Street kids' plight mirrors economic state in BD

Speakers tell study-launching function

FE REPORT | Published: March 18, 2024 23:19:33

The state of street children reflects the socio-economic condition of the country that is badly in need of protecting and reintegrating them into the mainstream, speakers said on Monday.
Street children who are marginalised and overlooked in society are needed to be properly educated, provided with basic rights to improve the prevailing condition of over 3.4 million street children in Bangladesh, they added.
They made the observation at a study-launching ceremony titled "Children in Street Situations in Bangladesh 2024" held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital.
The study was supported by the European Union (EU) and Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency WHAT: The Ministry of Social Welfare (MoSW), in collaboration with the UNICEF and supported by the EU and Sida.
Currently, as featured in the report, over 3.4 million children find themselves in street situations in Bangladesh without parental care.
The report, featuring the voices of over 400 children spanning all districts, sheds light on the harsh realities and multi-faceted issues faced by children in street situations.
Addressing the event as the chief guest, Social Welfare Minister Dr Dipu Moni said there are street children not only in Bangladesh but also across the globe.
And, war is among the major causes of raising the number of street children in the word, certainly in Palestine due to the war situation there.
She also underlined the need to save children from working in hazardous labour like collecting things from garbage field - it directly affects the physical and mental health of children.
The stage of development we are in, it has some byproduct we cannot deny like the effect in families raising the number of broken families which cause the number of street children, she added.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Simeen Hussain (Rimi) and Maria Stridsman, head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden to Bangladesh, spoke at the event as guests of honour.
Enrico Lorenzon, Team Leader-Inclusive Governance, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, said street children's situation mirrors the socioeconomic condition of the country.
Calling for integrating the street children into mainstream society, he said the study statistics demanded action to improve the condition.
Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh, said that the street children are in the most vulnerable condition. They face constant threat of abuse.
The report also called for action apart from highlighting the children's living condition on the streets, he added.
Speakers also said that natural disasters and climate change are among the major causes of displacement and migration of children to city streets.
Furthermore, such migration pushes children to engage in the informal labour sector, they added.
The condition of children on the street also affects the country's GDP, they added.
nsrafsanju@gmail.com