Working for Street Children

8/12/2019 Working for Street Children

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WORKING FOR STREET CHILDREN

Outline

01. Introduction

02. Who re the !treet children"

0#. Li$e on the !treet

0%. Glo&l 'er!'ecti(e

0). *!in 'er!'ecti(e

0+. ,n-lde!h 'er!'ecti(e

0. Wh/ or ith !treet children"

0. 3rotectin- the $uture

04. C!e Stud/

10. Or-ni5tion Worin- For Street Children

11. Conclu!ion

Introduction

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In Bangladesh, for every child who is lucky enough to live in a good home

and receive a good education, there are three children who are doomed to live below the

poverty line. As time goes by, Bangladesh is slowly losing its educated population, and

the number of poor people who have no means to help themselves increases daily. Street

children constitute one of the most vulnerable and marginal groups in Bangladesh. "Street

children" are essentially the boys and girls for whom the streets, unoccupied dwellings,

wastelands etc., have become homes andor sources of livelihood, and who are

inade!uately protected or supervised by responsible adults. he ma#or problems of street

children are$ Insecure life% physical and se&ual abuse by adults of the immediate

community% harassment by law enforcing agencies% no, or inade!uate, access to

educational institutions and healthcare facilities% and lack of decent employment

opportunity.

Who re !treet children"

'Street children( is a term used to refer to children who live on the streets of

a city, deprived of family care and protection. )ost children on the streets are between

the ages of about * and 1+ years old, and their population between different cities is

varied. Street children live in #unk bo&es, parks or on the street itself. A great deal has

been written defining street children, but the primary difficulty is that there are no precise

categories, but rather a continuum, ranging from children who spend some time in the

streets and sleep in a house with illprepared adults, to those who live entirely in the

streets and have no adult supervision or care . Street children are a diverse group. Indeed,

the meaning of the term 'street children( is widely debated. But at the center of each

definition are children who are 'out of place.( If they are sleeping, on the streets, they

have lost or left their families and homes. If they spend their days working on the streets

they have abandoned, or been abandoned by, the system of education. If they are

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playing in the streets, this is most likely because they lack other options. If they are

sleeping in the streets, they have lost or left their families and homes.

Li$e on the !treet

In their everyday lives, street children operate within a kind of family system

which embodies other groups on the street, including street children, stall owners and

elder street boys. hey therefore encounter an abundance of social spaces and

e&periences other street children, foodstall owners, people in their cars at traffic lights,people eating at restaurants or riding buses, /0 workers, police, security guards,

researchers etc.2 which influence their identities in different ways.

Glo&l 'er!'ecti(e

In 1343, 5/I678 estimated 199 million children were growing up on urban

streets around the world. 1: years later 5/I678 reported$ ;he latest estimates put the

numbers of these children as high as 199 million


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street child populations, even at city levels, are often hotly disputed and can distract

rather than inform policy makers.

*!in 'er!'ecti(e

5/I6781:,+99

street children in metros such as Bombay, 6alcutta, )adras, ?anpur, Bangalore,

@yderabad and around 199,999 in elhi alone.

A survey among 199 street children at the /ew elhi ailway Station in India

revealed that 4CD of boys in the age group 1: 14 years were se&ually active%

however a very low number of them knew about safe se& protection and condom

usage. /ot one of them reported having ever used a condom.

A study in -99+ in India found the following$ C*.3D of the street children lived

with their families on the streets. ut of these children, *1.4:D slept on the

footpaths, 1+.:4D slept in night shelters and >9.C+D slept in other places

including under flyovers and bridges, railway platforms, bus stops, parks, market

places. he overall incidence of physical abuse among street children, either by

family members or by others or both, was CC.4D across the states. ut of this,

*:.C-D were boys and :*.>4D were girls. n a study in India, out of the total

number of child respondents reporting being forced to touch private parts of the

body, 1+.+>D were street children. --.++D reported having been se&ually

assaulted.

f an estimated :99,999 street children in Bangladesh, nearly 19D have been

forced into prostitution for survival.

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ne study estimated that there were 19,999-9,999 street working children in

6ambodia. ther study >+of ;vulnerable< children, including street children, in

Ehnom Eenh found 44D had had se&ual relations with tourists, and +9.CD of the

children were currently involved in se&ual relations with tourists.

In 6ambodia, Ehnom Eenh, there are an estimated C, 1C,9-> working children

aged between * and 1+ years and -,999 street children in Ehnom Eenh. A further

1*,999 children, while not homeless, spend more than si& hours a day scavenging

and begging.

ne /0 in 6hina estimated in -991 that there are 1, *9,999 street children.

In Indonesia it is estimated that there are 1, +9,999 street children.

