bangladesh. About 215,000 children (including 100,000 girls) were thought to be in Dhaka City alone. Twelve years later, there are probably several million children on the streets in Bangladesh. Most of them work as vendors, carcleaners, newspaper-sellers, beggars, helpers in garages/ rickshaw repair shops, rag pickers, and in other informal areas. They are often involved in dangerous and hazardous jobs. There are many reasons why the numbers of street children are growing. These include the spiraling growth of urban population at 7 9 % per year, rural poverty and migration to urban centers, unemployment, landlessness, river erosion, family conflict, law and order situations, and the disintegration of traditional family and community structures. The Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh, with UNDP financial and technical assistance, is implementing a pilot project (Appropriate Resources for Improving Street Childrens Environment, or "ARISE") targeting children who work and live on the street without families the most vulnerable category of children. ARISE works with partner NGOs to run Drop-In-Centers where street children are provided with shelter, education, skills development, medical treatment and psychological counseling, the project aims at promoting policy dialogue to introduce changes in the policies, laws and institutions to create congenial environment for healthy physical and mental growth of the street children.

From: Health Need and its Provisions of Street Children of Bangladesh By Nancy Kamal, Dhaka Street Children Project The street children of Dhaka, Bangladesh are amongst the toughest and most resilient; they ride out the elements, floods and pollution; eat things that would prove toxic to an average stomach; as well as face abuse from mastans and molesters on a regular basis. In their volatile world they have learnt to adopt and survive what the privileged will not stand to handle for even a day. And yet there is only so much a child in such an environment can bear - studies show that about a third of street dwellers are afflicted by disease, most of which are preventable and curable (Islam et al, 1997; Ghani, 2001). Infectious diseases like tuberculosis, polio and diarrhea are most common amongst the street children as well as acute respiratory infections like fever, breathing difficulties and chest infections (Podymow et al, nd; NIPORT, 2009). Bangladesh is known to have countless NGOs working to help the poor and needy, however shockingly, upon research, there is in fact no healthcare service that

specifically target this marginalised group, with the exception of one international NGO, Marie Stopes Clinic Society, that has 7 mobile clinics scattered around Dhaka. Statistically the better-off benefit from healthcare services even when specific services are intended for the poor (Ashford et al, 2006). It is curious as to why that is the case; how millions are spent on aid and human resources to only result to leftover vaccines and provisions to trickle down months after to the target group. A study conducted in Dhaka looked specifically at the health needs and care-seeking behaviours of street dwellers to determine what obstacles arise in the delivery of aid and services. The snapshot cross-sectional study, with a sample of over 387 participants, discovered that many of the street dwellers lacked knowledge of locations of where vaccines are provided (Uddin et al, 2009) and, as such, an average of 41% of participants do not seek healthcare services during their sickness. Of those who do, however, all consult drug sellers at their nearest pharmacies to 'treat' their illnesses. The male participants feel that treatment is not necessary for most of their sicknesses whilst others intentionally shy away from services due to lack of money. Tragically, the study continues on to state, healthcare services, whether government led or of the private sector, are only accessible if paid for. This poses as the biggest barrier for the most destitute group of children in Bangladesh. Other studies have stated further factors like basic education, in order to recognise and read signs that mention aid and services as well as to understand the need and the nature of treatments; accessibility of facilities in street dweller hot spots (Ashford et al, 2006) and the inconsistency of follow-up treatments. There is a clear and urgent need of healthcare services and provisions that are exclusively aimed at and reachable to the street children. In Bangladesh, there are no formal providers for providing small-scale services to street-dwellers except the mobile clinics of the MSCS at night. There is no strategic approach to include street-dwellers in the urban health care structure. The city corporations, government and NGO health service providers do not have any specific policy or strategy for providing health care services that are accessible to this population (Uddin et al, 2009). Around 500,000 of Bangladesh's children live on the streets; a figure that has had the misfortune of being born into poverty; but this must not, cannot, prevent mobility in their socioeconomic standing. Out of all the social, economic and public health issues that a street child had to face, the eradication of preventable and treatable illnesses proves to be amongst the most inexpensive (Uddin et al, 2008). Reducing morbidity rates, coupled with provisions of basic education, will give these deprived children a fighting chance at grasping opportunities and raising themselves

out of poverty. It is compulsory upon policymakers and programme managers to invest more on the future of their children; to invest more on the future of their nations imminent decision makers.

Floating Children of a Tainted City By Nancy Kamal, Dhaka Street Children Project Project One of Restless Beings has come along way. From witnessing the shockingcircumstances of innocent children in a so-called God-fearing city to the birth of a rehab centre aimed at street children, afflicted by abuse and neglect, who frequent to get a taste of what it feels to live the life of a nourished child. From the onset, data has been regularly collected on those that Restless Beingscommunicates with. Places like Kamlapur railway station, Tejgaon railway station and Sadarghat Launch Terminal were found to have large hubs of street population with slum dwellings in close vicinity filled with sooty faces and battered souls. Our field workers have managed to collect data on around 426 children, though with 87% of them being boys; this is primarily due to the fact that building trust with girls is a longer and more sensitive process. And yet it is no surprise since they tend to be on the receiving end of most adults illicit, rampant sexual inclinations or verbal and physical abuse. For this reason the Bangladesh team are even more determined to reach out to these children and enlighten them with an alternative route that would assist them in standing on their own two feet with dignity and confidence.

