Our children
Besides the children who work in the markets and streets of Dhaka, there are many other children working in jobs ranging from begging, in workshops or factories, scavenging (or rag-picking), as drivers or money collectors on tempos and other forms of mini-transport, to domestic servants.
These children work in vulnerable conditions, and are exposed to hazards including street crime, violence, drugs, sexual abuse, toxic fumes and substances without adequate safety protection. They carry heavy loads, and handle machinery. The children often suffer from extremely poor health due to their working conditions, and this leads to serious health concern such as growth deficits.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In recent years there has been an influx of children from the villages to Dhaka, as their families put them on buses and trains bound for the city in the hope that a relative or friend living in Dhaka will find them some work and look after their daily needs. After commencing work, the child is obligated to send most if not their entire wage back to the village to support their families. Without education or formal vocational training, these children move into adulthood as unskilled labourers, highly vulnerable to changing social or economic conditions. The children of these labourers become in turn unable to get education and access to skilled employment opportunities; consequently the cycle of poverty and vulnerability continues.
This is the real picture of our society. Now the question is what is our duty towards them? Will we only talk about them? Many seminars take place where children's issues are discussed, new attempts to solve this problem are suggested, but what is the ultimate result? Can we progress towards a bright future for these poor children? The answer is not unknown. Nevertheless, society should play a role in changing their lots.