YOUTH-LED SURVEY ON THE COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN & YOUTH IN DHAKA SLUM AREAS

A YOUTHLED STUDY

YO OJ UT PR H P ARTNERSHIP

SUPPORTED BY:

Youth Survey Team This study was conceived and implemented by the following young people involved in the Youth Partnership Project in Bangladesh with support from Aparajeyo-Bangladesh YPP adult team members:
Nupur Akter, Youth Motivator, YPP Rojy Howlader, Youth Motivator, YPP Jamal Miah, Youth Motivator, YPP Arif Ahmed, Survey Team Leader Lucky Akter, Survey Team Leader Thamina Akter, Survey Team Leader Sohel Rahman, Survey Team Leader Fatema Akter, Member of Survey Team Salmoni Akter, Member of Survey Team Ebrahim Hoshen, Member of Survey Team Nafiasa Akter, Member of Survey Team Khadija Akter, Member of Survey Team Nazira Akter, Member of Survey Team Arifa Akter, Member of Survey Team Sabina Akter, Member of Survey Team Farjana Akter, Member of Survey Team Aminul Islam, Member of Survey Team Maruf Hosen Jony, Member of Survey Team Pria Akter, Member of Survey Team Ruma Akter, Member of Survey Team Chand Banu, Member of Survey Team Md. Abbas, Member of Survey Team Sharmin Akter, Member of Survey Team Runa Akter, Member of Survey Team Hajera Akter, Member of Survey Team Jewel Islam, Member of Survey Team

Supported by:
Mr. Md. Istiaque Mahmud, Child Protection Officer, YPP Bangladesh Aparajeyo-Bangladesh Ms. Tanjima Banu, Junior Child Protection Officer, YPP Bangladesh Aparajeyo-Bangladesh Ms. Hafiza Begum, Slum Education Centre Manager Ms. Shahin Ara, Slum Education Centre Manager Ms. Umme Salma, Slum Education Centre Manager Mr. Palash Chandra Sarker, Slum Education Centre Manager

Advisors:

Ms. Wahida Banu, Executive Director Aparajeyo-Bangladesh Mr. Mustafa Rahman, Programme Manager (A&M) Aparajeyo-Bangladesh Mr. Arijit Ray, Researcher

Ms. Vimala Crispin, ECPAT International Mr. Mark Capaldi, ECPAT International Mr. Bimol Bhetwal, ECPAT International

Report written by:

Ms. Shafia Sami, National Coordinator, YPP Bangladesh Aparajeyo-Bangladesh and Mr. Istique Mahmud, Child Protection Officer, YPP Bangladesh Aparajeyo-Bangladesh, with input and observations from the youth researchers.

Published by

Aparajeyo-Bangladesh 3/20, Humayun Road, Block B Mohammadpur, Dhaka-1207

Bangladesh Tel: +88 02 8115798, +88 02 9135969,

+88 02 9116613 www.aparajeyo.org

Supported by:

The Youth Partnership Project in South Asia (YPP-SA)

ECPAT International 328/1 Phaya Thai Road Bangkok 10400,Thailand

www.ecpat.net ww.yppsa.org

All findings, opinions and recommendations presented in this report reflect those of the young people involved the project. Layout and Design: Manida Naebklang Information from this report may be freely reproduced, provided that the source is acknowledged. Responsibility for all opinions and recommendations presented in this report rests exclusively with the youth research team who conducted the study. July 2010 Copyright Aparajeyo-Bangladesh

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements Executive Summary Methodology Overview of Findings Child Protection Challenges Acronyms Chapter I 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11

1 Introduction 11 1.1 Overview of Aparajeyo-Bangladesh. 11 1.2 Youth Partnership Project (YPP).......11 1.3 CSEC in Bangladesh..12 2 Youth-led Survey Background.............12 3 Youth-led Survey Objectives..................13 3.1 General Objective. 13 3.2 Specific Objectives.... 4 1 3.3 Study Objectives ... 4 1 4 Methodology............................................................................................14 4.1 Study Areas and Sampling 14 4.2 Stakeholder Meetings.... 4 1 4.3 Focus Group Discussions and Individual Interviews......15 4.4 Methodology Rationale..15 5 Data Collection.........................................................................................16 5.1 Preparation for field survey implementation .....16 5.2 Child Protection Guidelines... 16 5.3 Data Collectors Training.16 5.4 Field Survey.17 5.5 Quality Control & Estimation Reliability..................................................... 7 1 5.6 Data Types..17 5.7 Data Collection Team Composition.. 17 5.8 Pre-testing Individual Questionnaires.....18 5.9 Individual Interviews........... 8 1 6 Data Analysis.......... 18 6.1 Focus Group Discussions.. 18

Chapter II

20

7 Introduction............. 0 2 7.1 Respondent Gender Ration.......... 0 2 7.2 Migration Trends & Causes......... 21 7.3 Educational Status & Factors Limiting Access to Education............... 21 7.4 Occupation....... 22

 7.5 Working Hours......23 7.6 Income Range & Expenditure...........24 7.7 Family Size........ 5 2 7.8 Family Employment & Income.......... 5 2 7.9 Income Sources........ 26 7.10 Presence of Guardian 26 7.11 Marital Status.. 26 7.12 Sleeping Conditions... 27 7.13 Challenges Faced by Slum Children................ 28 7.14 Incidents that Make Slum Children Feel Bad......... 8 2 7.15 How Slum Children Deal with Bad Feelings...... 9 2 7.16 Child Abuse & Sexual Exploitation............... 29 7.17 Home Visitors....30 7.18 Visit Times..... 0 3 7.19 Experiences with Visitors......31 7.20 Abuse Outside of Families............. 31 7.21 Child Abuse at the Workplace... 32 7.22 Trafficking in Slum Areas..... 33 7.23 Vulnerability to Drug Addiction.... 4 3 7.24 Barriers to the Safety of Children.....36 7.25 Family Child Protection Measures.......36

Chapter III

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8 Recommendations...........38 8.1 Community & Police Challenges to Law & Order ...... 38 8.2 Recommendations for Addressing Problems ....... 38 8.3 Recommended Steps to Address Problems...... 39

Chapter-IV Chapter-V Chapter-VI 12 Annexes

40 41 43 44

9 Youth-Led Slum Survey Challenges...................... 40 10 Case Studies............ 41 11 Conclusion............43 Annex I: Individual Questionnaire (English).......44 Annex II: FGD Guidelines....54 Annex III: rotection Guidelines....55 P

Acknowledgements
This youth led slum survey is an unique initiative undertaken by children and youth of involved in the Youth Partnership Project. The success of the project has been made possible through the dedication and support of many individuals who have supported us both directly and indirectly throughout the survey process. We would like to thank everyone who contributed their support to enable us to carry out this challenging but important task. Our sincere and special thanks go out to the respondents who contributed to the primary data collection process. We are also thankful to all of the children who cooperated freely by providing forthright and thoughtful feedback. We believe that this project and its achievement represents an important step towards encouraging the government of Bangladesh, NGOs, INGOs, donors and other stakeholders to come together to make a concerted effort to tackle the grave issues of sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children. Much work is remains to be done by policymakers as signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The life stories shared by children interviewed for this report highlight their astonishing optimism and courage and should motivate stakeholders to act urgently on their behalf to make Bangladesh a country fit for children. Victimized children remind us that they are children first and foremost. They are the children of our society, human beings who deserve to be protected and to grow up in healthier environments where they can enjoy their rights. They need for us to work with them so that they have opportunities to grow up to become productive adults and live with dignity and respect. This report is therefore dedicated to the children of Bangladesh. We are grateful to ECPAT International for being our partner in this initiative for upholding rights of the children. We also extend our gratitude to Christian Aid and Comic Relief for their financial support for this youth led survey. Aparajeyo-Bangladesh and YPP youth team pay special thanks to all the staff of partner organizations who have contributed a great deal to this report through valuable suggestions and guidance provided. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the excellent support and cooperation, as well as the intellectual contributions of all the children and young people involved in this process that have enabled the team to effectively conduct the survey. We hope that the findings of this youth-led survey and recommendations provided will encourage the government of Bangladesh and organizations working on this issue to recognize this project as a model of good practice for working in partnership with child survivors of commercial sexual abuse and exploitation. Youth Survey Team

Executive Summary
Bangladesh is a developing third world country with a large population. Most Bangladeshis live under the poverty level. The growing population and lack of livelihood options are becoming increasingly problematic. In rural areas, cultivatable land is being used is being to meet the housing need of the growing population. Natural disasters have caused the loss of lives as well as land, leaving many homeless. A large number of people come to Dhaka every day in search of a better livelihood. Due to lack of education and skills, they work as day laborer in mills or factories, rickshaw pullers, hawkers, drivers, drug smugglers, small businessmen, employees of business centers, etc. The low income received for these occupations is often inadequate to meet the high Dhaka living costs, compelling many to seek accommodation in slum areas. As many countries in the world achieve greater development, children in Bangladesh are struggling for a safe and secure environment to grow and learn. Despite being a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, many children remain unprotected. Child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children, child trafficking, and early marriage occur frequently in the social context of Bangladesh. Though many NGOs work with child victims of sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking, little research has been undertaken on these issues. It is therefore impossible to determine exactly how many children in Bangladesh have become victims of commercial sexual exploitation. One study indicates, however, that one girl in every three becomes a victim of abuse.1 Slum areas are particularly difficult places for children to grow up. Children in danger may be reluctant to ask for help in fear that their parents may decide to move away and discontinue their schooling. Incidents of child abuse sometimes take place within families, with children being abused by close relatives. Children in these situations often feel that they cannot disclose the abuse to their parents in fear that they may be blamed themselves, with little or no consequences for the perpetrator.

