From Bangladesh’s population of around 180 million, nearly one percent of children live on the streets.
Although no comprehensive national census of street children has yet been conducted, estimates vary widely. Human rights organizations suggest the number is around 1.5 million, while a recent report titled The Quality Study on Children Living in Street Situations in Bangladesh 2024 puts the figure at 3.4 million.
This winter, Dhaka Tribune went looking for answers to a simple but devastating question: How are these children surviving the cold?
Nights on the pavement
Across Dhaka, hundreds of thousands of children roam, work, sleep, and grow up on the streets.
At the Khamarbari intersection around 11pm, nearly 40 displaced people were seen huddling together. Some burned scraps of wood and paper to keep warm, others chatted, while many slept on the bare pavement.
There was Md Sabbir, a 17-year-old street child who survives by collecting scrap materials. Originally from Naogaon, Sabbir lost both his parents in a road accident and has lived on the streets of Dhaka since childhood.
Asked whether he had received any government assistance during winter, he replied bitterly: “People come and go, but no one gives us anything. Because we live on the streets, no one cares. If I collect enough scrap, I eat twice a day. Otherwise, I go hungry.”
Most children at Khamarbari said they do not have birth certificates, effectively excluding them from basic services.
Md Nurnabi, 15, has lived there for over two months after leaving home following an argument with his father. Asked whether he would ever return home, his answer was firm: “I will never go back.”
Thousands more in Gulistan, Kamalapur
In Gulistan, thousands of street children were seen—some runaways, others orphaned, and many who do not even know who their parents are.
At Kamalapur Railway Station, children slept scattered around the premises. Some wore thin sweaters; others shivered in the cold.
There, Dhaka Tribune met Md Rabiul Islam, 14. He moves constantly, sleeping wherever night falls. For the past three days, Kamalapur has been his shelter. Wearing a filthy shirt and visibly shivering, he said he has never seen his parents and remembers nothing about them.
As the reporter was leaving, he quietly asked: “Sir, if you can, please buy me a blanket. Someone stole mine.”
Ironically, a street children’s shelter run under the Ministry of Social Welfare with UNICEF funding stands nearby, yet many children do not go there.
At the Kamalapur Balur Math street children shelter, only 10–12 children were found staying inside tents.
Growing up under a metro station
Several families have been living under the Kawran Bazar Metro Station for years.
Among them is Ms Achal, just 17 years old, who is now the mother of two children—Jannat (2) and Deen Islam (2 months). Under the stairway leading to the Kawran Bazar Metro Rail station, a makeshift mosquito net has been strung up, serving as the only shelter for the family of four.
Originally from the Charpara Medical area in Mymensingh, Anchal said they previously lived in Paribagh before moving to Kawran Bazar for livelihood reasons.
“Winter is very cold, but living on the streets is even harder,” she said.
The family owns only two blankets; they once had three, but one was stolen.
Regarding government support, Anchal said: “No help so far from the government or any organisation. Many people come, record videos, and leave. No one actually helps.”
When asked what she expects from the government, her response was painfully detached: “What is there to ask? We live on the streets. If the government gives something, good. If not, we can’t complain.”
Limited reach, big challenges
Sirajum Munir Aftabi, Assistant Project Director of the Child Sensitive Social Protection in Bangladesh (Phase II), said the government continues to work actively for the welfare and protection of street children across the country.
“We are carrying out our work on a regular basis,” he said, adding that under joint initiatives of the government and UNICEF, four street children shelters are currently in operation.
“These shelters provide children with accommodation, food, education, and other essential services to ensure their basic rights and well-being,” he noted.
He further explained that government support is not limited to shelter-based services alone. “We provide immediate assistance whenever necessary. If a child on the street needs clothing, food, or urgent support, our teams respond instantly. We have allocated budgets for such emergency assistance, and there is no rigid ceiling when it comes to helping vulnerable children,” he said.
Aftabi also said dedicated and specially trained outreach teams regularly work on the streets to identify and support at-risk children.
“These teams monitor children’s conditions, provide counselling, and gradually motivate them to access shelter and protection services,” he added.
Currently, four hubs operate nationwide—three in Dhaka and one in Rangpur—each accommodating a maximum of 35 children due to their temporary, tent-based nature.
He admitted that with an estimated 500,000 street children in Dhaka alone, hub capacity is extremely limited.
According to Aftabi, many street children are addicted to drugs, making long-term shelter and counselling difficult. Some require rehabilitation or law-enforcement support before reintegration is possible.
An outreach programme currently provides emergency food, medical care, and winter clothing directly on the streets. UNICEF-supplied winter items have recently been distributed, and expansion beyond Dhaka is planned.
Physical and mental health
Dr Alpana Jahan, assistant professor of neonatology at Dr MR Khan Shishu Hospital, warned that winter is especially dangerous for street children.
“They are most vulnerable to pneumonia, asthma, diarrhoea, and skin infections during winter,” she said, noting that poor hygiene and prolonged exposure worsen the risks.
Similarly, Kazi Rumana Haque, head of Mental Health Programme at Moner Bondhu, explained: “Children raised on the streets develop low self-esteem. Labelled as ‘tokai’, deprived of nutrition and education, they stop dreaming. This leads to depression and often involvement in crime.”
She added that constant stress hampers brain development, leaving money as the only perceived value and increasing violent tendencies.
Lack of government commitment
Md Forhad Hossain, executive director of LEEDO, questioned the state’s commitment.
“Why should children still live on the streets in this era? The problem is not a lack of money; it is a lack of initiative, sincerity, and implementation,” he said.
He noted that large portions of allocated budgets return unspent each fiscal year.
“There are only three tents for street children in Dhaka. Why not more? Do we even have public toilets for them? Can a child afford to pay to use a toilet?”
Similarly, Abu Ahmed Fayzul Kabir, Senior Coordinator at Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), acknowledged government efforts but called them insufficient.
“The initiatives are positive, but their impact remains limited. A comprehensive, rights-based, long-term strategy is urgently needed,” he said.
He stressed the need for a national database, expanded shelters, education, vocational training, and stronger law enforcement.
“Most importantly, street children must be treated as rights-bearing citizens,” he added.