The mornings along Khulna’s coast no longer carry the vibrancy they once did.
Streets that once echoed with the laughter and footsteps of children now witness mothers quietly carrying their little ones—on their shoulders, in their arms—toward an uncertain future.
These children smile, play, and dream, yet their lives are far from ordinary.
They are children with special needs, and in the coastal areas of Khulna, their numbers are rising at an alarming rate.
According to the latest data from the Khulna Social Services Office, more than 15,000 childrenin the district live with physical, mental, or cognitive disabilities. The most affected upazilas include Koyra, Dacope, Paikgachha, and Botiaghata.
Over the past five years, the number of children with special needs has nearly doubled.
Experts attribute this surge to climate change-induced salinity, lack of safe drinking water, and inadequate maternal healthcare.
In Patakhali village of Koyra, Khushi Begum’s nine-year-old son Akash has never been able to walk.
He was once enrolled in the local primary school, but teasing from classmates and a shortage of trained teachers forced him to stay home.
“When I take him to school, everyone laughs at him,” Khushi said.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong. I just want him to be able to write his name, even if nothing else.”
In Dacope, Kashem Ali’s daughter Mitu cannot speak.
Her father, Shafiqul, shared: “Our daughter is growing up, but she cannot understand or speak. We haven’t been able to take her to a doctor. There’s no one to understand the pain we feel.”
These personal stories reflect a broader reality across coastal Khulna, where childhood has become synonymous with struggle, deprivation, and isolation.
Government data shows that 70% of childrenwith special needs in Khulna cannot attend school.
While a few special schools exist in the city, coastal unions lack inclusive education facilities.
Johora Khatun from Paikgachha recounted her son Liton’s experience: “He is deaf and cannot understand what the teachers say. Eventually, the teacher told us to withdraw him. But he loves to draw. If someone helped him, he could learn and thrive.”
A teacher from an NGO in Koyra added: “We want to implement inclusive education, but we lack trained teachers, textbooks, and proper resources. Children with special needs are leftbehind.”
Research shows that soil and water salinity in Khulna division has tripled over the past two decades.
Pregnant women consuming sodium-rich water face high blood pressure, anemia, and malnutrition—conditions that severely impact the physical and mental development of their children.
“Women in coastal areas drink saline water, leading to pregnancy complications,” said Dr Mohammad Kamal Hossain, acting civil surgeon of Khulna.
“As a result, the birth rate of children with disabilities is twice that of other regions.”
A 2024 Unicef report estimates that 4.5 million children in Bangladesh’s coastal areas are at risk due to climate change, with a significant number affected by congenital or developmental disabilities.
The Bangladesh government adopted the National Disability Policy and passed the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2013.
Under this law, each district is mandated to have a Disability Service and Assistance Center. Khulna has one such center, offering therapy and training.
However, these services remain largely city-centric. In remote areas like Dacope, Koyra, and Paikgachha, access is minimal.
A social services official said: “We identify children with disabilities and provide allowances. But therapy and educational support rarely reach remote areas. Families often hide their childrendue to social stigma.”
Although the National Education Policy 2010 introduced inclusive education, implementation in coastal Khulna remains incomplete.
Local schools lack trained teachers, leaving children with special needs excluded from the classroom.
Yet, amidst these challenges, hope persists.
Popi from Dacope now studies in the fifth grade at a special children’s school. She communicates using sign language, draws, and writes her own name.
“People used to say my daughter couldn’t do anything,” said her mother Johora.
“Now she can draw and learn, and as a mother, I feel proud beyond words.”
Experts say children in coastal Khulna urgently need maternal health and nutrition programs, safe water to reduce salinity, at least one special education institution in every upazila, and awareness initiatives for parents.
“Children with disabilities are not helpless,” Dr Kamal Hossain emphasized.
“Their growth is possible if society, government, and families work together.”