There are an estimated 500,000 street children in Dhaka, Bangladesh. These children have either been kidnaped, trafficked or abandoned by their parents. They are left to fend for themselves and are exposed to the most unspeakable situations no child should ever be in. Muslim Charity in the last 2 years has rescued over a 1000 children from the streets of Dhaka. From those rescued, 20% were reunite
d with their families while the rest were placed in a permanent home safe from traffickers, hunger and abuse. The rescued children are brought to our emergency shelter based in Dhaka. This is a safe haven from the daily dangers of the street and a place where children can start to rebuild their lives. Children are given three nourishing meals a day, education, health care and above all love. Girls are trafficked into the sex trade where they have to sell themselves for food. In some cases, they are ‘branded’ or scared across their faces as a sign of ownership. To protect themselves they often cut their hair and dress as local boys to protect themselves from gangs and traffickers. The children suffer from deep physiological trauma to substance misuse. The drug of choice is either Dandy which is a mix of shoe polish and glue or a cocktail of sleeping pills and pain killers. The children who have addiction issues are referred onto specialized organizations working with substance misuse and children.
