"Go Die Somwhere Else": Explaining Dehumanizing Experiences of Street-Connected Children in Bangladesh

Background:

Dehumanization is the process of attributing a degree of lesser humanness to individuals or groups. Though the concept was founded in the context of war, conflict, and atrocities, it has broadened to include individuals or groups’ systemic humiliation in everyday context. Especially, dehumanization is a common experience for millions of street-connected children in Bangladesh who are excluded from social institutions and resources and are forced to survive on the edge of urban marginality. The current study uses the dehumanization theory to explain the everyday marginality of street-connected children. More precisely the study addresses the following questions: What do the dehumanization experiences look like for street-connected children in Bangladesh?

Methods:

This paper is part of a larger study commissioned by UNICEF Bangladesh. A qualitative approach was used to explore complex and degrading experiences of street-connected children. A cross-sectional sample encompassing diverse characteristics of street-living and street-working children (e.g., gender, age, type of economic activity) was utilized. Participants were recruited from major economic, social, and transportation hubs (e.g., train station, marketplace, UNICEF hubs) of the country. A total of 174 in-depth interviews and 52 focus group discussions (3-5 participants) were conducted. Data was transcribed verbatim. A coding scheme was used to code the data. Themes or categories grounded in the data were the unit of analysis, whether expressed in phrase or paragraph.

Results:

Findings suggest that street-connected children face dehumanizing experience every day. Many of these experiences begin at home in which stepparents persistently dehumanize children by forcing them to earn money at any cost. Children’s refusal is dealt with severe consequences. Many parents throw children out of home and forbids their return. On the street, their dehumanizing experiences become intense. They are frequently beaten by police, robbed, assaulted, and sexually abused by criminal elements. Strangers verbally and physically assault them for their mere presence. Employers exploit them in every conceivable way. Public treat them as if they are untouchable social outcastes and are often denied entry into public and private spaces.

In conclusion, the findings suggest that the dehumanization of street-connected children occurs through two processes. Firstly, powerful adults view children as lesser human due to their lack of status, preconsciousness, and lack of refinement and thus deny their Human Nature traits. Secondly, extreme survival challenges force children to navigate life in unconventional ways. Thus, their nontraditional look (e.g., torn clothe, uncut or undressed hair, dirty fingernail, unbathed appearance) allows the powerful adults to treat them as if they lack civility, culture or Uniquely Human traits. Moreover, being suppressed, exploited, and abused regularly by powerful adults, children are forced to inculcate self-dehumanization in which blame themselves for their own circumstances.

Implications:

A concerted effort by both the government and nonprofits to establish children’s rights must be a priority. Central to this effort is a sustained public campaign against dehumanization of children. Moreover, community and kinship-based interventions for helping children transition off the street should be considered.