Links:

• The Consortium for Streetchildren's website about Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a population of 130 million, 55 million of whom are under the age of 18. The country has had high urban population growth and an increase in urban poverty. The Consortium of Street Children estimates that there are 445,226 street children in Bangladesh, with 75 per cent of them living in the capital city.

In Bangladesh, there is a positive government attitude towards reform. The government has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, formulated the National Plan of Action for Children 1997 – 2002, passed the Suppression of Violence against Women and Children Act in 2000, and approved the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children including Trafficking Act in 2002. Moreover, in response to the increasing crisis, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Social Welfare implemented the Appropriate Resources for Improving Street Children’s Environment (ARISE) Project. Arise supports 30,000 children in six divisions of Bangladesh and is also building the capacity of local NGOs and government agencies to deal with the problem of street children.

The Consortium of Street Children feels that the inexperience of the Bangladeshi government in dealing with street children and their tendency to mix the characteristics of disadvantaged children with street children has however resulted in the design and implementation of costly, improper, and ineffective methodologies. The number of street children in Bangladesh continues to rise and it has become clear that current programmes are inadequate and are failing to successfully address this issue.