Third and Fourth Periodic Report on CRC - Unicef

<strong>Third</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Fourth</strong> <strong>Periodic</strong> <strong>Report</strong>
Ab<strong>and</strong>oned <strong>and</strong> destitute children: Destitute children having no home or family are particularly susceptible to
violence <strong>and</strong> exploitation. Often ab<strong>and</strong>oned at birth, these children have little option but to live off the streets
where they are compelled to live <strong>and</strong> work in exploitative conditions. Children born out of wedlock or born to
rape victims are more likely to suffer ab<strong>and</strong>onment than others. While social <strong>and</strong> religious taboos compel young
unmarried mothers to discard their children, deteriorating economic conditions are increasingly forcing families
to ab<strong>and</strong>on their children. Due to divorce or subsequent marriage of their parents or polygamy, children are also
ab<strong>and</strong>oned. Children who lose their parents through death or desertion experience a similar plight. Having no
option these children adopt sordid lifestyles <strong>and</strong> resort to different anti-social activities. These children live on
the streets, railway <strong>and</strong> bus stations, shopping centres, parks <strong>and</strong> other places. Abuse <strong>and</strong> exploitation by adults
is an everyday feature for these children.
Orphaned children: An orphan is defined by the Orphanages <strong>and</strong> Widows Home Act, 1944 as a boy or girl
under 18 years of age who lost his/her father or has been ab<strong>and</strong>oned by his/her parents or guardians.
Accordingly, all the children admitted into orphanages may not be totally parentless in the strict sense of the
term. There is no reliable statistics on orphans <strong>and</strong> orphanages. The registered orphanages provide services to
about 50,000 orphans <strong>and</strong> ab<strong>and</strong>oned children. This is indeed a very small proportion compared to the
estimated number of orphans. Devoid of parental support <strong>and</strong> care orphans are vulnerable to hazardous child
labour, HIV, trafficking, physical <strong>and</strong> sexual exploitation. In case of orphaned girls, the risks of early marriage,
abortion, sexual exploitation <strong>and</strong> other forms of violence are high.
Child victims of natural calamities: Bangladesh has long been associated with extreme vulnerability to
natural disaster. Natural disasters have their roots in the nature of its terrain, the physical geographic features,
its long coastline <strong>and</strong> the tropical climate. Flood is a regular phenomenon in the country with severe flooding
occurring every five to ten years.
Disaster causes loss of assets, physical infrastructure, lives of human being <strong>and</strong> animals, among others.
Women <strong>and</strong> children are worst sufferers of disasters. Acute poverty, recurrent natural calamities (such as river
erosion, flood <strong>and</strong> cyclone) <strong>and</strong> other crisis situations often lead to displacement of child populations in huge
numbers. Many of them ultimately find themselves catapulted from the relatively serene rural surroundings to
the more complex urban scenario where they are forced to live <strong>and</strong> work in adverse conditions. However, due
to significant investment in disaster preparedness including the development of early warning system <strong>and</strong>
creation of wide network of flood <strong>and</strong> cyclone shelters, there has been a significant decrease in the loss of lives
<strong>and</strong> property lost each year. However, natural disasters are still responsible for significant property losses with
grave consequences for the poor. Areas prone to natural disasters are found to have higher incidence of
poverty. In 2004, Bangladesh experienced a most devastating flood since 1998, though in terms of death 1988
flood was most damaging. Out of 64 districts of the country, 42 districts were affected by flood (Table-5.1). About
one-fourth of the population of the country were affected.
Table 5.1: Comparison of flood damage
Indicators 1988 1998 2004
Inundated area (%) 61 68 40-60
Flood duration (days) 23 72 21
Persons affected (million) 45 31 30
Total deaths (Persons) 2,335 918 876
Source: UN CCA, 2005
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