Driven by poverty, hunger and the need to earn money, it is predicted that almost 92% of the girls are forced to offer sexual favours to day labourers, police/security guards and small businessmen in market places, railway stations, and bus terminals. Such unspeakable horrors are daily occurrences for these street girls. Simultaneously a number of the boys are also involved in prostitution but are not so forthcoming in discussing it as most of their clients tend to be men.

The vast majority of the children are substance abusers, having access to 'dandi' (gum-coated polythene), Phensidyl, 'ghanja' or cannabis, heroin, and even things like shoe polish and sleeping pills where it is combined with other materials to form harmful substances. By day the children, over 92% of them being boys, make a few taka's by selling them in street corners and market places. By night they douse themselves in the drugs as they prepare for the horrors that await them in the shadowed corners of the city. This is not by choice; but we want to give them one. The Restless Beings rehab centre will provide for the children a rehabilitation programme that will help to gently and systematically wean them off of the substances as well as open for them alternate routes of earning a living.

Children such as these have been robbed of their innocence.

Where a child should be surrounded by protectors, given room to grow and flourish, and informed of rights and wrongs of life, they are instead raped by authority and thrown into a murky world where corruption is the currency; forced to fight for survival, they involve themselves in unlawful acts like stealing and working for local

'mastans'. 4% of our children admit to using such means to earn a living, most of which are boys.

Thus motivated by the realities of their lives the Restless Beings rehab centre will instil hope, opportunity and happiness in all the dejected souls it comes across.

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." - Mary Anne Radmacher Kids hawk papers on Ctg streets

Eight-year-old Ujjal is one among the many children who earn their livelihoods by selling newspapers on the streets, unwary of the accident risks they are exposed to. This photo was taken from GEC intersection in the Chittagong city recently. Photo: Prabir DasMd Tymur Jahan Chowdhury, Ctg As a bus pulled over to drop passengers at the GEC circle stop in Chittagong city, Ujjal ran to it and got on board, he had only a few minutes to sell some newspapers before the bus departed. A couple of people handed him Tk 4 and bought newspapers. He hurriedly got off, as the bus started to pull out. With a bundle of newspapers under his arm, and one in his hand that he was waving and yelling out to pedestrians, Paper, paper, for just four taka you will get all the fresh news.

Ujjal Hossain, an eight-year-old boy, sells newspapers on the streets from morning to till early afternoon in the port city Chittagong, and then he goes to an afternoon school run by a non-government organisation. Everyday I come out from home around 6:30am and collect newspapers from my uncle at Jhawtala. Then I go through different points of the city and sell those newspapers. Sometimes I sell newspapers on the Chittagong University shuttle train also. I can sell about 50 to 60 copies in a day. But the number decreases on holidays because many people do not come out from their houses on those days. With one taka commission for selling a copy of newspaper, I earn around fifty taka to sixty taka daily. I give all the money to my mother, he said. Ujjal said he lives in Jhawtala slum with his parents and his brother and two sisters. His father is a vegetable seller who is unable to meet the expenses of the family with his income, so Ujjal has to help out with the earning. The boy, also a student of class II, said he can read newspapers now, and dreams to be a police officer. Like Ujjal, there are many other children who sell newspapers on the streets risking accidents in the port city. According to Chittagong Newspaper Hawkers Multipurpose Co-Operative General Secretary Delwar Hossain around 30 to 40 boys sell newspapers by collecting them privately from some hawkers. He, however, claimed that there is no member in the association aged below 15. Mohammad Hossain, a newspaper hawker in Kadamtoli area, said some six boys take newspapers from him and sell those at different areas in the Chittagong city. The boys can help their family by selling the papers, and I also get some money, he said. Talking to some boys who sell newspapers on the streets this correspondent learnt that the average ages of the children are between 8 to 12 years, and most of them from poor families. An 11-year-old boy, Sohag, sells newspaper in Bahaddarhat area. He said he is only the breadwinner of his family. My father died three years ago. I have to look after my mother and two younger sisters, he said adding, Some buy copies of newspaper, some don't, some even get annoyed also.

Nine-year-old Sumon was busy in selling newspapers in the city's New Market area. He said he has to face some problems in this job. Older hawkers often create obstruction to sell newspapers at the spot, while some people do not pay prices after taking a copy of newspaper, he said. Sometimes we have to get down from running buses after selling newspapers risking lives, Sumon said. Sources at Social Welfare Department in Chittagong said there is no statistics of the child labours in the city. Hasan Masud, social welfare officer at unit office-1 of the department, said the department has no direct project to stop child labour. But, we have a project for the street children to provide them basic needs, including foods, shelters and education, he said. Aparajeyo Bangladesh, an NGO, is implementing the project titled Protection of Children at Risk (PCAR), he added. Mahab-ul-Alam, the NGO's project manager in Chittagong region, said they are operating three shelter homes under the project in the city. We are providing foods and education to some street children at the shelter homes, he said.