June 19, 2025
DHAKA – Despite being among the most vulnerable, nearly 91 percent of the country’s marginalised population and 94 percent of street children remain excluded from the government’s social safety net, according to a recent survey by Caritas Bangladesh.
The survey also found that 58 percent of street children do not have birth certificates, which prevents them from accessing formal education and state services.
The findings were shared yesterday at a media consultation on the challenges and aspirations of disadvantaged children, organised by Caritas Bangladesh at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Conducted across Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Rajshahi, the survey covered 667 street children and 1,246 low-income families living in slum areas.
It highlighted alarming levels of deprivation, exclusion, and denial of basic services in communities that should be national priorities.
Presenting the data, Caritas Bangladesh Advocacy Officer Robiul Alam said 58.2 percent of surveyed street children do not have birth certificates.
“Among them, 71.4 percent do not know their parents’ national ID numbers, making registration difficult or impossible,” he added.
The survey also painted a grim picture of street children’s education, as it found that 51.6 percent of the children surveyed are not currently enrolled in any school or madrasa.
Only 5.7 percent (38 children) are covered by government social safety nets, leaving nearly 94.3 percent outside formal social protection systems designed to support the most vulnerable.
Among the slum-dwelling families surveyed, 12.7 percent fall within the low-income bracket, earning less than Tk 12,500 per month. Of these households, 91.7 percent reported receiving no government assistance.
In 38.1 percent of these families, at least one child had become a street child, as per the survey.
While 44.4 percent of families said all their children had birth certificates, 32.9 percent reported that none of their children were registered.
At the event, street children shared their daily struggles with hunger, abuse, and exclusion.
They called on the government to include them in cash allowance schemes, provide birth certificates, ensure safe housing and education, and offer rehabilitation services.
“We are the most marginalised and neglected,” said one child. “We have no guarantee of food, shelter, education, or healthcare. Without a clear plan for us, our future is bleak.”
Caritas Bangladesh Programme Director Daud Jibon Das criticised the current monthly allowance of Tk 500 to Tk 650 under social safety nets as grossly inadequate and disconnected from the real needs of the poor.
“There are only a few government programmes for street and underprivileged children. If we fail to secure their future, we risk falling behind as a nation,” he said, urging shared responsibility between the state and families.
He called for simplifying the birth registration process for orphaned children and recommended door-to-door or ward-based campaigns to ensure full birth registration.
He also suggested registering births immediately at hospitals and community clinics.
Special programmes must be launched to bring street children off the streets, including conditional cash allowances to encourage families to improve their children’s living conditions, he said.
He also stressed the need to eliminate child labour, identify children who have dropped out due to child labour or other causes, and reintegrate them into the education system.
Creating a supportive environment to help street children enrol and stay in school is crucial, he said.
Das further urged the government to raise social protection allowances to realistic levels and simplify the application process to widen access.
Caritas also called on NGOs to raise awareness about the importance of birth registration and the dangers of child labour, and to run flexible education centres tailored to the needs of vulnerable children.
The consultation was attended by Caritas officials, including Chandra Mani Chakma, Kusum Gregory, Asim Cruz, and Anthony Prince Gomez, along with representatives from various organisations, guardians, and street children.