KARACHI: Around 200 children living on the streets broke their silence on Wednesday and shared their experiences with the media, authorities and civil society representatives at an interactive session held at the auditorium of Sindh Boy Scouts Association.

Hailing from various parts of the country and living on the streets and roundabouts of Karachi, the children highlighted their vulnerabilities, threats and other issues they faced on the streets and wanted the state to adopt measures to protect them. Most of them said they did not understand why the people (society) were hostile towards them.

“Whenever I step out of home to the street for begging, it seems everybody is hostile and hungry. Some offer Rs500 for ... and others offer to have lunch with [us]. It is too hard to move in fear all day long,” disclosed a 14-year-old at the programme.

The event was organised by DevCon Secretariat of Destination Unknown (DU) — Children on the Move Campaign in Pakistan, in collaboration with Foundation for Research and Human Development (FRHD) with support from Terre des Hommes to create a sense of protection among street children and use their potential to bring about a positive change in society.

The 14-year-old girl said: “We are poor and move out for help but in return we face abuse and insults. Everybody seems hungry as if they would eat us up.”

A nine-year-old boy said he lived in Korangi and belonged to a low-income family. His father was a rickshaw driver and his mother worked as a maid to earn a living. He said he loved spending time with friends, playing kanchay (marbles), patti and dabbu, but he was doomed to live a life of a street child. But, he added, he still dreamed of becoming a doctor one day.

A boy, who rummaged through refuse in bins, told the audience that he had a pushcart to collect papers and recyclable items daily from different places. “People dealing with us at a collection point, where we go to sell the recyclable items, sometimes abuse us sexually,” he disclosed, adding that he was not the only scavenger being treated like that. “It is not just me; all the children who work on the streets face similar situation and get abused. But they cannot narrate their plight out of fear. These humiliations cannot be explained in words,” he said.

Children from Azam Basti, Cantt Station, Green Town, Lyari and other parts of the city participated in the programme. Some of them also presented a tableau and exhibited other art skills to highlight the importance of education.

Rehana Leghari, special assistant to the chief minister on human rights, retired justice Aslam Jaferi and other government officials and representatives of civil society who attended the event appreciated the organisers for working with the marginalised segment of society.

Ms Leghari suggested that such programmes be held in Azam Basti and Lyari as well so that maximum children could benefit.

Mr Jaferi said education was an important factor that could give a sense of confidence to those children and make them useful members of society.

Nisar Ahmed Nizamani of DevCon said the state should play its due role to reduce hardships of poor children. He called for implementation of relevant laws including the act passed in 2011 that provided a child protection authority.

Nazra Jehan, head of FRHD, said hundreds of children in Pakistan were on the move. They had lost their homes, friends and native places and also were exposed to those who use such children for illegal activities and nefarious trades.

The audience was informed that a non-governmental organisation had conducted a study on street children, according to which a large number of youngsters in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur were forced to move to the streets after the floods of 2010 and 2011. Many of the children were trapped by mafias for criminal activities, with the result that they had to spend the rest of their lives in fear.

Published in Dawn February 9th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...