Country's 3.4 Lakh Children Living on Streets: Study

News desk: 34 lakh children are living on the streets in the country. Many children are separated from their families and live on the streets due to extreme poverty, family instability and physical or mental abuse. In the urge to survive, they engage in risky activities.

These facts have emerged in a research paper on the situation of street children under the Child Sensitive Social Protection in Bangladesh (CSPB) Phase-II project. Yesterday on Monday, the data of the research paper was presented in an event at the National Chitrashala Gallery of Shilpakala Academy of the capital.

The paper makes several recommendations. This includes implementing social welfare programs targeting the root causes of family breakdown. To provide education and vocational training to street children. Conduct public awareness activities to empathize with them. Increasing funding from the government. Government, development organizations, civil society, wealthy people should work together to bring street children back to normal life. At the same time some sections of the Children's Act need to be amended and strengthened.

The speech of the chief guest at the event was the Minister of Social Welfare Dr. Dipu Moni said street children face various problems. At night they were subjected to various tortures. Children who work on the road during the day and return to their families at night, also face various problems. They will be deprived of fundamental rights – this is not desirable.

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Simin Hossain Rimi said, we have to work to improve the quality of life of street children. Along with various programs of the government, if the wealthy come forward, the number of street children will decrease a lot. Director General of the Department of Social Services.

Under the chairmanship of Abu Saleh Mustafa Kamal, Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare Khairul Alam Sheikh, UNICEF Bangladesh Child Protection Branch Chief Natalie McCully, European Union Representative Enrico Lorenzon and many others spoke.