Background
In Bangladesh most of the cities and towns particularly the metropolitan cities, have been witnessing the phenomenal growth of the unfortunate slum children over the last three decades. The most vulnerable children (MVC) are mainly parentless or one parent due to broken families of either divorced/separated or abandoned by families and have become abandoned, homeless, shelter less, ill-fed, ill-clothed and devoid of parental care. They are often run-away from homes due to domestic violence, family conflict, poverty, over population, unemployment, family feud, divorced parents (either father or mother alive), river erosion, rural-urban migration due to chronic poverty, floods, droughts, cyclones, rosy dreams and lofty hopes of better job opportunities in the city centers.
An estimate shows that about 3.18 million children of age-range 5- 7 years are involved in works for their survival with meager income that is not enough for having two square meals a day. Having no shelter, food, education, healthcare, social security, parental care, they are subject to be involved into odd jobs like garbage collector, street vendor, porter, begging and other hazardous works for their mere survival. Some of them become victims for trafficking camel jockey in the Middle East countries, child pornography and such other social crimes and illegal activities. Because of such helpless and disadvantageous situation, they are sometimes being used as agents of unlawful political activities either forcefully or on monetary benefits, bomb-making & bomb-throwing, arsoning, looting and burning street vehicles and peoples properties.
Situation of working children in Bangladesh:
About 3.18 million children age-range 5-7 years in Bangladesh are involved in works for their survival. They haven’t two meals a day. They are involved into odd jobs like garbage collector, street vendor, porter, begging and other hazardous works for their survival. According to an estimate, in 2004 number of street children was 679,728; in 2014 the number will grow up to 1,144,754 and in 2024 the number will be 1,615,330.
This unfortunate growth syndrome of street children is a major concern of the policy makers and planners of the national government at large and NGOs in particular. Ahsania Mission Children City
Against this backdrop, Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) with its long experience of working with working children and expertise in the development sector has initiated a project entitled “Establishment of Ahsania Mission Children City for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Distressed Children” in the district of Panchagarh of the country.
The Ahsania Mission Children City will comprise 10 children villages with 10,000 destitute children. For each 1000 children, there will have one village. Each village will be developed as self-sufficient with necessary infrastructure, staff and facilities to provide full time residential accommodation and production of total food requirement for the total enrolled children. Ahsania Mission Children City will be governed by specific several committees in congruence with child right conventions and child right policies of Bangladesh government