In a study undertaken in the Fao EeopleGs emocratic epublic, ::D of street

children interviewed reported incidents of physical abuse.

Statistics vary as to the numbers of street children in @anoi, Hietnam. he

)inistry of Fabor Invalids and Social Affairs )FISA2 estimates that there are

->,999 street children throughout Hietnam and 1,*99 in @anoi.

It is estimated that between 1*-9D of street children in Hietnam are @IH

positive.

utofschool and street children in /epal say their involvement in se&ual

activities started within the first three months of their being on the street, whilesome reported e&posure to se&ual activities at home before coming to ?athmandu.

In Eokara, /epal, 49D of the boys living on the streets and 39D of the girls were

se&ually abused by hotel and restaurant owners and by people in places of work.

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unkyard owners, older boys in the group, friends, local people, and tractor

drivers were also among the perpetrators.

,n-lde!h 'er!'ecti(e

Bangladesh has a growing economy. :9D of our people are below poverty

line. 0overnment statistics, based on a survey by the Bangladesh Institute of

evelopment Studies, estimated the number of street children in Bangladesh to be around

>, 49,999 of whom **D are in haka city.

0overnment statistics, based on a survey by the Bangladesh Institute of

evelopment Studies, estimate the number of street children in Bangladesh to be around

>, 49,999 of whom **D are in haka city. A little less than half of them :3.-D2 are of

the age group J 19 years, while the remaining falls in the age group of 1113 years. heir

gender composition is as follows$ boys +:.>D, while girls account for -*.+D. he above

report estimates that by -91: the number of such children would e&ceed 3, >9,999.

Wh/ or ith !treet children"

6hildren represent hope and the future in every society. Ket, in many parts of

Asia and the Eacific, children and their futures are at risk. 6hildren under 1: years old

make up >9D of the population. =ithout proper protection this vulnerable group can

suffer undernourishment, poor health, and intellectual underdevelopment, which can have

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lasting impacts on young peoples< ability to participate fully in their communities and the

broader economy.

Investing in their protection has profound implications for the development of

the region. 6hildren can end up on the street for a wide range of reasons, from the

necessity to help feed their families to the need to escape a hostile home life. =hatever

propels them onto the street, their presence is a stark, worrying sign of deeper social

problems.

3rotectin- the $uture

As defined in the 5nited /ations 6onvention on the ights of the 6hild,

society through good governance must provide measures to ensure that the child is

protected from all forms of abuse and e&ploitation, such as child labor, child prostitution,

or the adversities faced by the girl child, street children, children with disabilities, and

children under armed conflict. Investment in children is a key factor in poverty reduction

and economic growth but it is usually a small proportion of national budgets, despite

ample evidence that the small investments currently made bring considerable future

benefits to society as a who 6hildren end up on the street for countless reasons, including

parental landlessness, domestic violence, ruralurban migration, family homelessness,

unemployment, natural disasters, civil unrest, and family disintegrationL which is

increasingly the result of parental illness or death from @IHAIS.

In the varied and rapidly changing Asian conte&t, the root causes range from

the misery and social e&clusion of e&treme poverty, to the consumer desires and

substance abuse that cause relatively wealthy children to run away from home in newly

industrialiMing countries. he increasing interconnectedness of these various problems

across the region is having a deep impact on the lives and futures of this vulnerable and

rapidly changing group. =ithout an accepted definition of the term 'street children( it is

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not possible to determine their number accurately. 7stimates by governments, /0s, and

other groups vary widely. /evertheless, it is believed the number of children living on the

streets worldwide runs to tens of millions. =hatever the e&act figure for Asia and the

Eacific, one thing is clearLeven a single child without ade!uate food, shelter, and safety

is one too many.

C!e Stud/ on orin- $or children

6**GO Foundtion ,n-lde!h

AA0 8oundation is a movement initiated by the youth of Bangladesh

dedicated towards helping the impoverished people of Bangladesh. =e hope to break the

cycle of poverty through the education. he 8ounder of AA0 8oundation is a

Bangladesh national by the name of ?orvi akshand. In -99+, ?orvi akshand and his

friends rented a single room in the ayer BaMaar slum area. =ith a single dream of

changing the lives of the children of that area, ?orvi and his friends began teaching the

1+ children who showed up. AA0 works to provide international standard education to

the impoverished children from families that have an average daily income below the

International Indicator of Eoverty an income below - 5S per day2. his is done

through a 8reeof6ost 7nglish )edium School.

AA0 realiMes that it is not possible to e&pect sustainable growth and self

reliance, without taking care of the emotional and physical development of all the

stakeholders. As a result, various other programs have been established gradually to

ensure the continuous growth of the community physically and mentally. G@ealthy

FivingG, G8irst Aid 6enterG and G6all for @ygieneG are #ust some of the e&amples of such

programs.

