They are children with vacant eyes. One can find them begging, mugging and most importantly lost in dandy addiction.
They are fast and furious though. It takes them fraction of a second to vanish in thin air after snatching belongings from passengers sitting in traffic with their car windows down. Raids are repeatedly launched against them, yet their activities continue.
Raja, 15, born in Old Dhaka is one among the teenage boys usually found loitering near the Saarc Fountain at the capital’s Karwan Bazar. He cannot recall his father; his mother, who lives in Kadamtali, has long been estranged. With no place to call home, he survives by selling scraps like plastic. Utterly oblivious to the traffic and city chaos surrounding him, he was seen sniffing glue from a polythene bag.
Monsur, another young boy, who is also addicted, is seen following a pedestrian asking for the burning cigarette in his hand. Alarmed, the pedestrian quickened his pace. Monsur chases the person wielding a stick but soon gives up and waits for his next target.
Similar groups are found in footpaths, under flyovers and in parks at multiples spots across Dhaka. The “nomad” groups are known for petty thefts. Sometimes they even steal looking glass from cars stuck in traffic.
Small traders at Karwan Bazar say “druggies and nomads” have become more visible in recent times. These youths gather in groups, sniff dandy, and slump into a daze, oblivious to the chaos around them. When trucks arrive to unload goods, some seize the opportunity to snatch items and disappear into the crowd, leaving traders frustrated and wary.
Some research has been conducted on street children. A 2023 report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, supported by UNICEF, found that 71.8% of street children are illiterate, 13% are disconnected from their families, and 6% have no knowledge of their parents.
According to the latest census by the Bureau, there are over 4 lakh street children in the country, with more than half residing in Dhaka. UNICEF, however, claims the number to be over 10 lakh.
Data from the Department of Narcotics Control in 2022 shows that 58% of street children in the country are addicted to drugs. Among them, 31.7% use marijuana and 15.2% are hooked on dandy. Alarmingly, 21% of these children are exploited as drug carriers.
A survey by Caritas found that 58.2% of street children do not have a birth certificate, while 51.6% are outside formal education. Meanwhile, research conducted in July by the Department of Social Work reveals that 27% of street children around Sadarghat and Kamalapur have no knowledge of who their parents are.
Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services, Khalilur Rashid, said, “A Children’s Safety Branch was opened two months ago to rehabilitate street children, but its activities are to begin. We are collaborating with UNICEF, Save the Children, and other relevant non-governmental organisations both at home and abroad.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police acknowledge the presence of these children loitering across city streets and their addiction.
“DMP files 90% of the cases against narcotics in Dhaka. Raids are conducted on a regular basis, but staunch action cannot be taken as there are some legal limitations regarding lesser-known narcotics like dandy,” says DMP media wing Deputy Police Commissioner, Mohammad Talebur Rahman.
“If one gets high by inhaling glue or dirty water, it is complicated. It is not easy to sue them under existing laws,” he explained.
Regarding the term “bhoboghure” (drifters), Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services’ Government Shelter Home programme, Begum Sayeeda Akhter, says it was difficult to identify who qualifies as an actual drifter.
“You cannot simply label someone. Only if the police apprehend a person and a First Class Executive Magistrate legally declares them a drifter does it become valid. After that, the police hand them over to us, and we begin the rehabilitation process,” she explains.
According to sources at the Department of Social Services, the country has five shelter centres for controlling and rehabilitating drifters, with a capacity to accommodate 1,700 people. They are kept in these centres for periods ranging from a minimum of one day to a maximum of two years.
During this time, drifters are given skill trainings such as sewing, beauty care, bakery production, electrical work, and rickshaw driving. They are even provided with tools suitable for employment with a small capital investment.
Officials say that many drifters have become self-reliant after receiving training. However, some return to the shelters for a second or third time. Various factors including family separation, lack of support, absence of education, and drug addiction often reduce their interest in returning to a normal life.
Even after counselling, many revert to their old ways. Moreover, once someone leaves a shelter, monitoring them is not included in the ministry’s responsibilities.
