Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Epaper

The forgotten children: A call to action for street children

Published : Thursday, 19 December, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 333
Rakib Hasan
As winter casts its frosty grip over our cities, the chill in the winds carries with it a stark reminder of persisting inequalities around us. While many of us burrow into warm homes and sip hot beverages with layered comfort, there are also thousands of children who call the streets their home-not a season, but an unbending fight for survival. These are the street children-invisible faces of our society, often ignored, yet very much in need of love and care.

Street children face a life of deprivation that most of us can only imagine. To them, cold is not just uncomfortable; it is lethal. Uncared for, underfed, and thinly clad, without warmth or shelter, they have to bear the full fury of winter. Most street children in Bangladesh sleep on pavements, under flyovers, or in makeshift shelters with no insulation against the biting cold. During these months, hypothermia and respiratory infections, like pneumonia, are common; without any access to health care, even treatable conditions may become fatal. Add the psychological toll of living in an unsecured and unstable atmosphere, and one can visualize the uphill battle these children face every day.

The issue of street children is not only a humanitarian one but also a moral obligation. These children are the future of our Bangladesh, yet their potential is being extinguished by neglect and indifference. Every child has the right to a safe environment, access to education, and the opportunity to thrive-all basic rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Winter, with all its heightened challenges, presents the chance for society to come forward and show its compassionate face. Taking care of street children in this season is not about charity; it is about justice, humanity, and building a future where no child gets left behind.

But society can help them. The solution to this problem must be multilayered, with immediate relief combined with long-term solutions.

First, Shelters and Safe Spaces: More temporary shelters with heating and bedding should be provided by the governments and NGOs. Existing shelters need to increase their intake capacity to meet the seasonal increase in demand. Second, Warm Clothing Drives: People can donate blankets, jackets, and other winter clothes to organizations working with street children. We can initiate Meal Distribution Programs. A hot and nutritious meal can make the world of difference to the child suffering from the chilling cold. Also, the process of deploying medical units to street children can prevent fatalities through addressing health issues early.
Winter increases feelings of isolation and vulnerability among street children. Such children may be restored to some semblance of normality and even hope through counseling services and recreational activities. Education and Vocational Training: Educating street children and providing them with certain skills will empower them to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty. The governments must take child welfare into consideration and include policies that ensure each child has a house, healthcare, and education.

But of course, governments and organizations have a very big role to play. Individuals and communities must act, too. Acts of kindness, however minute they may seem, have ripple effects. A group of neighbors can organize clothing drives, a business can sponsor meals, or a school can raise awareness among its students.

Community involvement also creates accountability in a collective sense. We will be more intentional in our actions when we do not see street children as "them" but as members of our larger family.

But we can create "A Winter of Change". Winter is harsh, yet it brings an opportunity for introspection into our shared humanity. By extending a helping hand to the street children in our cities, we save lives and reaffirm those values that bind us as a society: compassion, generosity, and a commitment to justice. Let this winter be different. Let it be a season of change, where we come together to light a spark of hope in the lives of those who need it most. The children shivering on our streets are not just "somebody else's problem"; they are ours to protect, nurture, and empower. The cold may be inevitable, but so is the warmth of human kindness. Together, we can ensure that no child is left to face winter alone.

The writer is a student, Department of Sociology, Dhaka College


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