Report of Findings from Consultation with Children on Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (Published in 2001by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh)

Methodology
In this context, youth involved in the Youth Partnership Project in Bangladesh conducted a survey of children and young people living in slum areas of Dhaka city to collect information about their vulnerability to CSE, CSA, trafficking and early marriage in the socio-economic context of the slum environment. The survey conducted was both qualitative and quantitative. Participation, teamwork, collaboration, flexibility and triangulation were the key tenets of the approach adopted by the survey team. Methods used for data collection included: (i) individual interviews, (ii) focus group discussions (FGDs), and (iii) case study analysis. Aparajeyo-Bangladesh staff and the youth group members drafted a set of ethical principles to guide the work, along the themes of: (i) participation and protection, (ii) informed consent of the children, (iii) childrens confidentiality and trust, (iv) clarity, and (v) a conducive survey environment. The questionnaire for the individual interviews was developed through collaboration with the YPP youth, as well as staff from AB and ECPAT International. The questionnaire was pre-tested in the field and revised based on the experiences of the field and feedback from ECPAT International. The focus group discussion questionnaire was developed through a similar process. Protection of children involved in the study was given first priority. Protection guidelines were developed by the youth researchers in collaboration with the YPP Child Protection Officers and research guide based on their field experience and knowledge of the slum environment. Nineteen young people were selected to lead the data collection process with children and young people. Youth data collectors were divided into four groups, each responsible for collecting data in their respective area under the supervision of a leader for each group. An adult research guide with experience conducting surveys was recruited to support the process. The research guide was also very familiar with slums, slum inhabitants, and the social context and problems of slum areas. Five youth members of the YPP Media and Advocacy Group were selected to guide and support each working team. A training was held for the data collectors involving practical demonstrations, with special focus on data collection methods in order to familiarize the youth with this process. Four meetings were held with local communities to be involved in the research process in order to share information about the goal and objectives of the youth-led survey, provide a forum for open discussion, as well as highlight ways that community members could support the youth surveyors during the data collection process. The study covered four Dhaka slum areas: Azimpur, Rayerbazar, Mohammadpur, and Pallab, representing the majority of slum areas in the city. Aparajeyo-Bangladesh operates Education Centers and provides support to the children and mothers in all four slum areas. A sample of 489 respondents was selected from 3,894 community members, 1,795 of which were male and 2,099 were female.

Overview of Findings
The field survey was conducted in March 2009. Information collected focused on the general living conditions of children within the slum environment, as well as issues of child sexual abuse, CSEC, trafficking of children and early marriage. The gender ratio of respondents was female 61% and male 39%. All respondents are members of the Muslim community. Many (89%) are single, 10% married and 1% divorced. Respondents stated that some had been married by their parents at an early age, while others married willingly as the result of a love affair. 52% of respondents live permanently in the capital, while 48% had migrated to Dhaka city from other districts of Bangladesh either alone or with their families. The majority of children who had migrated (53%) were originally from the Barisal division. Children came to Dhaka alone or with their parents for different reasons, including poverty (48%), search for better employment (45%), abuse from step parents (3%), attraction to urban life (2%), being pushed out of the house (2%) and due to the separation of their parents. Most of the children (76%) live with their own parents in the slum and 5% have no guardian. 2% of respondents live with their brother & sister, 5% live with their husbands, 4% of them live with their biological mother, 4% of them live with their biological father and stepmother, 3% of them live with their stepfather and biological mother and 1% live with their brother and sister in-law. Only 28% of the total respondents are currently attending school. 10% of these respondents are children who are continuing their studies while working. 52% of the respondents are only working and 20% neither study nor work. According to the individual interviews, the low percentage of school-going children can be attributed to poverty (71%), negligence of step-mothers (3%), conflict with their father (10%), negative comments and verbal abuse by community members on their way to school (5%), disinclination of step-father (2%) and harsh punishment by school teachers (9%). Due to poverty and other issues that negatively impact their educational experience, slum children often become involved in income-generating activities. Leading occupations of children identified through individual interviews included: garment factory worker (27%), laborers (24%), small business (20.20%), tailoring shop employee (12.12%), shopkeepers (7%), scrap paper collectors (3.99%), maids (3.26%) and hotel bellboys (2.60%). Though Bangladesh has several laws against child labor, due to lack of public awareness and effective government efforts, these are not upheld. Of concern was the finding that 36% of respondents reported that they work over 10 hours per day. 35% of respondents work for 8-10 hours in a day. During long working hours in mills, factories or other businesses, children report that they frequently encounter abusive situations which affect them physically and mentally. According to the study, 43% of working children have been beaten and scolded at their workplace (21% of children were beaten and 17% scolded), while 13% were sexually abused. 2% of working children stated that they were

overworked and 2% were involved in hazardous work. 1% (4-5 children) reported that they are compelled to take drugs by other adult workers and 1% receive their wages on an irregular basis. Working children use the majority of their earnings to support their families, as many are from poor families and this was their ultimate goal in seeking employment. They spend a small amount of money from their earnings for their personal needs, recreation, medical treatment, and drug addiction. As the earnings of adult family members are often insufficient to meet expenses, they are compelled to force their children to help economically support the family. According to the study, the majority of families (38.67%) living in slum areas have at least two employed members and 31.26% of have three employed family members. One employed family member can be sufficient to support a family if they receive sufficient wages, but due to the often low education levels of many slum families, it can be difficult to secure a job with a salary that can support their most basic expenses. Most parents living in slum areas work as day laborers (54.65%), 17.36% are involved in rickshaw pulling, 13.24% are involved in micro businesses, 9.45% are maids and 3.90% work as drivers. The average family income of the majority of families (49%) is above 6,000 taka ($87) per month. 23% of families earn 4,001-6,000 taka ($58 - $87) per month, 15% families earn 3,001-4,000 taka ($43 - $58) per month, 8% families earn 2,001-3,000 taka ($29 - $43) per month, 4% families earn 1,001-2,000 taka ($14 - $29) per month and 1% of families earn below 1,000 taka ($14) per month. Even at the highest income range of 6,000 taka ($87) per month, these families find it challenging to meet the basic needs of all family members. Most of the families (48%) living in slum areas consist of 3-5 members. 35% of slum families consist of 6-7 members, while 14% of the families include over 7 members. The sleeping conditions of slum children is another factor that contributes to the risk of sexual abuse within families. According to the study, most of the respondents (65%) sleep with their families in a single room and 4% sleep in a room with other families. 19% of respondents sleep in separate rooms, 6% sleep with their relatives and 6% sleep with friends. Apart from sleeping conditions, other factors in their families can lead to abusive situations. Parents sometimes allow relatives to take their children for a walk or go to the cinema. Sometimes parents force their children to go outside with people they do not like. According to the study, 50% of respondents know of parents who force their children to go outside with relatives or other persons, 39% of respondents know parents who induce their children to engage in physical relationships with others and 11% know parents who let their children gossip with outside people. Outside people in this sense refers to those who come into the slum as hawkers, salesmen or strangers. Some of these persons seek to abuse children without first developing a relationship with them, as in the case of other abusers. This type of abuse generally takes place in the open, with children being abused both psychologically and physically through bullying, aggressive sexual comments and proposals, as well as overt physical touching and abuse. According to the respondents, many people frequently visit their homes, including neighbors, relatives, friends and others. Most visitors (66%) come to their houses when other family members are present, but 34% of visitors come when other family members are outside the house. Some visitors take

advantage of this situation to abuse children when they are alone in their home. Children report that in these situations, they have experienced verbal abuse (77%), visitors have made odd gestures to them (14%) and exposed private body parts to the children (9%). Children also face threats to their safety outside of their homes. They frequently encounter abusive situations on the streets of the slums. Types of abuse slum children frequently encounter include taunting or sexually harassing girls (50%), proposals for romantic relationships or to try illicit substances (25%), threat of abduction (16%) and general verbal abuse (9%). Specific aspects of the slum environment that the children say they especially dislike include the overall unsanitary conditions, frequent quarrelling and fighting among community members, negative comments and behavior, water and sanitation problems, difficult sleeping conditions, electricity problems and issues related to drug addiction. Children become frustrated with the difficult conditions they face on a daily basis but have little scope to express these feelings. When children living in slums feel bored or bad they say they try to find a place to be alone, watch TV, sleep, walk outside, listen to music, immerse themselves in work, talk to friends, cry, use drugs or read books. Trafficking is another external factor contributing to CSA and CSEC in slum areas. 40% of respondents stated that they knew of slum children who had been missing for long periods of time. Out those, 5% stated that they later learned where the children were and 35% never found out where the missing children went and what had happened to them. 4.8% of respondents stated that the person who took the children away was seen later in the slum area and 35.2% respondents stated that they never saw this person again. The slum environment is extremely conducive to the sale of illicit drugs, as there is little interference by law enforcement agencies in this area, which reduces deterrence for drug dealers. Children and young people are primary targets for drug dealers as it can be easy to manipulate and have them become addicted to drugs. The study indicated that 38% of the respondents (12% female, 26% male) are addicted to drugs. Drugs easily acquired in slum areas include cigarettes, sleeping pills, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco powder, dandy, heroin, and fensidyl (codeine-based cough syrup). 66% of respondents state that the majority of drug-addicted children (66%) like to take drugs with their friends, 30% take drugs alone and 4% take drugs with people older than them. The majority of children (59%) are reported to become addicted to drugs through being influenced by friends, 20% decide to consume drugs to deal with sadness at the end of a romantic relationship, 15% become addicted to drugs out of curiosity and 6% reportedly start taking drugs after being upset or frustrated due to family conflict. Children find money to purchase drugs in many different ways. The majority of addicted children (42%) use money from their earnings, 29% steal the money, 21% get money from friends, 5% fund their addiction through illegal trades and 3% earn money through sex work.

Drug addiction clearly causes great harm to children, with respondents stating that 26% children out of the total 38% of drug-addicted children suffer from physical problems, 10% suffer from mental problems and 2% face social problems. Slum children interviewed identified specific issues that they consider to be barriers to their safety. These include disturbance by vagabonds (23%), harassment by police (5%), hazardous jobs (4%), dangerous slum areas (2%), verbal abuse from community members (15%), large families with limited resources and care (4%), early marriage (5%), harmful persons (4%), drug trafficking (5%), weak system of law and order (3%), harmful relatives (4%), bad friends (3%), sexual abuse (5%), family conflict (6%) and the general slum environment (12%).