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/o organiMation can succeed without focusing on its future e&istence. AA0

is similarly focused not only on its current success but also on maintaining longterm

sustainability. In doing so, the foundation concentrates on e&panding its operations, not

only in physical presence but also in program variation. AA0 increases its family, by

adding one new class each year.

In the longrun, AA0 8oundation intends to have a fully operational branch

in every district of Bangladesh. AA0 wishes to give as many children as possible the

opportunity to break free of the cycle of poverty

ecently, in /ovember >, -911 they celebrated 5niversal 6hildren ay562.

In which program their volunteers collected money from donors by selling flowers. hen

the money was spent for the street children. he program was held all over the country.

Or-ni5tion Worin- For Street Children

*!!ocition $or Co77unit/ De(elo'7ent 8*CD9

A6 works to improve womenGs and childrenGs position in Bangladesh

society by addressing the conditions which marginaliMe them.

,R*C

BA6 works with people whose lives are dominated by e&treme poverty,

illiteracy, disease and other handicaps. hey also have many programs for

children.

Child Ri-ht! In$or7tion Netor 8CRIN9:,n-lde!h

6I/ empowers the global child rights community through the e&change of

3
http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/award/acdbackground.htmhttp://www.brac.net/http://www.crin.org/reg/country.asp?ctryID=19&subregID=11http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/award/acdbackground.htmhttp://www.brac.net/http://www.crin.org/reg/country.asp?ctryID=19&subregID=11


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information and the promotion of childrenGs rights.

F7ilie! For Children 8FFC9

886 is a voluntary organiMation helping children and women in India and

Bangladesh supported by sponsors and volunteers.

Glo&l Foot'rint!; CSKS 8Cinn7ul:Shi!hu Ki!hore Sn-!th9

A Street 6hildren Erogram in haka, Bangladesh

Ho'e Foundtion $or Wo7en < Children o$ ,n-lde!h

@ope 8oundation sets up hospitals and medical clinics in rural areas of

Bangladesh in order to provide essential healthcare to the poor people in

Bangladesh.

Kind Cut! $or Kid!; ,n-lde!h

?ind 6uts for ?ids aims to improve medical services to children in developing

countries.

=nu!her 6onno Foundtion

)anusher onno 8oundation is an initiative designed to promote Ghuman

rightsG and Ggood governanceG in Bangladesh and also has a program on

child protection and development.

3r&t/ ,ouddh =i!!ion 83,=9

EB) works for the socioeconomic education and cultural development of

minority indigenous peoples of the 6hittagong @ill racts, emphasiMing

children.

S(e the Children in ,n-lde!h

Save the 6hildren has a variety of programs in the areas of health,

education, food security, and emergency preparedness.

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http://www.familiesforchildren.ca/http://www.globalfootprints.org/world/bangladesh/csks.htmhttp://www.globalfootprints.org/world/bangladesh/csks.htmhttp://www.globalfootprints.org/world/bangladesh/csks.htmhttp://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org79721.jsphttp://www.kindcutsforkids.net/bangladesh.htmlhttp://www.manusher.org/http://www.pbm-cht.org/http://www.savethechildren.org/countries/asia/bangladesh.htmlhttp://www.familiesforchildren.ca/http://www.globalfootprints.org/world/bangladesh/csks.htmhttp://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org79721.jsphttp://www.kindcutsforkids.net/bangladesh.htmlhttp://www.manusher.org/http://www.pbm-cht.org/http://www.savethechildren.org/countries/asia/bangladesh.html


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>nder'ri(ile-ed Children?! Eductionl 3ro-r7! 8>CE39:

,n-lde!h

567EBangladesh is working with the distressed urban working children.

>NICEF 8>nited Ntion! Children@! Fund9 ,n-lde!h

5nite for 6hildren N 5/I678 helps children and also provides a variety of

resources on children in Bangladesh.

Wl $or Li$e; The ,n-lde!h Su!tin&le Clu&$oot 3roAect

=alk for Fife provides free treatment to clubfoot children under three years

of age.

World Bi!ion ,n-lde!h

=orld Hision is a 6hristian humanitarian relief and development organiMation

focusing on children in around 199 countries across the globe.

Conclu!ion

6hildren represent hope and the future in every society. =ithout participation

of 6hildren no nation can dream a good future. =ithout proper protection this vulnerable

group can suffer undernourishment, poor health, and intellectual underdevelopment,

which can have lasting impacts on young peoples< ability to participate fully in their

communities and the broader economy. So, as a student I think, we should work for street

children to educate them and to give them a bright future. In all religions, it is encouraged

to all believers to help orphans. And the ma#ority of street children are orphans. So

everyone should work for them not only for children


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Working for Street Children