Street children

By Tanin Nusrat Rikta, ELL Department, IIUC
12 July 2005, 18:00 PM
The street is not a place to live in. But a huge number of children live in the streets. These children are detached from their families for various socio-economic reasons. Most of them live in open places, especially launch ghats, railway stations, bus terminals, big parks and roadsides. It is really tragic that they pass their livelihood in the streets and suffer a lot. These children are neither cherished nor protected.

They often fall prey to unlawful activities like smuggling, stealing, being pimps etc. They also use drugs or cigarettes to get relief from all sufferings and hunger. They are used by political parties for carrying arms and ammunition, throwing bombs and leading an uncertain life, paying protection fees to stay in public places at night. No parent wishes to leave a child unattended ever for a minute, especially in a strange new environment. But the street children have experienced being left alone to fend for themselves.

We always talk about human rights, but they begin with the recognition of the rights of the children. It is most important for us to ensure their rights and help them grow physically and mentally as worthy citizens of Bangladesh.