Social relations, health problems and coping strategies of street- connected girls in Dhaka City

Abstract

In Bangladesh, about one and a half million children roam the street of urban areas. Most of them don‘t have any family support or institutional care and treated as a sidelined group who experience abuse and deprivation of basic rights. About a quarter of total street children are girls who choose the street as an alternative in order to escape violence and abuse that happens in the family and community level. Regardless of government and NGO‘s initiatives, the number of street-connected girls is increasing in the city of Dhaka rapidly, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing services and policies to reduce the number. In addition, the limited knowledge about street-connected girls, health problems and coping strategies in Bangladesh depicts an extensive blankness for policy makers and social workers. This qualitative study investigates how the street-connected girls in the capital city of Bangladesh construct social network and generate social support on the street to cope with health related problems without family support. This study includes eight street-connected girls and four service providers in Dhaka city to collect data through semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study demonstrate that street-connected girls experience physical / reproductive health problems and they are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and STDs because of their occupation and living condition. The study explores their capacity and agency to construct supportive network on the street without adult‘s supervision. Their network composes of peers, professionals, adults/job providers, romantic partners and family members, who are the primary sources of care and support to cope with health problems. They receive material, emotional and informational support from their social acquaintances, which assist them to cope with their problems. Finally, the findings of this study suggest the professionals and policy makers how to increase the effectiveness of existing services for street-connected girls in Bangladesh by using the social network relationships of street-connected girls.