Child Abuse, Trafficking and Prostitution

　　　It is said that, today's children are tomorrow's future. But what is the reality? Today, sexual abuse and violence to children is a common picture throughout the world specially in third world countries like Bangladesh.

　　　In third world countries, as long as poverty exists, the phenomenon of child sexual exploitation remains a crucial problem. Many people come from the villages to the city to find better opportunities. Children who lack knowledge of city life can't adjust themselves, some attempt to escape from the real life and others are forced to have sexual intercourse before reaching adulthood and end up as child prostitute before knowing.

　　　Like any other countries, poverty severely affects the children in Bangladesh. Children, specially the female children are the most vulnerable and neglected group in the society. In extreme poverty, there is no choice. Whatever offer comes, the girl child takes it without thinking of her future.

　　　In Bangladesh child trafficking is increasing at an alarming rate. Children are taken for different purposes i.e. for brothels, for labour, for camel races in Arab countries and trafficking to India, Pakistan, UAE etc. Government action is not yet sufficient to control child trafficking. No accurate statistics are available in this section.

　　　Female children are often kidnaped and sold to the brothels. Poor girls are often tricked by the pimps, who ensure them jobs but later sell them to the brothels. The life of a child of 10 years old or more in a prostitute house is hell. She is tortured mentally as well as physically. No care, no adequate food, no proper treatment, no liberty, no freedom; their future can be easily guessed. Domestic servant in almost every house are being sexually abused. Government activities are not sufficient to create a favourable environment for these unfortunate children.

　　　There is one Government 'Destitute Child Center' in Bangladesh. Number of girls are about 400.

Number of Orphanages and Orphans
Government Orphanage: 73	Non-Government Orphanage: 798
In 1994, Orphans: 9,500	In 1994, Orphans: 64,000

　　　Orphanages are generally not a place for a child, but due to the circumstances they are sometimes unavoidable.

A Case Study

　　　The garments industry is the single largest foreign exchange earner in the poor nation of Bangladesh, employing thousands of children under the age of 15 and exporting $2 billion of garments each year, mainly to the United States. Facing pressure from the American buyers, the garments manufacturers of Bangladesh started reducing child workers in 1993. Nearly 50,000 children have been removed from 2,000 garments factories, due to international demands to abolish child labor. As a result, the victim of this decision faces uncertain futures and jobless girls were forced into prostitution to put food on the table. Presently they calld as 'Street Girl', as like as street children. Both are the same status by nature.

　　　During the months of July to October, 1995 a team of four was conducted a random survey on street children in five cities and towns of Bangladesh. During the four months study they interviewed 1,500 street children throughout the country. The study team was consist by Mrs. Parul Akhtar, Miss Anar Koli, Miss Shamima Akhtar and Mr. Shah Md. Nazmul Karim. The interviewed figures shows below a clear picture on the street children in Bangladesh.

City/Town	Distance (from Daka)	Girls (age 9-15)	Boys (age 8-15)	Total
Dhaka	---	500	300	800
Chittagong	262 km	100	125	225
Rajahahi	268 km	75	100	175
Mymenshing	192 km	100	100	200
Chuadanga	276 km	45	55	100
		820	680	1,500

Problem Related to the study

a. During the interview, most of the children asked what kind of material or surpporting services will be given them after the survey. Members of the survey team didn't answer to satisfy them.

b. Inadequate innitiatives in the areas of childhood disability prevention, rehabilitation and support.

c. Inadequate provision of basic humaniterian services for street children in both rural and urban areas.

d. No comprehensive study on the street children in the country.

e. Lack of coordination between Government and NGO programmes.

Outcome of the study

a. Victims are almost innocent girls out of 1,500 interviewed children .

b. Almost all these children were within the age group of 8-15 years.

c. Majority have no relatives in Dhaka city and their backgrounds indicate that these girls are mainly abandoned/ sexually exploited/ divorced in their isolate d and rejected by their rural society. This painful situation has compelled them to proceed to Dhaka city and at the end forced into prostitution.

d. Most of them come from rural poor areas.

e. All were found to bear symptoms of malnutrition, frustration, hopelessness and aimlessness.

f. Street children are jointly controlled by pimps posing gardener, guard, small shopkeeper, truck driver, rickshaw puller, local political activist and somewhere by the law enforcement agencies people.

Some Recommendations

a. In view of the humanitarian causes to save them on emergency basis immidiately setting up 'Children's Home' at the district level for accomodating street and working children; provide shelter, food, non-formal education and vocational training for skill development, consciousness and awareness raising programmes for health and environment through video instruments.

b. More provision of basic humanitarian services including motivational, rehabilitation and income generating innitiatives for derailed and frustrated street children in both rural and urban areas.

c. Undertaking social mobilisation to make the people aware of the rights of the street children and their needs.

d. Undertaking a comprehensive survey on all categories of street children in order to assess the actual situation and nature and extent of the problems faced by them.

e. Promoting family and community based rehabilitation of the disabled children.

Conclusion

　　　Children are the most vulnerable position, specially the girls of this day. All of the conventions and summits will not help the children if there is no proper short term and long term rehabilitation and development programmes set for implimentation in the national and international conferences.

　　　Bangladesh has a limited set of options for the development of its children. In order to ensure that children's rights become a reality, effective action plan implimentation on the part of all concerned is imperative. To help achieve these goals, it will be necessary to obtain;

�@. commitement of human, financial and material resources.

�A. multilateral and bilateral support of international organizations.

�B. political commitment at all levels of the Government.

�C. awareness and support of civil society.

References:

1. State of Human Rights: 1994: Banbladesh; Coordinating Council for Human Rights in Bangladesh(CCHRB), Dhaka.

2. The State of the World's Children 1995, UNICEF; New York.

3. John Thor Dahlburg, Los Angeles Times suppliment published in the 'Daily Yomiuri';December 18, 1995; Tokyo.

4. Zakia Banu, Bangladesh Observer, January 24, 1994; Dhaka.

5. State of Human Rights: 1995: Bangladesh; CCHRB; Dhaka.



Bablu Rahman
(Journalist, Writer and Development activist)