Child Protection
Some families are very concerned about the protection their children. The study clearly indicates that some parents specifically advise their children not to go outside, not to allow anybody into the home, not to talk or mix with strangers, not to associate with bad boys or girls and not to gossip with their friends. During focus group discussions (FGDs) and individual interviews, slum children highlighted the following specific recommendations to increase their protection: Increase local community awareness on child rights issues Police should exercise greater control over terrorism and crime in slum areas Government should implement labor policies to protect children from abuse Factory owners should check the machineries regularly at factories where children are employed Community members should work together to combat crime in slum areas Children should be given opportunities to learn about their human rights Implementation of legislation impacting slum areas should be monitored regularly

Drug trafficking should be condemned and effectively eliminated from slum areas All children and youth should discuss the issues of CSEC, CSA and trafficking with their friends Children and youth should discuss and share their problems with each other Slum children can plan to travel together in groups to avoid danger The parents should make an effort to be aware of their childrens problems and provide positive support Community members should control the movement of bullies on the street to protect other children Boys and girls should wear clothes appropriate for the slum environment Local gangster (mastan) and drug traffickers should be arrested and punished Recreational facilities in slum areas should be made available and easily accessible to children The local community should be made aware of the harmful consequences of early marriage for children.

Challenges
As a unique intervention implemented by young people, the team involved in this youth-led slum survey faced many challenges. Specific challenges identified during the survey process included: Ensuring the protection of the youth surveyors at all times Adhering to the proposed survey timeframe Addressing sensitive topics such as CSEC and CSA during initial meetings with survey respondents Access to children during the data collection process Encouraging participants to respond to all questions Obtaining permission from slum parents to talk with their children Adhering to the agreed work schedule Community interaction in slum areas Developing skills and capacity of youth surveyors in limited time Length of questionnaire Timely follow-up of the primary data collection process Developing an effective and informative questionnaire Sorting the large quantities of data received from open questions asked Inputting primary data using SPSS software Analysis of data for multiple response questions Ensuring proper and accurate documentation of the study process and data This initiative represented the first youth-led slum survey on commercial sexual exploitation conducted in Dhaka. Despite the challenges described above, the team and young people involved learned a great deal through the research process and valuable qualitative and quantitative information about the lives of children living in slums was collected. The youth researchers sincerely hope that this youthled slum survey will provide a platform for thousands of children living in slum areas to share their messages and recommendations to the government. The genuine objective of this initiative will only be achieved when the slum children begin to see tangible benefits from this process.

Acronyms
AB AIDS CSEC CSA ECPAT FGD HIV INGO Mastan NGO RLA Aparajeyo-Bangladesh Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Child Sexual Abuse End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes Focus Group Discussion Human Immunodeficiency Virus International Non-Government Organization Gangster Non-Governmental Organization Red Light Area South Asia Sexually Transmitted Infection Youth Partnership Project

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SA STI YPP

CHAPTER I

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview of Aparajeyo-Bangladesh
Aparajeyo-Bangladesh (AB) is a national child rights based organization working for the rights of urban disadvantaged children since 1995. Aparajeyo-Bangladesh supports disadvantaged children in the areas of education, healthcare, protection, rescue, psychosocial development, capacity building and skill development, as well as socio-economic development. AB is committed to and ensures the meaningful participation of children by providing opportunities to participate in the planning, decision-making and implementation of initiatives that affect their lives. AB provides assistance to children in distress in an effort to ensure that everything possible is done to secure for them a fair and positive life. The children of today are the future and it is our responsibility to invest in them. AB is free from political, religious and ethnic bias. Approximately 6,000 children receive the types of support described above from AB each day, with around 72,000 children assisted annually. AB also conducts outreach to street children, slum children, working children, children of mothers in prostitution, children in conflict with the law, child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, child victims of commercial sexual exploitation and children in need of special care and protection. AB runs numerous projects to support these children. An important AB initiative implemented in collaboration with ECPAT International, Christian Aid and Comic Relief is the Youth Partnership Project. This regional project works to promote the psycho-social development and empowerment of child survivors and children at risk of commercial sexual exploitation and is being implemented in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

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1.2 Youth Partnership Project (YPP)

The goal of the YPP South Asia project is to have a positive, empowering psycho-social impact on child survivors of commercial sexual exploitation by developing their active participation, learning and advocacy in combating CSEC in India, Nepal and Bangladesh through local, national, regional and international political and legal structures and the ECPAT International network. A key objective

of the project is to raise awareness about the risks of CSEC and trafficking, the rights of children, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, especially amongst vulnerable groups such as street children and children with disabilities. The YPP Micro Project Scheme is a core component of the initiative. YPP micro projects enable disadvantaged children and young people in the region to develop and implement activities which they themselves identify as priorities. The objective is to encourage creative thinking among youth groups, helping them to link to YPP project trainings and other activities. The Youth-Led Survey was developed as an initiative under the micro project program and is being undertaken in all three YPP project countries.

1.3 CSEC in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, there is no mandated system for reporting child exploitation, abuse or neglect. Reliable statistics and published data on the prevalence of CSEC and CSA in the country are extremely limited. Like other major public health and social problems, it is difficult to document the actual incidence or prevalence of child abuse. It is always challenging to obtain information on sensitive and highly stigmatized issues, particularly when the victims are children. In the Bangladeshi socio-cultural setting, most cases of child abuse remain undercover and go unreported.

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As the issues of CSA and CSEC are shrouded in secrecy, incidents are also rarely reported in the print media. When cases are reported, this is often only after very serious harm has been inflicted; for instance if a child is murdered after being sexually assaulted. Unfortunately this has led to a false assumption among the public that such incidents are rare or are only committed by savage individuals who are primarily strangers. Another complex issue is with regard to the relative vulnerability of various categories of children to sexual abuse and exploitation. Based on experience, NGOs working on CSA and CSEC in Pakistan believe that all children, because of the fact that they are children, are equally vulnerable to abuse, regardless of sex, class, income level, education, etc. However, children in particularly difficult circumstances may be at a greater risk of being sexually abused and exploited due to their specific situation. This includes slum children, street children and economically active children, especially those working in small factories, workshops, hotels and restaurants, the transport industry and bus terminals, etc.

2. YOUTH-LED SURVEY BACKGROUND

Bangladesh is one of the most populous countries in the world. The vast majority of the population lives under the poverty level. Poverty, low income and frustration result from the prevailing unemployment that affects many families living in slum areas. Low levels of education and literacy present additional

obstacles to employment and severe poverty can lead some to pursue illegal activities in an effort to earn income. In most urban areas of Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka, children living in slums work as domestic servants, street hawkers, vendors, beggars, scavengers, shoe shiners, car washers, and bus conductors. Children also work in cottage industries, small factories or workshops as mechanics, metal workers, carpenters, tailors, weavers, hotel boys, barbers, and hairdressers. Child begging is especially widespread throughout the city. Slum children are especially vulnerable to issues of substance abuse, violence, unemployment, prostitution, and lack of access to appropriate services. Many youth are unaware of the services available to them or face unfriendly service providers who take advantage to their low social status. A large number of children living in slums come from poor families, many headed by women who are either widows or separated from their spouses or families. Quite often, these families are characterized by inadequate income to provide for the basic needs of the children. Children, especially young girls, therefore enter the garment factories and live independently, renting small rooms as individuals or groups. These young people often have inadequate information on how to protect themselves or may ignore advice. Sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of slum children occurs in numerous ways. Bangladesh is a source, transit, and destination for trafficked children. Children from Bangladesh are trafficked to India, Nepal and Pakistan, where some are forced to work as domestic workers, prostitutes, or in other forced labor conditions. Bangladeshi children are trafficked internally for domestic labor, street hawking, commercial sexual exploitation, etc. Girls are sometimes sold into marriage. Boys are particularly vulnerable to trafficking to Middle East countries as camel jockeys. No studies have been conducted and to date there are no statistics available in Bangladesh to determine the number of children and young people have been victims or are at risk of CSEC. For this reason the YPP Bangladesh youth decided to plan and implement this survey to investigate and learn more about the vulnerability of children living in slum areas of Dhaka to CSEC.

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3. YOUTH-LED SURVEY OBJECTIVES

3.1 Overall objective
The overall objective of the survey is to obtain statistics and conduct an analysis of the vulnerability of children and young people living in the slum areas at Dhaka city to CSEC.

3.2 Specific Objectives

To identify high risk areas for CSEC To identify youth groups vulnerable to CSEC To collect statistics and data on the population of specific areas To develop a conceptual understanding of problems faced by youth from their perspective To determine the level of vulnerability among youth living in slum areas To develop case studies to illustrate the reality of CSEC in Bangladesh

3.3 Objectives of the Study

1. 2. Collect qualitative (and quantitative, where possible) data on the nature, scope and manifestations of CSA and CSEC in the slums of Dhaka. Identify key factors that affect and/or facilitate child sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children and study the socioeconomic and legal context of the issue Identify and target relevant key stakeholders at the national and local level; and Recommend actions that can be taken at local and national levels to address the issue of CSA and CSEC in Bangladesh.

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3. 4.

4. METHODOLOGY
4.1 Study Areas and Sampling
The survey was conducted in four major slum areas of Dhaka. A sample of 489 respondents were from a total group of 3,894 persons, of which 1,795 were male and 2,099 female. The study covers the Azimpur, Rayerbazar, Mohammadpur and Pallabi slum areas of Dhaka city, representing the majority of slum areas in the city.

4.2 Stakeholders Meeting

The study methodology utilized is qualitative, quantitative and participative in nature, focusing primarily on perception analysis of the respondents and youth researchers as a means of validation of the findings documented. Views and opinions of different stakeholders involved in the study at all levels were elicited. The youth survey team had an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with

the project goal and objectives as well as assess progress to date as documented by AB and YPP on addressing the issue of CSEC through engaging children/young people living in the slum areas at Dhaka city in participatory activities. Stakeholders meetings identified roles, responsibilities and emphasized the importance of providing necessary support to the youth group while conducting individual interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs).

4.3 Focus Group Discussions and Individual Interviews

Focus group discussions and informal interviews (one-on-one interviews) were held with a total of 529 children in the 4 slum areas. A total of four FGD sessions held with 40 children (10 from each area). One-to-one interviews were conducted with a total of 489 children.

