However, what we need to do is to stop to take a closer look at the little urchin being left behind: a picture of poverty, neglect and exclusion. His story could be that of any one of the 1.5 million children ‘on’ and ‘of’ the streets in Pakistan. Maybe he’ll learn the alphabet, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll turn to drugs, maybe he already has. Maybe he will roam the roads till late rather than face the prospect of returning to abuse, squalor and hunger at home. The alternative to a home is terrifying: development organisations estimate that 90 per cent of children ‘of’ the street are sexually abused on their first night on the street.
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), children have four indivisible rights: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. Pakistan is a signatory to the CRC since 1990, which means that for over two decades the state has had a formal commitment to ensure these rights. It is also a signatory to the oft-cited Millenium Development Goals and has set lofty targets in terms of promising to provide education for all under the age of 16. And yet, just beyond the window of the policymaker in Islamabad is living proof of deep cracks in the systems for child protection and delivery of education.
The elite hardly give a second thought to the hordes of rural migrants who have settled just beyond the parameters of well-kept lawns. The mushrooming slums point to great economic problems — the inability of the job market to absorb an expanding population, and the unequal development that drives rural-urban migration. For those who find these stories familiar, the picture of the street child is just one of several hundred up for public consumption on development websites. Often the question asked by the jaded is: And then what?
This question embodies the worst form of development fatigue. One reason for this fatigue of the development practitioner is that it is singularly difficult to work with street children, especially if they belong to mobile or transient communities. They are resistant to interference, measuring impact can become a problem and there are donors to answer to. At the same time, there are ways of working around these constraints — of recognising the fact that their economic activities supplement household income and that they will need either incentives or a vision to be drawn to school.
There is a lot of hope among the youth of this country and a new spirit of active volunteerism among youngsters. In Islamabad, at least, initiatives of private and small non-profit organisations are coming together to form synergies and bridge gaps between classes within the urban landscape.
What is worrisome is the inaction of the state in this regard. There is a need to speed up the process of defining post-devolution roles, so that the responsibilities of child protection and education can be assigned. Then only can the purpose of the Eighteenth Amendment be understood by those marginalised groups who fell through the cracks of the centralised system.
If asked, individuals working directly with children can testify that there can be no experience more rewarding. When handled right, children are responsive — far more so than adults — and demonstrate the most cheerful kind of resilience. Beyond the windscreen, for those who care to look, there will often be a cheeky smile in spite of the streets.
Published In The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2012.
COMMENTS (5)
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good to know we all agree that children are worth investing in!
SS, the takers exist. there just needs to be more cohesion in efforts, maybe.
Very well written. However you forgot to mention that he could be a part of a greater evil, that of exploitation
Madeeha - Well said. Without any intent to politicize the issue, I remember once hearing a PTI rep (I believe it was Dr. Alvi) on a talk show that unless you relate to the pain of kids on the streets like your own kids, you are least likely to be even interested in making a difference in their lives. Some time ago, an article was published in Dawn on the fate of such kids in Peshawar. As per some estimates provided therein, there are around 7000 such kids in Peshawar who live on the streets and are likely to be engaged in drug addiction or sexual abuse...but who cares about those poor kids...all we know as a society is to deprive such people when they are kids...and then shoot them when they grow up and become criminals...we create the very problems with our apathy that we spend a life time fixing. The solution is to address the big picture: better institutions, better economy, more awareness, and more compassion. Otherwise, we can spend a lifetime talking about these issues but the pain of humanity won't be lessened.
Madeeha, your article evokes sensitivity, devotion and volunteerism. These emotions are rare and few can champion them for a cause you have taken up. There is no blazing trail here, there is quiet treading through lives and communities in the hope, that not all will be lost. This is the work of a caregiver. Any takers?
Ms.Ansari, Thank you for writing on this very important subject. The problem is that if he won't wipe your windscreen, he will be studying in a Madrissa and in turn become a fanatic, and commit murder-suicide killing of innocents. So what are the other options available to his family or the society? State: I can understand your quest, but this institution is already overloaded and incapable of carrying the ordinary functions.