M M Jasim :
Eid means joy especially for the children. They get new dresses and other things as per their choice from their parents. It is the scenario of the Eid days of the country in both urban and rural areas.
The children go with their parents for shopping and become joyful to get that. The children of poor families stave in the faces of the rich persons with vacant eyes.
On the other hand, the “street children” who have no father and mother beside them, cannot share untold sadness with anyone in the world.
Actually, Eid is not joyful for about five lakh street children, but it
gives pain. They cannot shave anything with the affluent children or who get affection from their parents.
Saiful, an 11-year old child, has been living in the Dhaka University area for two years. He doesn’t know where his father and mother are. And even he will not be able to identify his father as he left him at the age of four. His mother gets married to another man and went away to unknown place.
“My mother left me five years ago. I searched her in many places but failed. My mother told me that my father left us many years ago. But I don’t know him. I am now passing time here and there on the Dhaka University campus areas. It is very rare if I take meal for three times in a day. Sometimes, the people beat me and harassed me,” he said.
Asking about the new dress, this correspondent saw tears in his eyes. “Many children travel with their parents wearing new clothes. This is heartfelt scenario for me as I couldn’t wear a new dress since 2014 when my mother left me. This is now a dream for me,” he said.
“I ate meat two years ago. A man hit me when I was begging meat to him during Eid days last year. From that time I lost my love for meat,” he said with crying face.
Tannu, a nine-year old another street child, who is living in the Bangobazar area, doesn’t know his father and mother. Even he couldn’t remember their face and colour.
After asking his parents, Tannu just cried out and after about a minute he said there is none in the world who will take care of him and give new dresses and meat.
“It is my hobby to wear a new shirt but who will give me. I choose meat and sometimes tried to get that. I beg meat to people when they consume. Someone gives me a piece of meat, but most of them hurled abusive word at me,” he said.
Tannu said, he usually gets some meat during the day of the Eid-ul-Azha. But he sells it because he cannot cook the meat. As a result, he failed to eat meat as per his taste.
“My father divorced my mother four years ago. After that she lost her mother and does not know is she alive or not. She passes her nighttime on the street,” said Rokeya, a 12-year old female child living in the Gulistan area.
“I went to many places for work. But no one gave me work. Being compelled I am begging. It is not enough for me to take meal every day. Every child amuses on the Eid day, but it is the day of pain for me. I don’t like anything but I want to live,” she said.
Chairman of Human Safety Foundation, an organistion working for street children, M A Muqit told The New Nation that it is indeed the street children are deprived of their fundamental rights. Many of them lost their parents and live alone in the city.
“A good number of street children could not wear new dresses for a moment in his or her whole life. It is hard reality. The poor children who have parents collect meat during the Eid-ul-Azha from different places and carry for cooking in their houses. But the street children have no room to cook the meat after collection. As a result, they deprive of getting taste of the meat even during the Eid-ul-Azha,” M A Muqit said.
“We know how do they hurt during the day of Eid-ul-Azha. That is why Human Safety Foundation distributed cooked meat among the street children in Dhaka before the Eid day,” he said.
Mohammad Aftabuzzaman, Executive Director of Apon Foundation, told this correspondent that there are about one million underprivileged children in the capital. Of them, about five lakh are street children.
“Basically, they (tokai) have no joy. They just live in the world. But they couldn’t get the taste of the world,” he said.
“Eid is the biggest festival for the Muslims. But unfortunately the Eid couldn’t touch the hearts of the street children positively. Contrarily they hurt when Eid comes,” Aftabuzzaman said.
“We are working to do something for the street children. but this is not enough. It will be good if the affluent people in the society extend their helping hands to ensure joy for the street children,” he said.
Eid means joy especially for the children. They get new dresses and other things as per their choice from their parents. It is the scenario of the Eid days of the country in both urban and rural areas.
The children go with their parents for shopping and become joyful to get that. The children of poor families stave in the faces of the rich persons with vacant eyes.
On the other hand, the “street children” who have no father and mother beside them, cannot share untold sadness with anyone in the world.
Actually, Eid is not joyful for about five lakh street children, but it
gives pain. They cannot shave anything with the affluent children or who get affection from their parents.
Saiful, an 11-year old child, has been living in the Dhaka University area for two years. He doesn’t know where his father and mother are. And even he will not be able to identify his father as he left him at the age of four. His mother gets married to another man and went away to unknown place.
“My mother left me five years ago. I searched her in many places but failed. My mother told me that my father left us many years ago. But I don’t know him. I am now passing time here and there on the Dhaka University campus areas. It is very rare if I take meal for three times in a day. Sometimes, the people beat me and harassed me,” he said.
Asking about the new dress, this correspondent saw tears in his eyes. “Many children travel with their parents wearing new clothes. This is heartfelt scenario for me as I couldn’t wear a new dress since 2014 when my mother left me. This is now a dream for me,” he said.
“I ate meat two years ago. A man hit me when I was begging meat to him during Eid days last year. From that time I lost my love for meat,” he said with crying face.
Tannu, a nine-year old another street child, who is living in the Bangobazar area, doesn’t know his father and mother. Even he couldn’t remember their face and colour.
After asking his parents, Tannu just cried out and after about a minute he said there is none in the world who will take care of him and give new dresses and meat.
“It is my hobby to wear a new shirt but who will give me. I choose meat and sometimes tried to get that. I beg meat to people when they consume. Someone gives me a piece of meat, but most of them hurled abusive word at me,” he said.
Tannu said, he usually gets some meat during the day of the Eid-ul-Azha. But he sells it because he cannot cook the meat. As a result, he failed to eat meat as per his taste.
“My father divorced my mother four years ago. After that she lost her mother and does not know is she alive or not. She passes her nighttime on the street,” said Rokeya, a 12-year old female child living in the Gulistan area.
“I went to many places for work. But no one gave me work. Being compelled I am begging. It is not enough for me to take meal every day. Every child amuses on the Eid day, but it is the day of pain for me. I don’t like anything but I want to live,” she said.
Chairman of Human Safety Foundation, an organistion working for street children, M A Muqit told The New Nation that it is indeed the street children are deprived of their fundamental rights. Many of them lost their parents and live alone in the city.
“A good number of street children could not wear new dresses for a moment in his or her whole life. It is hard reality. The poor children who have parents collect meat during the Eid-ul-Azha from different places and carry for cooking in their houses. But the street children have no room to cook the meat after collection. As a result, they deprive of getting taste of the meat even during the Eid-ul-Azha,” M A Muqit said.
“We know how do they hurt during the day of Eid-ul-Azha. That is why Human Safety Foundation distributed cooked meat among the street children in Dhaka before the Eid day,” he said.
Mohammad Aftabuzzaman, Executive Director of Apon Foundation, told this correspondent that there are about one million underprivileged children in the capital. Of them, about five lakh are street children.
“Basically, they (tokai) have no joy. They just live in the world. But they couldn’t get the taste of the world,” he said.
“Eid is the biggest festival for the Muslims. But unfortunately the Eid couldn’t touch the hearts of the street children positively. Contrarily they hurt when Eid comes,” Aftabuzzaman said.
“We are working to do something for the street children. but this is not enough. It will be good if the affluent people in the society extend their helping hands to ensure joy for the street children,” he said.
