Involvement of street children in the political violence of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Analyzing the situation in Dhaka, Bangladesh before the national election of 2014, this paper explores the consequences of political hostility on street-connected children using qualitative methods such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Findings show that the children were affected by political violence, both as victims and perpetrators, which harmed them, both physically and mentally. Active participation of children was found in hostile political events. The paper ascertains that maintaining a good relationship with the adult world is crucial for the street-connected children’s day-to-day survival. However, this survival mechanism with the adult world in turn makes them vulnerable and forced them to act as miscreants to instigate violence during the hartals (strikes) and blockades of 2014. This study examines how street-connected children are exploited via their social networks during the times of political unrest.

KEYWORDS:

• Political violence
• hartal
• street – connected children
• Bangladesh
• urban
• patron-client

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank BRAC for giving us the opportunity to accomplish this study. In addition, we are grateful to our respondents for giving us their valuable time and sharing their experiences. Lastly, the successful completion of this project would not have been possible without the help and support of our field team.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Hartal means strike in Bengali. The practice of declaring hartal in Bangladesh is very common for opposition parties to articulate their demands.

2 The International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) is a war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh set up in 2009 to investigate and prosecute suspects for the genocide committed in 1971 by the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams during the Bangladesh Liberation War. During the 2008 general election, the Awami League (AL) pledged to establish the tribunals in response to years of popular calls for trying war criminals. The ICT had already sent one senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) to the gallows.

3 The Caretaker Government (CTG) of Bangladesh is a system of government where the country is ruled by a selected government for an interim period during the transition from one elected government to another, after the completion of tenure of the former. As the outgoing government hands over its power, the caretaker government comes into place. The last regime of the Awami League, using its two-third majority in the 9^th National Parliament, in June 2011 rescinded the constitutional provision to conduct elections under a Caretaker Government.

4 Commonly known as ‘Molotov cocktails’, these are made using breakable glass bottles, a flammable substance like petrol and a cloth wick soaked in kerosene to be used as an ignition source. Petrol Bombs were one of the most widely used weapons of the arson attacks during the hartals and blockades in 2013.

5 A Muslim shrine or enshrined tomb

6 Legunas are open sided motorized vehicles with carrying capacity of 12-14 passengers, operated by a driver and conductor.

7 Here glue refers to a contact adhesive and rubber cement brand called Dendrite, generally used for shoes and other leather goods, marketed in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and some countries of South Asia and Africa. It is commonly known as dandy in Bangladesh. Sniffing dandy is very common among street children in Mirpur and Sadarghat.

8 It is common in Bangladesh that people from low-income and under-educated families do not know their actual age, since they do not consider it important to collect the birth certificate for themselves or for their children.

9 This method utilizes the social networks of people to find useful respondents in terms of relevant experience and information.

10 The Court of Bangladesh declared hartal to be a political and constitutional right as a response to a suomoto rule issued by the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in 1999 that questioned why enforcement of hartal would not be declared illegal and considered a criminal offence. However, committing violence and coercion for or against hartal is a criminal offence according to the Court of Bangladesh (Khondaker Modarresh Elahi v State 2007).

11 Retrieved from http://www.thedailystar.net/news/use-of-children-in-political-activities-worries-rights-bodies

12 Borobhai literally means elder brother. Nevertheless for street-connected children the word ‘borobhai’ has a different connotation. With this word, they generally refer to a political leader or activist who is influential in the area and could stand beside the street-children during any trouble.

13 Retrieved from http://www.dhakatribune.com/crime/2013/dec/06/hartal-profitable-business-some-poor-children-women-used-proxy-activists; http://www.dhakatribune.com/crime/2013/dec/07/children-used-political-violence#sthash.Kx7qdadl.dpuf

14 Porter

15 Needy and homeless people

16 Owners of scrap shops are known as bhangariwala in Bengali.

Additional information

Funding

BRAC's resources were used to conduct the field work.