4.4 Rationale for Use of Different Methodologies

This survey is essentially a participatory study focusing on the perception analysis of the primary stakeholders. Three different methods were utilized to conduct the survey in an effort to more effectively and accurately elicit views and opinions of the stakeholders at different levels. Desk Review: A large number of materials related to the project concept, research studies, implementation strategies, NGO quarterly and annual reports, MOUs, manuals and policy guidelines were reviewed to develop the survey process and methodology, as well as to collect background information about the context of the slum environment and the lives of children who live there. Informal Interviews were held with young people identified as key informants, who were either survivors of sexual abuse or exploitation themselves or identified as being at risk of becoming victims of abuse and trafficking in the slum environment. Encouraging their involvement in the project was one objective of this process, as these youth are both extremely vulnerable and in need of support and also have a great deal of firsthand knowledge and experience of violence against children and adolescents in the slum environment. Through their participation in interviews, it was possible to collect information not only about their lives but also about the lives of their friends. A special checklist was used when working with these young people in order to ensure their protection and ensure strict confidentiality. Focus Group Discussions: The rationale behind the use of FGD sessions was to encourage participants to discuss topics or issues raised extensively among themselves before arriving at a particular consensus to ensure that the opinions of all the participants are reflected. FGDs are an effective participatory method, particularly when dealing with groups of respondents, whose individual ideas may not be especially well articulated as a result of education and socio-economic background.

15

5. DATA COLLECTION
5.1 Preparation for Field Survey Implementation
This preparation primarily involved selection of the youth surveyor team, organizing a project orientation for the team, developing draft questionnaires for personal interviews and FGDs, developing child protection guidelines, organizing community meetings and pre-testing questionnaires. Two types of pre-coded questionnaires and guidelines were used during the process: (a) Questionnaire on CSEC issues (see Annex I for English translation) * need to look through text to see that all references to Annex numbers are correct, as the numbers have changes since the final edit (there are 2 other references on this page, for example) (b) FGD guidelines (Annex III) The CSEC questionnaire was developed by the survey team in collaboration and consultation with the adult research guide, YPP team, senior staff members of AB and ECPAT International. Based on field-test results and feedback from the other key participants, the tool was further refined during a joint meeting between the survey team and AB staff.

16

5.2 Child Protection Guidelines

The protection and safety of children and young people was of utmost priority throughout the YouthLed Slum Survey. The young people involved were all well aware of the dangers of working in a slum environment, particularly in terms of issues like CSA, CSEC, child trafficking, child marriage, etc. and were able to predict possible protection concerns that could arise while conducting individual interviews in the field. Based on this knowledge, they developed a set of child protection guidelines (Annex IV) based upon their experiences of the slum environment. The YPP Child Protection Officers and adult research guide supported the young people to develop and refine their guidelines into a clear and practical format.

5.3 Training for the Data Collectors

A research training manual and guidelines were prepared in order to facilitate the youth surveyor training. The manual covered the objectives of the study, concepts and definitions of CSEC, trafficking, early marriage and other issues related to the lives of slum children, process for selection of respondents, explanation of terms, as well as included data collection methods and practical demonstrations of personal interviews, etc. Youth surveyors were encouraged to pay special attention to approaching sensitive issues such as CSEC during the field data collection process. In order to ensure safety and clarity, the protection guidelines was also reviewed and distributed among the youth data collectors during the training session.

5.4 Field Survey

The field survey work began on March 4th, 2009 and was completed on March 31st, 2009. The study involved 489 respondents from four large slum areas of Dhaka. The information collected highlighted the general living conditions of children within the slum environment and well as provided insight into specific issues of child sexual abuse, CSEC, trafficking of children and early marriage in slum areas.

5.5 Quality Control Mechanism and Estimation Reliability

Ensuring quality control during the data collection process and careful management of data were key considerations when planning the research initiative. Quality of Questionnaire: The Bengali version of the questionnaire was designed to be simple, clear, easily understandable and as free of ambiguity as possible. The questionnaire was pre-tested prior to finalization. The test and pre-test of the questionnaire by two individual data collectors helped to assess the reliability of research methods and the guidelines provided.

5.6 Data Types

Two types of data were gathered for the purpose of this study: A. Primary qualitative data / information was gathered using rapid assessment techniques including FGDs, consultations with professionals and in-depth interviews of key informants. Desk review of secondary data sources including existing research studies and reports, policy documents, and international, regional and national legal instruments.

17

B.

5.7 Data Collection Team Composition

In consideration of available time and resources, the research team identified a set of survey sites in urban slum areas of Dhaka where CSA and CSEC is believed to occur. The selection was based on already published data, newspaper stories, anecdotal evidence and ABs two decades of work experience in slum areas. The survey team composition was as follows: 1. An adult research guide experienced in conducting surveys. The adult research guide was very familiar with the slum environment, slum inhabitants, as well as the social context and problems faced in slum areas. The guide was also experienced in training and guiding young people during the survey process.

2.

3.

Nineteen young people were selected to be responsible for collecting data from children and young people. They were selected based on the background, presentation skills, experience and knowledge of the slum environment, as well as comprehensive understanding of issues affecting the lives of slum children. Youth data collectors were divided into four groups, each responsible for the collection of data in a specific area under the supervision of a group leader. Five young people from the YPP Media and Advocacy Group were selected to guide and support each youth data collection team.

5.8 Pre-testing Individual Questionnaires

The survey team pre-tested the questionnaires with 80 children from four slum areas before commencing the survey. They then modified the questionnaire based on the field test experiences and feedback under the direction of the adult research guide.

5.9 Individual Interviews

Individual interviews were conducted with 489 key informants, all of whom were slum children, using the questionnaire developed. Interviews were conducted by the youth involved in the survey. It should be noted that the adult research guide was responsible for providing appropriate training to the young people prior to commencement of the survey to ensure that the youth did not go into the field research process unprepared. The interview questionnaire was developed in coordination with the youth participants, as well as members of YPP team, the research consultant, YPP partners and ECPAT International.

18

6. DATA ANALYSIS
All data collected was entered into a database using SPSS software. The adult research guide was supported by staff of AB experienced in data analysis. ABs Child Protection Officers, in close collaboration with the young people, then conducted the final analysis, synthesis of findings and prepared the draft report.

6.1 Focus Group Discussions

A total of four FGDs were held with children and adolescents in different slum areas of Dhaka city. On average, between eight to fifteen persons participated in each session. FGDs participants were all vulnerable or at-risk children or child victims of CSEC. FGDs were organized and conducted by trained facilitators. The facilitators, with the help of young researchers, identified the participants. FGD venues were selected based on the following criteria:

Privacy Accessibility to participants Safety Minimal adult interference Comfort and logistical factors

The age range of child participants was between 10 - 17 years. Participants were clearly briefed on the purpose of the survey, as well as the FGD process and structure. The FGD process began with introductions and icebreakers. After building initial rapport, facilitators proceeded to specific questions, in accordance with the FGD protocol for each group. Given the sensitivity of the subject matter, the initial segments of the FGDs were related to information on the general situation of children living in slums. The facilitators then gradually (and cautiously) proceeded to ask for opinions and perceptions on the issues surrounding CSA and CSEC. In case of confusion, the facilitators explained differences between CSA and CSEC. Topics discussed during the FGDs were concurrent with the main objectives of the study, focusing on: familial and personal background current living conditions circumstances causing increased vulnerability to CSA/CSEC relationships at the workplace abusive/exploitative situations health awareness and service delivery regarding sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/ AIDS support systems/structures available for the children The type of questions asked by the facilitators were decided and developed through workshops with the young people involved in the survey.

19

CHAPTER II KEY FINDINGS

7. INTRODUCTION
The study elicited wide range of findings due to the different methods used, indicating that the methods used were appropriate and useful. Despite the challenges and risk involved in the data collection process, it was possible to maintain the child protection policy and ensure the safety of all youth involved. The findings of the study are described below.

7.1 Gender Ratio of Respondents

The total number of respondents involved in this youth-led slum survey was 489. 39% of respondents are boys and 61% are girls. The majority of respondents (134) were from the Azimpur area (boys: 86, girls: 48), with 130 (boys: 21, girls: 109) respondents from Pallabi, 124 (boys: 43, girls: 81) respondents from Mohammadpur and 101 (boys: 43, girls: 58) from the Rayerbazer area. All respondents belong to the Muslim faith and are Bangladeshi by birth.
Table - 1: GENDER RATIO
Table - 2: GENDER RATIO OF RESPONDENTS
100 80
64% 65% 57% 43% 35% 17% 83%

20

61%

Frequency

60 40 20 0
36%

39%

Female Male

pu im Az

r
R
er ay

ba

r za
oh M am
m

p ad

ur

bi lla Pa
Female Male

7.2 Migration Trends & Causes

A total of 48% of the respondents migrated to Dhaka from another part of Bangladesh. Most of the children who had migrated (53%) came to Dhaka from Barisal division.
Table - 3: MIGRATION TRENDS Table - 4: MIGRATION TRENDS BY DIVISION
60 50
53%

48%

Frequency

40 30 20 10
30%

57%

52%

6% 1%

7%

3%

Migrated Not Migrated

t i a l a g ln ak ha ah on yle Dh aris Sh Khu sh ittag aj B R Ch

DIVISION NAME

30% of children who have migrated came to Dhaka city from different districts of the Dhaka division; 7% from Rajshahi, 6% from Khulna, 3% from Chittagong and 1% from Sylhet division. The leading reason for migration to Dhaka was poverty (48%). Other reasons included search for better job (45%), abuse by stepmother (3%), attraction to urban life (2%) and being forced to leave their home (2%). Poverty and the search for employment are the important causes of child trafficking, child sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children, as traffickers take advantage of the poverty of families living in slums.

Table - 5: Reasons for Migration

50 40
48% 45%

21

Frequency

30 20 10
3% 2% 2%

e r e ty ob er he n lif hom rj ot ov ette a P m b m b ep o ur fro of St t ut ch y n o b ar io d Se ct se he bu tra us A P At

7.3 Educational Status & Barriers to Education

The following diagram shows that of the 489 respondents, most (26%) were enrolled in school until class IV-VI, 24% to class I- III, and 23.10% to class VI-VIII. 6% studied up to grade IX-X, whereas only 1% passed secondary. 9% of the respondents can only write their names.

