Concern over street children
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Shafiqul Alam
The other day, I became a bit surprised while returning home, after playing a friendly cricket match, as two children, wearing torn clothes, were following me. Later on, the reason behind following me made me more surprised. I had a bottle of coke in my hand which allured them to follow me and they were so hungry that they wanted to eat or drink whatever they get. Smilingly, I gave them that bottle of only half liter coke. Like this, I can recall another incident that took place 10 years back when I was preparing for university admission. It was midnight and I was eating luchi and meat in a restaurant at Jamalpur railway station and waiting for the train. Suddenly a boy, sitting beside me, started to eat luchi form my plate. That made me surprised too as I was not aware of the conditions of street children during my teen-age. Though the exact number of street children in the country is not known, it is quite clear that street children are found in plenty in almost all cities, towns and even villages in the country. Street children are among the most vulnerable groups of the country's population, as they are deprived of some of the basic human rights that all citizens of the country do enjoy. Many of these street children, who are known as Tokais, are seen searching food in trash bins or looking for food thrown away by restaurants. However, they can find something to eat only if they are lucky, otherwise there is no option left for them but to starve or simply drink water from taps and tube wells. When they fall ill, there is nothing much to do except to lie down in footpaths. The ruthless realities of life make these children disappointed with life very early, and more often than not they are willing to do anything for some money. This is why they involve themselves in many types of illegal activities including drug addiction. According to a newspaper report, some street children take smell of burnt polythene, tire etc to forget agony of the complex world and isolate them from the mundane life. Finally, these children become drug addicted. Children who are homeless or work on the streets tend to have different needs from other children living with their parents. Whether or not they have contact with their families, they are vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse, exploitation, poor living conditions and hunger. They tend to live transitory lifestyles, unsupervised by parents, with little or no access to health, education and recreation. In Dhaka, like other cities in the developing world, street children work as waste-pickers who are self-employed workers, mostly in the informal economy. Yet, in spite of their efforts, they are treated as nuisance. All children are born innocent with the potential of contributing their very best to the country. They have dreams and they have equal rights as other people have. However, street children, due to the absence of education and uncared by parents, are becoming a serious burden to the country and its economy, At the same time, their dreams are turning into nightmares. There is a widespread belief amongst all that children migrate to the street because of economic poverty. This means that children whose basic material needs cannot be met within the household move to the street. This is not the case always, rather social policy, excessive control, physical torture are also responsible for this migration to streets. The country's GDP has been increasing steadily but everyday we see the sorry faces of street children. It is a growing concern for the country and achieving Millennium Development Goals MDG's set by the united Nations, especially eradicating poverty and ensuring education for all, would be a tough task unless and until attention is paid to the street children. The crying need for them is shelter, food and education. Whatever the reasons they become street children; they deserve better treatment, love and caring. Many are yet to recognise the horror of the social, economic and other changes taking place in the country. If appropriate measures are not taken to address the issue of the street children, their number and poverty will continue to grow sharply. Certainly, it is better to control the migration to streets before it becomes bigger and goes beyond the capacity to bear the burden. Moreover, the number of Street Children should be guarded as childhood vagrancy is one of the single most contributors to crime. ............................................. The writer may be reached at E-mail: shafiqul0032@yahoo.com
The other day, I became a bit surprised while returning home, after playing a friendly cricket match, as two children, wearing torn clothes, were following me. Later on, the reason behind following me made me more surprised. I had a bottle of coke in my hand which allured them to follow me and they were so hungry that they wanted to eat or drink whatever they get. Smilingly, I gave them that bottle of only half liter coke. Like this, I can recall another incident that took place 10 years back when I was preparing for university admission. It was midnight and I was eating luchi and meat in a restaurant at Jamalpur railway station and waiting for the train. Suddenly a boy, sitting beside me, started to eat luchi form my plate. That made me surprised too as I was not aware of the conditions of street children during my teen-age. Though the exact number of street children in the country is not known, it is quite clear that street children are found in plenty in almost all cities, towns and even villages in the country. Street children are among the most vulnerable groups of the country's population, as they are deprived of some of the basic human rights that all citizens of the country do enjoy. Many of these street children, who are known as Tokais, are seen searching food in trash bins or looking for food thrown away by restaurants. However, they can find something to eat only if they are lucky, otherwise there is no option left for them but to starve or simply drink water from taps and tube wells. When they fall ill, there is nothing much to do except to lie down in footpaths. The ruthless realities of life make these children disappointed with life very early, and more often than not they are willing to do anything for some money. This is why they involve themselves in many types of illegal activities including drug addiction. According to a newspaper report, some street children take smell of burnt polythene, tire etc to forget agony of the complex world and isolate them from the mundane life. Finally, these children become drug addicted. Children who are homeless or work on the streets tend to have different needs from other children living with their parents. Whether or not they have contact with their families, they are vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse, exploitation, poor living conditions and hunger. They tend to live transitory lifestyles, unsupervised by parents, with little or no access to health, education and recreation. In Dhaka, like other cities in the developing world, street children work as waste-pickers who are self-employed workers, mostly in the informal economy. Yet, in spite of their efforts, they are treated as nuisance. All children are born innocent with the potential of contributing their very best to the country. They have dreams and they have equal rights as other people have. However, street children, due to the absence of education and uncared by parents, are becoming a serious burden to the country and its economy, At the same time, their dreams are turning into nightmares. There is a widespread belief amongst all that children migrate to the street because of economic poverty. This means that children whose basic material needs cannot be met within the household move to the street. This is not the case always, rather social policy, excessive control, physical torture are also responsible for this migration to streets. The country's GDP has been increasing steadily but everyday we see the sorry faces of street children. It is a growing concern for the country and achieving Millennium Development Goals MDG's set by the united Nations, especially eradicating poverty and ensuring education for all, would be a tough task unless and until attention is paid to the street children. The crying need for them is shelter, food and education. Whatever the reasons they become street children; they deserve better treatment, love and caring. Many are yet to recognise the horror of the social, economic and other changes taking place in the country. If appropriate measures are not taken to address the issue of the street children, their number and poverty will continue to grow sharply. Certainly, it is better to control the migration to streets before it becomes bigger and goes beyond the capacity to bear the burden. Moreover, the number of Street Children should be guarded as childhood vagrancy is one of the single most contributors to crime. ............................................. The writer may be reached at E-mail: shafiqul0032@yahoo.com