Human Rights Violations Against Street Children Working in the Informal Economy in Bangladesh: Findings from a Qualitative Study

Abstract

In Bangladesh, there are an estimated 1.5 million children who are forced to live and/or work on the streets. These children are commonly referred to as street-connected children, children in street situations, or street children. The present article draws on findings related to Bangladeshi street children’s income-generating activities (IGAs) in the informal economy, from a larger qualitative study, in which 75 street children participated in in-depth interviews. The authors explored street children’s experiences of human rights violations while working in the informal economy and the nature of their employment including employment-related risks, abuse, and exploitation. The following questions were considered: what types of jobs did street children secure?; what were the risks involved in these jobs?; and what types of human rights abuses and exploitation did children encounter in these jobs? Findings indicated that the IGAs most available to street children were “3-D” jobs (dirty, dangerous, and demanding), which placed children at greater risk for abuse, including sexual abuse, and exploitation, while the conditions faced by street children involved in IGAs violated their human rights on a daily basis. In order to protect these vulnerable children, policy and program interventions are urgently needed, as well as the strict enforcement of human rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.