The government's Child Protection Network programme still virtually remains inoperative even two years after its launch mainly due to non-availability of fund and absence of proper planning.
The initiative, which aims to provide the country's underprivileged and street children with shelter, primary education and social security, has hardly yielded any desired outcomes.  
A recent field visit to the city's Dholpur area in Jatrabari revealed that around 400 children were engaged in waste collection and other hazardous work as they were deprived of education and other facilities because of various social and economic constraints.
Although such children are supposed to get support under the Child Protection Network, but actually no major activities of the initiative are visible.
While talking to journalists at its City Corporation office in the area, officials told the Financial Express (FE) that they have no fund for implementing programme like 'Child Protection Network'.
Visiting the Dholpur area, it has been seen that most of the street children are engaged in collecting old bottles and empty can of condensed milk. As they have no specific living place, shop owners provide facilities for lodging and food which are unhygienic. Normally one shop owner has 9.0 to 10 child labourers who collect old bottles and empty cans of condensed milk from different tea stalls, household and dustbins.
Asking about schooling, child labourer, Hridoy Mia told the FE that he never went to any school. After his father's death he came to Dhaka for living. His mother and two sisters live in Faridpur. Now he earns around Tk 150-200 per day and he has to maintain his family with the income.
Another child labourer, Nadim, said he went to school four years ago, but after his parents got divorced, he had to struggle for his livelihood.
Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like World Vision, Aparajeyo-Bangladesh and Amrao Manus are working there to ensure education to them. Meanwhile, Aparajeyo-Bangladesh has established special school for the working children. But the dropout rate is very high.
A teacher of Aparajeyo-Bangladesh, said: "Most of the children cannot stay at the school for more than three years due to poverty and lack of family support. But some child labourers are interested in vocational education. So our school also helps them to get admitted into vocational training school."
An official of World Vision said the FE they have conducted some awareness programmes regarding health, education and sanitation of working children of Jatrabari.  
When contacted, a senior official of Social Welfare Ministry, told the FE that there are no activities for securing the street children as they have no allocation to run the programme.
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Source: The Financial Express