Table - 6: EDUCATION STATUS

30
26.4% 23.1% 24%

25 20 15 10 5 0
10% 9%

6.1% 1%

Many children living in slum areas do not have access to education. Six major reasons for this were identified through individual interviews. Most respondents (71%) stated that lack of money prevented their access to education. Other reasons included negligence of stepmothers (3%), conflict with father (10%), negative comments from people on their way to school (5%), unwillingness of stepfather (2%) and harsh punishment from teachers at school (9%). Many families with a large number of children facing difficult financial conditions hope to find employment for their children in factories or other

Number of Respondents

rate Only own write na m e Clas s (IIII) Clas s (IV -VI) Clas s (V I-VI II) Clas s (IX -X)

22

income generating activities rather than send them to school. The study findings indicate that slum families, particularly parents and community members, are generally unaware of the importance of education in the lives of their children or are forced by their financial situation to make difficult choices and send their child to work rather than school. The public education system and education staff also represent a barrier to slum childrens access to education. Teaching methods are not child friendly and instill boredom rather than enthusiasm for learning. Harsh punishment practices used by teachers create fear among children of education and going to school. Lack of education, knowledge and awareness is harmful for the general slum environment and contributes to incidents of CSA, CSEC, child trafficking and early marriage.

Illite

Up X

Table - 7: REASON FOR LACK OF ACCESS TO EDUCATION

71% 3% 10% 5% 2% 9% Poverty Resistance from Stepmother Conflict with Father Negative community attitudes Resistance from Stepfather Punishment by teachers

7.4 Respondent Occupations

52% (boys: 27%, girls: 26%) of the total respondents are engaged in different types of labor. 10% (boys: 5%, girls: 5%) study and work, 18% (boys: 4%, girls: 14%) only study and 20% (boys: 4%, girls: 16%) of the respondents neither work nor study. The garment sector represents a major source of foreign currency earning in Bangladesh, with approximately 2.5 million people involved in this sector.2 Child labor is common and cheap in Bangladesh. The study indicates that 27% of the child respondents who are working are employed in the garment sector. Other occupations reported include laborers in mills, factories, supporting workshop and business centers (24%), selling cigarettes, water and peanuts (20%), assisting tailors

(12%), serving as shopkeepers in grocery shops and tea stalls (7%), collecting recycling (4%), working as maids (3%) or hotel bellboys (2.6%) and begging on the streets (0.3%). Employment can increase the vulnerability of slum children by exposing them to unsafe settings and people who may take the opportunity of their youth to physically and mentally abuse them.
Table - 9: OCCUPATIONS OF CHILDREN
30
26% 27%

Table - 8: REASON OCCUPATIONS

52% 20% 10% 18%

Only work Nothing Study beside work Study

25

Frequency

20 15 10 5 0
10% 4% 5% 5% 14%

16%

23.1%

4% 1%

Stud y ba side wor k

Occ Stud upa y tion s

Only

Noth ing

wor k

23

7.5 Working Hours

Most working respondents (71%) spend approximately 8 - 10 hours in their workplace each day. 21% remain at work from 4 - 7 hours and 8% work less than 4 hours per day. Long work days make the children exhausted and unable to engage in play or school. Child workers often have insufficient time for lunch or snack breaks and often do not enjoy leisure or leave time as mandated by labor laws, which causes physical and psychological stress. Some employers force children to work long hours with an intention to abuse them during the absence of others, compounding the pain faced by these children.
Table - 11: RESPONDENT WORKING HOURS
0.40
Percentage of the Respondents
0.36%

0.35 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00

rs.
4 hr s. 8 hr s.
9-10 hrs. M or e th an 1 0 hr s
0.08% 0.11% 0.1% 4% 0.15% 0.2%

rs.
4-5 h

Current Status and Evolution of Industrial Relations System in Bangladesh (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_123336.pdf)

Les s

than

6-7 h

7.6 Income Range & Expenditures

The study found that most of the respondents (59%) earn over 250 taka (US $3.62) in an average week. 33% earn 50-250 taka (US $0.72 - $3.62) on average per week and 6% earn less than 50 taka (US $0.72) each week. The wages they receive are extremely low in proportion to the hard labor required for many of the jobs these children are involved in. As mentioned previously, child labor is very cheap in Bangladesh due to both the increasing population and the extremely competitive job market. The respondents reported that they spend their earnings for a variety of different purposes. Each respondent cited at least 2 or 3 categories of expenditure from the list. Therefore the total number of respondents noted at the top of each bar in the graphic above will be greater than the total respondents if the figures are added together. Most respondents (218) spend their wages on clothes and shoes; 209 respondents use the funds to help their families, 203 respondents purchase food, 144 respondents support the cost of house rent, 119 respondents spend money on recreation, 98 respondents use their salary to support drug addiction, 78 respondents pay for health treatment, 65 respondents buy cosmetics and 43 respondents stated that they save their earnings.
Table - 12: RESPONDENT INCOME RANGE
0.6
Percentage of the Respondents
0.59%

0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0

TK ( 101 -150 ) TK ( 151 -200 )
TK 5 0 TK ( 50-1 0 0)
0.08% 0.11% 0.09% 0.07% 0.06%

)
TK(2
98

Les s

INCOME Table - 13: RESPONDENT EXPENDITURE

250 200 150
119 203 218 209

Respondent Number

24

144

100
65

50 0

43

The study shows that most of the respondents (353) use their earnings to support their families (as paying house rent is directly related to helping their families). Hence, it is clear that many become involved in or are forced to work due to the poverty of their families. Becoming accustomed to earning money at an early age can also be harmful for children and the study shows that 78 respondents out of 489 use their salary to support a drug addiction. This also contributes to drug trafficking in the slum areas, which is linked to child sexual abuse and commercial sexual abuse of children, as many of these types of crimes take place in or around drug trafficking locations.

Foo d Cos met ic R ec reat ion Hou se r ent Sav ing Clot hs & Sho es Dru gs Help fam Hea ily lth T reat men t

Type of Expenditure

TK 2 50+
78

01-2 50

7.7 Family Members

While the families of the majority of respondents (48%) consist of 3 - 5 members, many children surveyed (35%) are from large families with 6 - 7 members. 4% of families have 0-2 members and 14% families are extremely large and consist of over 7 members. This indicates that most of the parents are unaware of family planning or the consequences for large numbers of children in terms of lack of proper care and attention. This can exacerbate issues of poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, early marriage, abuse, etc. in these families.

Table - 14: RESPONDENT FAMILY MEMBERS

50
Number of Respondents

48%

40 30 20 10 0
0- 2 3- 5
144%

35%

14% 4%

Number of Family Members

Table - 15: Number of Employed Family Members

6
Employed Family Members
6 5 4 3 2 1

7.8 Employment & Income of Family Members

Most families (38.67%) of children interviewed have two earning members. 15% of families have one earning member, 31% have three earning members, 13% have four earning members and 2.6% have five earning members. Given that most families living in slum areas have a total of 5 - 7 members, it would clearly be challenging to meet daily family expenses with only two employed members, particularly when they are working in low-wage positions as day laborers or maids. Even a family with 3-4 employed members is not necessarily solvent, as this is dependent upon the types of jobs they are able to acquire. The monthly income range of 49% of families involved in the survey is above 6,000 taka (USD $87), whereas the monthly income range of 1% of families is below 1,000 taka (USD $14). The income range of 4% of families is between 1,001 2,000 taka (USD $14 $28), 8% of families income ranges between 2,001 3,000 taka (USD$28 $43), 15% of families income ranges between 3,001 4,000 taka (USD$43 $58) and 23% of families income ranges between 4,001 -- 6,000 taka (USD$58 $87). A family with a monthly income of 6,000 taka would

5 4 3 2 1 0

6- 7

7+

25

8%

14.5

38.6

Percentage of Respondents Table - 16: AVERAGE MONTHLY FAMILY INCOME

50 40 30
23% 49%

20 10 0
1% 8%

31.2

4%

12.6

15%

2.60 %

0-10 0

1-30 0

1-40 0

1-20 0

200

300

Range of family income

100

400

1-60 0

600 1+

0.20 %

7%

8%

7%

find it extremely difficult to survive given present living costs in Dhaka. Therefore, with no other alternative, the parents often tell their children to find work. Insufficient income can also create unrest within families and girls often become victims of this. Girls may be compelled to go outside for work and take any job available in order to contribute to the family income, which can sometimes lead to CSEC.

7.9 Income Sources of Family Members

The study found that of the majority of family members (55%) work as laborers in mills, factories, workshops, and construction sites. 17% of the family members are working as rickshaw & van pullers; 13% are involved in micro businesses such as vegetable or tea shops, waste material collection and others; 9% work as maids; 4% work as taxi or auto rickshaw drivers; 1% as painters; and 1% are involved in begging. The educational status of the family members can be inferred from the types of jobs they are involved in, as many are highly labor intensive and poorly paid but 23.1% do not require a high level of education.

Table - 17: FAMILY INCOME SOURCES

55% 9% 17% 1% 4% 1% 13% Laborer Maid Servant Rickshaw & van puller Begger Driver Painter Micro business

26

7.10 Present Guardian

Children who come to Dhaka from different part of Bangladesh typically live with relatives in the slum area. Most of the respondents (76%) live with their own parents, although 5% stated that they have no guardian. 2% of respondents live with their brother and sister, 5% live with their husbands, 4% live with their biological mother, 4% live with their biological father and stepmother, 3% live with their stepfather and biological mother, and 1% live with their brother and sister-in-law.

Table - 18: PRESENT GUARDIAN OF RESPONDENTS

76% 4% 3% 1% 5% 4% 2% 5% Biological Father & Mother Biological Father & Stepmother Biological Mother & Stepfather Sister & Brother-in-law No guardian Biological Mother Brother or Sister Husband

7.11 Marital Status

Most of the respondents (89%) are unmarried (boys: 38%, girls: 51%) and 10% (boys: 2%, girls: 8%) are married.

3% of the respondents got married between the ages of 14 - 15 and 7% were married between age 16 -18. Reasons for early marriage in slum areas that emerged during the FGD include: Poverty Lack of quality education Childrens tendency to fall in love at and young age and dream of starting married life Refusal of step-parents to meet childrens daily survival needs Disturbance and threats from the local gangster (mastan) Parents encouraging children to marry for financial reasons.

