How would feel if you found yourself stranded on the street for one or two consecutive hours during a heat-wave or thunderstorm, desperately seeking shelter but with no one offering you a place to stay? Undoubtedly, this situation can evoke a range of emotions, including frustration and inconvenience, regardless of your social status.
Do you know this is the everyday situation for millions of street children in Bangladesh?
According to a recent survey conducted by UNICEF and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, nearly one in three of street children live and sleep in public or open spaces without the most basic amenities of life such as a bed to sleep in, a door to close for safety and comfort, or a toilet. About half of them go to sleep with only a jute bag, pieces of carton or plastic, or a thin blanket between themselves and the bare ground.
Due to a lack of structured policies and broad initiatives from the government, the number of street children is increasing day by day. The majority of them end up on the streets either due to poverty or in search of work. Moreover, they often become victims of abuse and exploitation, resulting in their involvement in different crimes, including drug addiction and stealing.
A survey conducted by Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum a decade ago found that 85% of street children are addicted to drugs. If the government does not take immediate steps involving private sectors, development organizations, and other stakeholders to solve the problem, this situation will go out of control.
Bangladesh envisions becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2031; however, seeing children from an upper-middle-income country engaging in waste collection, begging, or working in tea stalls, factories, and workshops will project a bleak image of our development. It will hinder the achievement of the sustainable development goals as well.
Despite the formulation of several acts and policies to protect the rights of children, the number of street children and their vulnerability is increasing due to rapid urbanization. While it is welcoming to see individuals and different organizations distributing food or clothes among street children, these children require a permanent solution to ensure a safer and brighter future for them.
The government has yet to conduct a comprehensive census of street children. According to the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), the number of street children in Bangladesh was 1.5 million in 2015 and is projected to reach 1.56 million in 2024, with more than 50% of them residing in Dhaka.
The government has initiated projects such as the Child Sensitive Social Protection in Bangladesh Project and the Sheikh Russell Child Training and Rehabilitation Center Project, and NGOs like Caritas Bangladesh's Alokito Shishu Project have established a few drop-in centres and night shelters. These facilities provide street children with accommodation, food, education, and vocational training. However, these efforts are insufficient to accommodate the tens of thousands of street children in need.
It is apparent that a long-term plan focusing exclusively on street children can solve the problem, but the government alone cannot resolve it. Therefore, it is crucial for all other stakeholders to come forward. For instance, every year banks, non-banking financial institutions, and various entities spend substantial amounts of money on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in different designated sectors. If these entities are directed by the government and Bangladesh Bank to allocate a specific percentage of their CSR funds for street children, with a long-term plan involving drop-in centres and night shelters, we believe that the aforementioned problem can be mostly solved.
We are all part of this country, and it is our responsibility to come forward and address the prevailing issues in our society. The central bank should issue new guidelines on CSR, specifically focusing on the allocation of funds for street children. This initiative will undoubtedly provide safe shelter and vocational education facilities, prevent sexual abuse and exploitation, and ensure a safer and brighter future for street children.
Only through comprehensive measures and collaborative efforts can we effectively tackle the challenges faced by street children and provide them with the support they desperately need.
Rabiul Alam is a freelance contributor.
