On the streets of Dhaka and its surrounding areas, groups of teenagers can often be seen sleeping without a care in the world on train stations, footpaths, or flyovers.
Some are half-naked, while others are draped in dirt-covered clothing. The indifference in their demeanour and malnourished bodies hint at the hardships they face daily.
But what is their story? Why are they on the streets, and do they long to return home?
They are street children. Some are orphans, while others are estranged from their parents.
Some seek normal life with family
Among one of Dhaka’s street children is Mamun, who recently turned eighteen. He lost his father ten years ago. His mother, Achiya Khatun, struggling to feed her five children, took up work as a bricklayer in Narsingdi's Palash upazila.
To ease his mother's burden, at just eight, Mamun journeyed to Kamalapur in Dhaka with a group of teens. Starting as a ragpicker with other street children, Mamun soon lost his way back home.
Despite facing hardships all his life, Mamun still yearns to return to his family and lead a normal life.
During a conversation with Mamun at the Tongi station platform in Gazipur, he said: "I wish for a chance to return to a normal life. I no longer want to live like this.”
“Even if I commit no crime, people treat me as a criminal, beating me up. If I could go back to regular life, I could spend the rest of my days peacefully with my family," so he expressed his wish.
Some wish to never return home
Marjia, 15, is another street child who resides with her younger brother at the same station. Their story of ending up on the street is quite different from Mamun’s, as is their hardship.
Marjia lost her mother at a very young age, prompting her father to remarry in the hope that his two young children would be well cared for.
However, within a few months, the behaviour of their stepmother drastically changed. Marjia and her brother faced physical and emotional abuse almost daily.
Unable to endure the torment, the siblings fled their home, with the Tongi station becoming their new home.
Unlike Mamun, Marjia and her younger brother do not wish to return home. They spend their days on the streets.
Marjia, alongside her 10-year-old brother, earns by cleaning the station's bathrooms and doing odd jobs in the station's shops. This income sustains their day-to-day lives.
Concerning rise of criminal activities
In Dhaka and its surrounding areas, countless street children like them can be found.
The Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) reports that there are approximately 229 distinct spots in Dhaka where street children reside, each with a unique story of how they ended up on the streets.
Many were once ragpickers, but there is growing concern over their increasing involvement in crimes, including alleged thefts, robbing goods from trucks, and other illicit activities.
Seeking solutions
Department of Social Services Deputy Secretary and Social Security Section Director Dr Md Moktar Hossain, in a conversation with Dhaka Tribune, said numerous organizations are now working for street children by providing them shelter, food and education.
“We also offer financial assistance to some of these organizations,” said Dr Md Moktar Hossain.
Describing the challenges of working with street children, the deputy secretary said: “However, the challenge is that, after a while, these children tend to run away.”
“They find pleasure in the freedom of the streets. They do not prefer living within set rules for long, leading them to seek refuge on the streets,” he added.
“Even so, we are taking strict measures and working in various ways to ensure they have a promising future,” he assured.
Grassroots voices
Pothoshishu Sheba Shongothon (PSS), a voluntary organization that works with street children, said the majority of teenagers end up on the streets due to family disputes and poverty.
“In the absence of proper guidance, their education is disrupted, which in turn increases their inclination towards crime,” it said.
“Bringing them back to a normal life is feasible with the support and patronage of all sections of society," it urged.