Table - 19: MARITAL STATUS

89% Unmarried 10% Married 1% Divorced / Separated

Table - 20: MARITAL STATUS BY GENDER

60 50 40 30 20 10 0
8% 2% 0.60% 0.40% 51% 38%

Male Female

27

Married

7.12 Sleeping Conditions

Table - 21: SLEEPING CONDITION
65% 6% 4% 6% 19% With own family in single room With relatives With another family Sometimes sleep with friends Adults and children sleep separately

Divorced/ separated

Unmarried

Overpopulation contributes to CSA in densely populated slum areas. Large families are common and many live in a single room, which sometimes leads to sexual abuse of children. The study found that most of the child respondents (65%) sleep with their families in a single room and 4% sleep in a room with other families. 19% of respondents sleep in separate rooms, 6% sleep with relatives and 6% sleep with friends.

7.13 Problems Encountered by Slum Children

The slum environment allows children with little Table - 22: PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED AT SLUM scope for healthy growth and development. Children BY THE RESPONDENTS encounter many challenges in their everyday lives, 350 Boys which can sometimes leave a great impact on 300 Girls them. Many slum children surveyed (307) stated that 250 206 200 154 they frequently faced verbal abuse and negative 98 150 behavior from the local people; 249 respondents 100 49 65% 7 101 highlighted the general dirtiness of the slum area; 100 22 76 50 95 34 16 5 7 21 22 0 196 respondents identified frequent quarreling as problematic; 125 disliked fighting; 55 respondents noted water and sanitation problems; 29 respondents pointed to the uncomfortable sleeping conditions; 28 respondents found drug addiction challenging; and 12 respondents highlighted electricity problems. Other problems identified through FGDs conducted with groups of children in slum areas included: Girl children are harassed and encountered verbal abuse while walking in the narrow slum lanes. Some boys try to kidnap the girls to marry them and parents are therefore compelled to get their children married early in order to avoid this. Girls dresses are pulled by local boys who also sometimes try to touch their bodies. Nude videos are shown and prostitution goes on at night in the slum areas. Prostitutes are hired from outside the slum area and local police are involved in these activities. Minor quarrels among children sometimes turn into terrible clashes that cause severe injury Children sometimes receive love and marriage proposals from their cousins and if they refuse these, they may be vulnerable to threats of kidnapping and forced marriage.
Dirt ines envs of sl iron um men t Q ua rrel

28

7.14 Incidents that Make Slum Children Feel Bad

Most of the child respondents (56%) stated that they feel bad when they encounter family conflict (shouting, fighting and negligence). 24% feel bad when somebody says something negative to them on the street, 6% feel bad when their friends quarrel with them, 5% feel bad when their friends leave them, 3% feel bad when they are refused by a potential boy or girlfriend, 3% feel bad when subjected to a heavy

Table - 23: CAUSES OF FEELING BAD

Percentage of the Respondents

0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0

0.56%

10%

nflic t Wor Abus king e in plac Qu e rrel e wi Bad Frienth ds com m on s ents tree Refu ts sal by l o ve r Ove rloa d of wor Sep k arat ion friewith nds

Fam i

ly c o

Figh ting beh Bad co avio mm r sh ents ow a l n b y nd Wat ocal pe the er & ople San i All P tation Slee Famil roblem ping y Me in o mbe ne r r s oom Elec trici ty P robl em Bad imp act of d rugs
0.24% 0.03% 0.06% 0.03% 0.03%

0.05%

workload and 3% feel bad when they are abused at the workplace. Poverty is a root cause of family conflict, which affects the whole family. Sometimes children decide to escape from their house to avoid problems and may then unfortunately or inadvertently face greater danger and difficulty.

7.15 How slum children deal with bad feelings

Slum children cope with their bad feelings in a variety of different ways and coping strategies varied depending on time, place and gender of the respondent. Each child offered several responses to this question. Many respondents (340) said that they normally like to be alone when they feel bad. Most of the female respondents preferred to remain alone, sleep, cry or share with their friends, read, or listen to music when they feel bad. The slum environment does not allow female children to walk outside freely. The majority of male respondents said that they preferred to go outside, watch television or take drugs when they feel bad.
Table - 24: DEALING WITH BAD FEELING
250
Male Female
210

Number of respondents

200 150 100 50

130

46 16 29 11 3 11 10 16 5 2 24 26 21

44 26 11 1 6

0
TV lone ain a

Slee p

Enjo yM usic Get Invo lved in w ork Sha ring with frien ds

g Dr ug

ok

Enjo y

Visi t Ou

Rem

Usin

These responses from children indicate that their internal relationships with other family members are not conducive to sharing feelings or reaching out for comfort or support. In most cases, family members will directly blame or criticize their children if anything unusual happens in their lives. This discourages children from being open and confiding in their family members.

7.16 Child Abuse & Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Slum Environment
Incidents of CSA and CSEC are evident in families and the study findings indicate that some parents willingly push their children into abusive situations. 52% of the respondents know of parents who had pushed their children towards abusive situations by letting them mix with others or develop physical relationships in exchange for money or some other form of compensation. The study found that 50% of respondents know of parents who forced their children to go outside with relatives or somebody else; 39% know parents who induce their children to build
Table - 25: PRESSURE BY PARENTS
60

Number of Respondents

52% 48%

50 40 30 20 10 0

Yes

No

Rea

ding

Stor

29

tsid

Cryi n

y bo

Table - 26: TYPE OF PRESSURE BY PARENTS

physical relationships with others; and 11% know parents who let their children gossip with outside people. Most children want to avoid these types of situations but are unable to do so. In some cases, the person they are forced to go with has made significant contributions to their family and the family members therefore may knowingly or unknowingly facilitate the sexual abuse of their children.

50% Go outside 39% Physical relationship 11% Gossiping alone

7.17 Visitors to the Home

The majority of children surveyed (273) stated that neighbors frequently visit their homes. Other people who normally visit their houses include friends (247), cousins (246), uncles and aunts (104), distant relatives (59), slum managers (26), teachers (26), brother inlaw (sisters husband) (23), and local gangsters (14).
Table - 27: VISITORS TO THE HOME
300
Number of Respondents
273 247 246

30

250 200 150 100 50 0

104 59 26 26 14 23

Table - 28: TIMING OF VISIT

66% When alone at home 34% When family members are available

7.18 Timing of Visits

Most of the respondents (66%) said that visitors usually come to their house when other family members are present. However, 34% said that visitors often come to their house when they are there alone. Some persons prefer to visit when other members are away, as this permits them to take advantage of the situation and abuse children, who are frequently girls.

Frie nd Cou sin Slum Man age r Teac he r U nc le/A unt Dist ant rela tive Neig hbo Loc rs al M usc lem en Bro ther in-la w

The survey revealed that in slum areas, children are most frequently abused by their neighbors and other distant relatives. Abusers attempt to establish relationships with families to gain trust and access to the children for harmful purposes.

Categories of visitor

7.19 Abuse by the Visitor at Home

Table - 29: ABUSE BY VISITORS AT HOME
Percentage of the Respondents
120 100 80 60 40 20 0
13% 38% 25%

24%

Male Female

The study found that 37% of respondents have been subjected to abuse by visitors to their home. Of these children, 24% are female and 13% male. The children explained that they experience three types
Table - 30: TYPES OF ABUSE BY THE VISITORS
80 70
Respondent Number
77%

Yes

60 50 40 30 20 10
4% 14% 9%

of abuse from visitors: verbal abuse (77%), obscene gestures (14%) and exposure of private body parts (9%). Unfortunately, most of these incidents remain unreported due to fear and potential blame the children may receive upon reporting the crime. This silence and the lack of positive supervision from the family encourage outsiders to repeatedly engage in these types of abuse and take advantage of children in this way.

No

0
Ge s tur e
Verb al

sica l ge

stur e

31

7.20 Abuse outside the Family

Children frequently encounter abusive situations on the slum streets. Types of abuse slum children frequently encounter include sexual harassment, romantic proposals, offers of drugs and illicit substances, threats of abduction, and verbal abuse.

Table - 31: ABUSIVE SITUATION ON SLUMSTREETS

50 40 30 20 10
9% 25% 16% 50%

The study found that 50% of the child respondents 4% have been subjected to teasing on the street, 25% 0 have received unfair letters, 16% experienced verbal abuse and 9% have received threats of abduction. The high frequency of teasing indicates the vulnerability of children in the slum environment and many cases of child abuse occur on the street. It is evident that slum children are not safe on the street and many are not safe in their homes either.
f ab du c tion

al

Unfa ir p r

eat o

T hr

Bad

C om men ts

ing

Teas

opo s

Phy

7.21 Child Abuse in the Workplace

Table - 32: CHILD ABUSE IN THE WORK PLACE
50
43%

40 30 20 10
1% 1% 2% 2% 21% 17% 13%

0
s ual abu se take dru Imp gs lyin gw ork Imp load osin gt riskoward yw s ork

It is evident from the study that the majority of child respondents (62%) are engaged in some type of income-generating activity. The places where children and youth are employed are not child friendly and they are frequently subjected to both physical and verbal abuse. 43% of working children are beaten and scolded at their work place and 13% of them become victims of sexual abuse. 2% of working children are overwhelmed by their workload and 2% are involved in high-risk work. 1% have been compelled to take drugs by adult co-workers and 1% of working children suffer from irregular payment of wages. Abusive situations related to the workplace identified by children

only
ing

&S cold in g

nly

I rr e gula r

Bea t

ldin

Sc o

Sex

wag e

go

ting

32

during

FGDs included: Insufficient wages Employers scold and use harsh language Employers beat children Employers force children to work long hours without additional compensation Some employers propose children to engage in physical relationships Children are not given holidays Children are forced to remain at work for long hours and are sometimes made to massage their adult employers

Children participating in FGDs also discussed the involvement of slum children in commercial sexual exploitation and the different ways that this can happen: i) Reasons for childrens involvement in CSEC: Poverty Abuse by step parents Forced into CSEC by bad people Lured into CSEC by relatives and neighbours Given false promises of a good job Involvement in a false love affair ii) People who involve children in CSEC: The local mastan/musclemen Relatives and neighbors Employers

For c

Bea

e to

Slum managers Bad people in the slum

7.22 Trafficking Trends in Slum Areas

Table - 33: MISSING CHILDREN INFORMATION Table - 34: KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT MISSING CHILDREN
35%

60% No 40% Yes

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
5%

Yes

No

Information status

Trafficking represents another factor that is closely linked to CSA and CSEC in the slum area. 40% of respondents stated that they knew of slum children who had been missing for a long period of time. Of those, 5% said that they later found out where the children were, but 35% did not know anything more about what happened to these children. 4.8% of these respondents stated that the person who had taken the children was seen later in the slum area and 35% respondents did not see this person again after the child had been taken from the slum area.

