Thousands of street children in Dhaka city sleep in public or open spaces without the most basic amenities of life such as bed or a toilet.
A 2018 statistics of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics show that there are 16 lakh street children in the country. Of them, 65% (10.50 lakh) live in the areas of two city corporations of Dhaka. However, child rights organisations assumed that the number might be increased to more than 25 lakh by 2025 in the country.
In such a situation, night shelter should be introduced in Dhaka city for street children.
INCIDIN Bangladesh, a rights-based organisation working for protecting the rights of children; called upon the authorities of two city corporations in Dhaka to introduce night shelter for the street children.
Md. Mushfiqur Rahman Sabbir, Operation Chief of INCIDIN Bangladesh; made the call at a views-exchange meeting with journalists at a restaurant at Dhanmondi in the capital on Monday (October 30, 2023).
He read out a written speech at the event, while Mahboob Mirza, Programme Coordinator of INCIDIN Bangladesh; spoke there, among others.
Speakers of the event also called upon the authorities of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) to take necessary steps for ensuring night shelter for the street children.
The speakers said that the street children are facing various problems such as lack of safe housing, nutritious food, health facility and education. In addition, they are the victims of sexual harassment, trafficking and violence, which are hampering their physical and mental growths.
“It would be tough for us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by keeping so many children at risk. Their deprivation and segregation from the mainstream society is also a violation of UN Child Rights Charter such as 17, 19 and 34,” they said.
INCIDIN Bangladesh along with four other like- minded organisations collected 7100 signatures from different professionals in Dhaka, Faridpur and Rajbari districts for expressing their solidarity to the issue of safe night shelter for street children.
A petition containing the signatures has been handed over to the Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation recently. The objective is to elicit commitment from the Mayor to ensure the night time service of those children, who are vulnerable to sexual assault and other violence.
It is also aimed at further strengthening and solidifying the child right protection process. The initiative, it is hoped that, would play a significant role in protecting the rights of vulnerable children.
The speakers of the event said, as night time is more risky for children regarding physical and sexual assault, it is urgent for the city corporation to build shelter centers at places in the city. Ward level elected representatives can take step for protecting the children.
The city corporation can take up protection measures at different level of the society for ensuring the rights of children. The city corporation can ensure the accessibility of the vulnerable children to its various service structures.
The city corporation can keep special allocation for the vulnerable children in its annual budget. It is needed to take steps for ensuring the representation of the child rights organisations at the DSCC’s annual budget meeting and other forums so that the opinion of the victim children are reflected in city corporation’s development plan, they observed.
Stressing on making the street children skilled workforce by providing necessary training, they said the authorities concerned should take necessary steps for making the children as worthy citizen of the country. Because their vulnerability may hamper our future, they said.
