THEY constitute, perhaps, the most abused section of society — certainly the most vulnerable. To most they are an ubiquitous yet invisible part of the urban landscape. Their suffering is writ large on their faces, until brutish experience hardens their features into a carapace. This is the fate of the uncounted thousands of children living and working on streets across the country. Some have been abandoned by their families because of abject poverty. Others are runaways, escaping violence and abuse. Many are still connected with persons they call family, but must help in eking out a living through begging, manual labour or selling flummeries. Once on the street, they are almost certain to be subjected to further abuse, driven by virtue of their young age to the very bottom of the pyramid of power.

As the International Day for Street Children was marked on April 12, these grim realities barely stirred Pakistan out of its stupor. The only rally of any note was held in Hyderabad, where members of the Child Rights Movement and the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child brought out scores of these unfortunate youngsters. The effort of these organisations is even more worthy of appreciation when contrasted with the government’s apathy. In a country where children’s right to education is constitutionally protected, the federal and provincial bureaucracies have consistently failed this segment of society. From the inability to check population growth to the failure to address poverty, from the inadequacy of educational and vocational facilities to offering scant protection, it is the state that must be blamed for the grim circumstances these children face. It is no surprise, then, that many fall into the habit of substance abuse, or turn to crime, or, as adults, abuse others. The numbers and state of our street children is a blot on the nation’s conscience. But it is near impossible to make the state see that and take action.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2017