33

Table - 35: TRAFFICKERS MOVEMENT IN SLUM

Table - 36: TAKEN BY FRIENDS THROUGH DECEPTION

63% Yes 37% No

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
4.8%

35.2%

Seen

Not seen

Traffickers information

Table - 37: PROPOSAL FOR JOB ABROAD

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
4.8% 29%

71%

37% of the respondents said they had been deceived by friends and taken to places they felt were dangerous or risky. Traffickers sometimes deceive children by claiming to offer better jobs abroad. They target the poorest families and try to convince parents to let their children to travel to work abroad. The study found that 29% of the respondents had either received or knew of these types of proposals from people in the slum Table - 39: COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILY area.
80 70
67%

Yes

NO

Table - 38: GENDER RATIO OF CHILDREN WORKING ABROAD

5.9% Boy 1.2% Girls

60 50 40 30 20 10 0
4.8% 33%

34

Yes

No

Migration of slum children to foreign countries appears to be taking place. 7% of respondents stated that they had friends who traveled abroad to work a long time ago. 5.9% of these friends were boys and 1.2 % were girls. According to the respondents, most of the children who have migrated to foreign countries are working as drivers and laborers. 67% of children who have migrated reportedly maintain communication with their families, whereas 33% no longer have contact with their families. This indicates that the slum children are vulnerable to trafficking. Reasons for this include poverty, overpopulation, unemployment, gender discrimination and lack of education.

7.23 Drug Addiction

Table - 40: TREND OF DRUG USE

Children living in slum environments have significant exposure to drugs. The majority of slums are also drug trafficking centers, as there is little surveillance by the police and authorities. Children and young people living in these areas often become victims of drug addiction and the study found that 38% of the respondents (female: 12%, male: 26%) are addicted to drugs.

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
49% 12% 13%

Yes No

26%

Female

Male

Table - 41: TYPE OF DRUGS

45% 4% 24% 11% 10% Cigaratte Dandy Sleeping pill Mod (Alcohol) Gaja (Marjuana) 4% Gul (tobaco powder) 1% Heroin 1% Fensedil (cough syrup)
10% 4% 1% 1% 45%

11% 24% 4%

The children and young people interviewed reported that they and their friends are addicted to a variety of drugs. It was found from the study that most of the children (45%) are addicted to cigarettes. They are also addicted to other drugs, including sleeping pills (24%), alcohol (11%), marijuana (10%), tobacco powder (4%), dandy (4%), heroin (1%) and fensidyl (codine-based cough syrup) (1%). The children typically like to take drugs with their peers. The study found that the majority of addicted children (66%) take drugs with their friends, 30% take drugs alone and 4% of them take drugs with people older than them.
Table - 43: CAUSES OF DRUG ADDICTION
60 50 40
59% 66%

Table - 42: COMPANY TO TAKING DRUG

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
grou p grou p
Alon e
4% 30% 66%

35
20% 15% 6%

30 20 10 0
Influ enc e frien by ds iosi ty
Cur

Elde r

by l

Drug dealers operate freely in slum areas with little or no interference from authorities and drug materials are easily accessible. 59% of addicted children started taking drugs after being influenced by friends, 20% started taking drugs as a negative experience with their boy or girlfriend, 15% became addicted to drugs due to curiosity and 6% started taking drugs after being upset by a family conflict. Other reasons for drug addiction identified during FGDs include: Imitating behavior and addiction of adult family members Husbands or wives can become addicted by each other Children find money to buy drugs in different ways; many addicted children (42%) use the earnings from their job, 29% steal the money, 21% borrow from friends, 5% profit from illegal trades and 3% earn money through CSEC.

Refu

Fam ily d

Sam e

sa l

ispu te

age

ove

The study indicates that drug addiction is a key factor linked to CSEC in slum areas. Poverty and addiction push children into risky situations which threaten their safety and damage their perceptions of self-worth and dignity. Children suffer from numerous problems as a result of addiction to drugs. The study found that of the 38% addicted children, 26% suffer from physical problems, 10% suffer from mental problems and 2% suffer from social problems.

Table - 44: WAYS OF MANAGING MONEY

50
42%

40 30 20 10
3% 29% 21%

5%

0
de
Illeg al T ra

Stea ling

36

Children interviewed explained that the slum area is an unhealthy environment that poses numerous threats Table - 45: PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY to their safety both within their homes as well as ADDICTED CHILDREN outside. These threats are predominantly due to lack 26% Physical of awareness of child rights issues, lack of oversight 2% Mental 10% Social by the police and authorities, pervasive illiteracy, poverty, and the expansion of illegal activities, including drug trafficking. Children identified the key threats to their safety as being harassed by vagabonds (23%), harassed by the police (5%), working in hazardous jobs (4%), crime in slum areas (2%), verbal abuse (15%), extremely large families (4%), early marriage (5%), bad people (4%), drug trafficking (5%), weak
Table - 46: BARRIERS TO CHILDRENS SAFETY
12% 6% 5% 3% General slum environment Family conflict Sexual abuse Dangerous friends 4% 3% 5% 4% 5% 4% 15% 2% 4% 5% 23% Harm from relatives Weak system of law & order Drug trafficking Bad people Early Marriage Extremely large families Verbal abuse Crime in slum areas Working in hazardous job Harassed by the police Harassed by vagabond

system of law and order (3%), harm from relatives (4%), dangerous friends (3%), sexual abuse (5%), family conflict (6%) and the general slum environment (12%).

7.25 Family Child Protection Measures

The study indicates that the slum environment is dangerous for children, especially in terms of child sexual abuse, and parents are anxious about the safety of their children. Respondents gave

From

7.24 Barriers to Childrens Safety

Sex wor k

Frie nd

Job

Table - 47: FAMILY CHILD PROTECTION MEASURES

500
423

400 300 200 100 0

0.08%

367

364

354

205

outs ide anyDont a bod llow y in t Don roohe m t ta with lk or unk mix now pers n on Don t m bad ix boy with s/gi rls Not to g with ossi frien p ds

multiple responses to this topic. 423 respondents stated that their parents forbid them to go outside when the parents leave their house to go to work. 367 respondents stated that their parents do not allow them to permit anyone to come into their home when they are alone. The parents of 205 respondents do not allow their children to talk to or mix with specific people, the parents of 364 respondents do not allow their children to mix with the bad boys and girls in the slum and the parents of 354 respondents forbid their children to gossip with friends.

Number of Respondents

D on

t go

37

Chapter III

8. Recommendations
Four FGDs were held with children and young people in slum areas. FGDs were held in an effort to learn more about the views of slum children on how CSEC, CSA, trafficking, early marriage and other emerging problems affecting childrens safety can be addressed. The children offered strong recommendations described below regarding the roles of key people and institutions both in the slum area, as well as the government.

8.1 Challenges for Communities & the Police to Maintain Law and Order in Slum Areas

38

i) Challenges for Community Members Some people do not say anything or take any action on these issues Some people want to get the bad people out of the slum Local people do not have the capacity or authority to handle the situation Parents blame the children for what happens to them Parents do not want others to know about abuse because they think this may create future difficulties in arranging a childs marriage Local people do not want to inform the police because this might anger the community ii) Challenges for Police The police do not take action because of bribery Police are reluctant to investigate cases Perpetrators can be so powerful that sometimes the police do not want to say anything about specific cases

8.2 Recommendations for Overcoming Challenges

Raise awareness and knowledge of community members Police should control crime in the slum areas The government should implement workplace safety policies to protect children from abuse Factory owners should check machineries regularly at factories, especially where children are employed

The local community should be united to combat crime in slum area Children should be aware of their rights Implementation of laws in slum areas should be upheld and monitored regularly Drug trafficking should be eliminated from slum areas Children should help to raise the awareness of their peers with regard to CSEC, CSA, trafficking Children should share their problems and support each other The local community should work together to prevent trafficking Parents should be aware of their childrens problems and respond supportively Communities should control the movement of bad boys on the street Boys and girls should dress appropriately for the slum environment Local mafia, mastans and drug dealers should be arrested and punished Slum children should associate with and make positive friends Safe public recreational facilities should be made available in slum areas

8.3 Recommended Steps to Address Problems of Slum Areas

Raise the local communities awareness on child rights Restrict the movement of bad boys in slum areas Openly discuss problems children may face during adolescence Raise the local communities awareness of the dangers of early marriage Implement and enforce child labor laws in work places Eliminate drug trafficking Take action against perpetrators of child abuse and ensure appropriate support for victims to help them overcome trauma Authorities should strictly maintain law and order in slum areas Raise parents awareness on family planning and the importance of birth registration

39

Chapter IV

9. Youth-Led Slum Survey Challenges

Ensuring protection of the youth surveyors at all times Adhering to the proposed survey timeframe Discussing the sensitive issues of CSEC and CSA with respondents at initial meetings Access to children during the data collection process Encouraging participants to answer all of the questions asked Obtaining the permission of slum parents to interview their children Adhering to the agreed work schedule Working in the slum environment Developing capacity and skills of youth surveyors in a limited time Lengthy questionnaire Ensuring effective and timely follow-up to the primary data collection Developing an effective and informative questionnaire in limited time Recording and categorizing the large amount of data received in response to the open questions Inputting primary data using SPSS software Analysis of data for multiple response questions Ensuring the proper and accurate documentation of all data received

40

Chapter-V

10. Case Studies

10.1 Razias story
Razia (pseudonym) is a 10 year old girl from a poor family. She used to live with her family in the Rayerbazar slum area. Her father worked as a night guard for a private company. Her mother allowed outsiders to come into their house, gambling and using drugs with them. One day, one of these people noticed Razia and asked her mother to let Razia stay with him for one night in exchange for 500 taka. As they were poor and Razias mother was greedy, she allowed Razia to go and stay with the man for one night. Razia did not want to do this, but her mother forced her to go with the man. Razia was sexually abused by the man and following this, revealed everything to her father. After listening to Razia, her father divorced her mother and alerted the police. Razia and her father then left Dhaka and moved back to their original home in the countryside.

