CHILDREN’S suffering remains a distressing reality in Bangladesh. A 2022 survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF found that more than 3.4 million children live on the streets. The number has likely risen since. The same study revealed that nearly 14 per cent of these children consume addictive substances such as ‘dandy’, a chemical glue, often to suppress hunger. Their plight, seen in city corners where they inhale fumes from shabby plastic bags, is a tragic symptom of deeper social neglect.
Most of these children survive by scavenging, begging, or collecting waste. They rarely get enough food, let alone nutrition or safety. Hunger drives them to desperation and exposes them to crime, exploitation and abuse. Opportunistic gangs often recruit them for theft, drug trafficking and street violence. In the absence of protection, they grow up vulnerable to both punishment and manipulation, victims of a cycle that society too often ignores.
The roots of this tragedy are complex but traceable. Many street children are abandoned or separated from families due to extreme poverty, parental illness, disability, or early death. A 2024 UNICEF study found that abandonment often occurs when parents can no longer afford to feed their children. It is easy to condemn such decisions, but far harder to confront the harsh poverty that drives them. Rearing children is a struggle for families with no income security, limited access to healthcare and little social support.
Imagine being a child left to survive on the streets; without shelter, education, or family. Many of these children do not even know who their parents are. They grow up without identity, excluded from state services and schooling. According to a survey by Caritas Bangladesh, of 667 street children interviewed, 94 percent receive no government assistance. More than half lack birth certificates and over half never attended school. Without legal identity or education, they remain invisible, outside the social safety net and beyond opportunity.
The consequence of such neglect is not just personal tragedy; it is national loss. Every child denied care and education is a potential human resource wasted. If left unaddressed, this neglect perpetuates poverty, crime and social instability. Preventing more children from ending up on the streets must therefore become a national priority.
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. The solution begins with breaking the continuum of poverty that forces parents to abandon their children. Families must be economically empowered through expanded social safety nets, vocational programs and income-generating opportunities for the poorest. Government and non-governmental organisations can work together to identify at-risk families and intervene before abandonment occurs.
Equally essential is education. It is not enough to rescue children from the streets, they must be given access to learning and skills. Vocational training and moral education can help them reintegrate into society and find meaningful work. This not only reduces delinquency but also strengthens the moral and social fabric of the nation. Every educated, skilled child is an investment in Bangladesh’s future.
The state has an obligation to extend its protection to all children, regardless of their circumstances. Ensuring birth registration, healthcare, shelter and schooling for street children should be part of a broader national child welfare policy. Partnerships among the government, NGOs and the private sector can amplify impact. Public awareness campaigns and volunteer programs can also foster empathy and civic responsibility.
Ordinary citizens can play a part too. Small acts, offering food, supporting children’s shelters, or volunteering with outreach groups, can make a tangible difference. Compassion must not be occasional; it must be continuous and collective.
Bangladesh’s progress cannot be measured solely in GDP growth or infrastructure expansion. It must also be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. A nation that allows millions of children to grow up on the streets, without safety or hope, undermines its own development.
What kind of country could we build if those children, instead of being lost to hunger and hardship, became skilled, ethical and productive citizens? Such a transformation is possible if we commit to protecting them now.
Children are the roots of a nation. When roots rot, the tree withers. Bangladesh must cherish its roots before they decay beyond repair. Reducing the suffering of street children is not charity, it is an investment in our collective future.
Ìý
Srejon Datta is a spoken and IELTS instructor and former senior English language teacher at Starlit School of English.