Where violence and poverty forced the majority of these children to abandon their homes in the first place, the viciousness of life on the street forces them towards crime and substance abuse.
Research conducted by some non-profit organisations shows the most such runaways come from large families that have recently migrated to Karachi from various rural areas. In the city, most of them come from areas such as Korangi, PIB Colony and Macher Colony. The fact that an estimated 66 per cent cite physical abuse at home or at the workplace as the reason they ran away seems to prove American writer Zig Ziglar’s comment that “Kids go where there is excitement; they stay where there is love.”
Abuse and addiction
According to Anwer Qazi, secretary to Abdul Sattar Edhi, the majority of the runaways are boys and most of them are addicted to sniffing glue or petrol or smoking cigarettes, hashish and even heroin. While the Sindh Child Act and a number of other laws declare the government responsible for the safety and protection of all children, there is no official support network in place to help them. Mr Qazi told Dawn that the police bring a few such destitutes to the Edhi Centre but the boys usually elect to return to the street and scrounge for food and small change.
Such boys are often encouraged to leave their homes by an acquaintance who has already done it, and few ever return. Dr Aisha Mahnaz, a paediatric doctor and a member of the Kompal Child Abuse Prevention Society says that runaways generally join a group of other street children, and the newest entrant becomes the group leader’s favourite. While this brings access to drugs, food and clothing, it also means sexual abuse by the group leader. According to Dr Mahnaz, homosexuality is prevalent among street children and a new member is initially protected from everyone except the leader, till he is replaced as the favourite.
On their own, such boys are vulnerable to being sexually abused by the drivers of transport vehicles and upper class men, says Aqsa Zainab, project manager of the Azad Foundation. They therefore prefer to stay in a gang where such widespread abuse is less likely. However, the vicious cycle of sexual abuse means that the victim soon develops the character of an abuser and forms his own gang of younger street children, she comments.
A circle of violence
Most such boys carry a razor blade with them as a means of self-protection or the intimidation of others. Sometimes, says Ms Zainab, the group leader will even instigate boys to fight each other or injure themselves to prove their loyalty.
The face, neck and wrists of 12-year-old Shahid are crisscrossed with cuts he received in various fights, and malnourishment makes him look far younger than he is. He left home when he was seven and has been sleeping on footpaths and in parks since then. He says that he is one of 12 siblings and his family is very poor. “My mother used to force us to stitch cloth flowers all day and she never let us play,” he recalls. “She would beat me when I didn’t do as she said.” He concedes that she probably did love him and that he misses his siblings but says that he does not want to return home.
While Shahid maintains that he has never been sexually abused, 12-year-old Salman has a different story to tell. “Men and other boys on the street used to make me do such immoral things,” he said, “I was much weaker than them.” Salman ran away from his house some years ago because after his father’s death, his maternal uncle abused him and his sister. “I beg and steal to survive,” he admitted, and said that boys like him are often harassed and robbed by policemen.
Both boys said that they sniff glue and smoke hashish, which are easily available and inexpensive.
Unable to find employment, some runaways turn to prostitution. Such boys are often found at the Mauripur truck stand, Essa Nagri, Lee Market, Saddar, Gurumandir, Numaish, Sohrab Goth, Husainabad, Water Pump, Aisha Manzil and Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine. Their services are usually hired for an entire day, for which they earn up to Rs50.
Little help at hand
Rapid urbanisation, spiralling homelessness and poverty mean that the numbers of children on the street are growing every day. Yet hardly any organisations are working on the issue. The Azad Foundation (AF) provides runaway children with counselling and recreational facilities, while Dastak – a joint AF and European Commission and Group Development (ECGD) venture – provides vocational training, informal education and rehabilitation services. The organisation plans to establish a shelter with the support of the ECGD and the City District Government Karachi. However, as long as the issues that cause children to run away in the first place remain unaddressed, shelters can only a be, at best, a short-term solution.