41

10.2 Kalpanas story

Kalpana (pseudonym) is an 11 year old girl who lives with her family in Dhakas Pallabi slum area. Their neighbor was a frequent visitor to their house and Kalpanas fathers friends also came to their house regularly. One of her fathers friends brought gifts for her on a regular basis and pretended that he had a great deal of affection for Kalpana. This man was trusted by Kalpanas family and whenever he wanted to take Kalpana outside of the house, nobody from her family prevented this. One day when Kalpana was 10 years old, the man took advantage of their trust and abused her sexually. Kalpana was hurt physically and psychologically after this terrifying experience with someone she trusted. She lost her faith in others and became extremely withdrawn. She felt that she had lost everything she valued in life.

10.3 Shakhis story

Shakhi (pseudonym) is now a young woman of 20 years of age. She lived with her family in a rented house when she was 14. Her family allowed her to become involved in a love affair with the son of the house owner in order to benefit their situation as tenants. One day the boy ended their relationship and she angrily got married to a local mastan (muscle man). This marriage did not last and they divorced when Shakhi was 17 years old. Dismayed and upset by her situation, she

became involved in the sex trade. Her family refused to communicate with her after they learned she was involved in prostitution.

10.4 Rehanas story

Rehana (pseudonym) is a 14 year old girl who has lived in the Pallabi slum area for around four years. Her mother died when she was 10, after which her father remarried. Her new stepmother did not like her and frequently abused her. As she was miserable at home with her stepmother, Rehana left her family and went to live with her grandmother when she was 11. Her grandmother was unable to support her daily expenses and found her a job as a housemaid. Rehana encountered further abuse in this workplace and escaped back to her grandmother. At the age of 12, she was handed over to a woman who involved Rehana in the sex trade and encouraged Rehana to become addicted to drugs.

42

Chapter VI

11. Conclusion
This slum survey is an unique initiative led by youth to address the issue of CSEC in Bangladesh. The significant effort that these young people have made to achieve this major accomplishment is impressive. The survey was successfully completed despite the numerous challenges and difficulties encountered. Credit for this goes to the young people who have made this possible through their tremendous effort. Aparajeyo-Bangladesh is confident that this report will have a positive impact on the fight against CSEC in Bangladesh.

43

Annex I:

(Individual Questionnaire: English Version)

Project: Youth-Led Slum Survey on CSEC & Trafficking Youth-Led Survey Questionnaire

Slum Area Name___________________________ Police Station_____________________ Age__________ Gender: Boy Girl

Present Address:
Slum Name:____________ Mohalla____________Ward No____________ Town_____________ Date of Interview:______________________ Place of Interview:________________________ Name of Interviewer:____________________________________________________________

Socio-Economic Status:

44

1.

How many a) 0-5 b) 6-10 c) 11-14 d) 15-18 e) 19-22

members are in your family?--------------years -------------person(s) f) 23-30 years --------------person(s) g) 31-40 years --------------person(s) h) 41-50 years --------------person(s) i) 51-up years --------------person(s)

years ---------------person(s) years ---------------person(s) years ---------------person(s) years ---------------person(s)

2.

Family Occupation & Monthly Earnings

Occupation of Employed Family Members Monthly earning range

Number of Employed Family Members..

Own Mother Father Brother Sister Others

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Rickshaw/Van Driver Hacker Porter Domestic Servant Labour (Industry / Real Estate) Micro Business
Day Labour Bagger CNG/Taxi Driver Others

[1] [2] [3] [4] [6] [7]

[8] [9] [10] [11]

0-1000

[1]

1001-2000 [2] 2001-3000 [3] 3001-4000 [4] 4001-6000 [5] 6000-up [6]

Worker (Shop/Business Institution) [5]

3.

What is your nationality? a) Bangladeshi by birth b) Bangladeshi by citizenship c) Others What religion do you belong to? a) Islam b) Hindu c) Buddhist d) Christian e) Other

4.

5. Have you come here from another area of Bangladesh or from outside Bangladesh? (If no, go to Question 9) a) Yes b) No 6. 7. 8. If yes, where is your place of origin?................................................................................. Why did you move to Dhaka?................................................ How did you come to Dhaka?..............................................................................

45

Key Areas of Expenditure

9. What are the key areas of expenditure for your family, in addition to food, clothing and housing: Housing and other facilities: Rented House Hut Building Healthy Drain System Drinking water Gas Electricity [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Expenditure areas of the families except food and cloths Health Service Education Recreation House Rent Addiction Others [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Personal information
10. Do you go to school? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 11. If no why not? a) lack of money b) Prevented by Stepmother c) Prevented by Stepfather

d) e)

Verbal Abuse on the way to school Others

12. Educational status a) Cannot read or write b) Can write name only c) Primary (I-III) d) Primary (IV-V)

[1] [2] [3] [4]

e) Class VI-VIII f) Class IX-X g) Above class X

[5] [6] [7]

13. Who is your present guardian? a) Biological parents b) Biological father & step mother c) Step father & Biological mother

[1] [2] [3]

d) Nobody e) Other

[4] [5]

14. Living and Sleeping Conditions a) Sleep with the other family members in one room b) Adults and children sleep separately

[1] [2]

c) Sleep at a relatives house d) Sleep with other family members e) Often sleep with friends

[3] [4] [5]

46

15. How many meals do you usually have per day? a) One [1] b) Two [2] c) Three [3] 16. Who provides food for you? a) I find food for myself b) Immediate Family Members

d) Four e) Five f) Over five

[4] [5] [6]

c) Other Relatives d) Neighbors

17. Marital Status [If the answer is Single skip to question 20] a) Married [1] b) Divorced [2] c) Single [3] 18. How long ago did you get married? a) Below 1 year [1] b) 1-2 years [2] c) 3-4 years [3] 19. How long have you been living separately? a) Below 1 year [1] b) 1-2 years [2] c) 3-4 years [3] 20. What do you do now? a) Study b) Work and study

d) 5-6 years e) Over 6 years

[4] [5]

d) 5-6 years e) Above 6 years

[4] [5]

[1] [2]

c) Work only d) Neither work nor study

[3] [4]

21. What type of work do you do? a) Porter [1] b) Begging [2] c) Maid [3] d) Hotel bellboy [4] e) Newspaper sales [5] f) Garment worker [6] 22. On average how much do you earn per week? a) Below 50 taka [1] b) 50-100 taka [2] c) 101-150 taka [3] 23. On average how long do you work in a day? a) Below 4 hours [1] b) 4-5 hours [2] c) 6-7 hours [3] 24. How do you spend your earnings? a) Food [1] b) Cosmetics [2] c) Recreation [3] d) House rent [4] e) Savings [5]

h) Trash paper collector i) Peanuts / water sales j) Tailoring k) Cigarette selling l) Micro business m) Others (pleasespecify).

d) 151-200 taka e) 201-250 taka f) Above 250 taka

d) 8 hours e) 9-10 hours f) Above 10 hours

[4] [5] [6]

f) Clothes & shoes g) Purchasing drugs h) Helping the family i) Treatment j) Others

[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

47

25. What do you typically do during the day?............................................. ........... . . ........................................................... 26. What do you typically do at night?................................................................................... ........... . . ...........................................................

Child Rights and Protection

27. How long have you been living in this slum? a) Below 1 year [1] b) 1-3 years [2] c) 3-5 years [3] d) Above 5 years [4]

28. What things do you like most in this slum? . . ........................................................... 29. What things do you dislike most in this slum? . . ........................................................... 30. Do any incident / situations hurt you? Please describe. . . ...........................................................

31. What do you normally do when you get hurt? . . ...........................................................

48

32. Has anyone ever offered to give you anything or has given you something? (If no, skip to question 34) a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 33. If yes, what kind of things are these? . . ........................................................... 34. Have you or anyone you know become a victim of a harmful situation? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 35. Do children feel safe while staying alone in the slum or in their home? Why or why not? . ........................................................... 36. What do slum mothers prohibit their children from doing while they are away from the home for work? d) Mix with bad boys of the slum [4] a) Go outside alone [1] e) Spend time with friends [5] b) Allow others to enter the house [2] c) Gossip [3]

37. What types of relatives usually visit your house? a) Friends [1] b) Maternal cousin [2] c) Paternal cousin [3] d) Slum Managers [4] e) Teachers [5] f) Brother in law [6]

g) Bonded relatives h) Neighbor i) Local mastans j) Maternal uncle k) Paternal uncle l) Others

[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

38. When do they usually come? a) When you remain alone [1] b) When the other members of your family be available [2] 39. Does their behavior ever hurt you? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 40. If yes, what types of behavior hurt you? a) Verbal [1] b) Non-verbal [2] c) Showing physical organs [3] 41. Do the local people behave strangely while they see you on slum streets? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 42. If yes, what type of behaviors do they normally show? d) Make comment on physical look [4] a) Teasing [1] e) Others [5] b) Want to propose [2] c) Want to abduct [3] 43. Do you know of any child who went outside the slum and has not come back? (If No, skip to question 48) a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 44. Does anybody know where the child is now? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 45. Has anybody ever seen the man/woman in the slum who went with child? a) Yes [1] b) No [2]

49

46. How many children can you remember in this regard? d) 31-40 children a) 5-10 children [1] e) Above 40 children b) 11-20 children [2] c) 21-30 children [3] 47. How long have they been away from this slum? a) 1-3 months [1] b) 4-6 months [2]

[4] [5]

c) 6-8 months d) Above 8 months

[3] [4]

48. Has anyone ever tried to take you anywhere before through deception? a) Yes [1] b) No 49. Has anyone ever offered you a job abroad or in another part of Bangladesh? a) c) No b) Yes [1] 50. Have any of your close relatives ever taken you someplace that seemed unsafe to you? a) Yes b) No

[2]

[2]

50

51. Do you know of any children who have been forced by their parents to spend time with another adult in exchange for money? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 52. If yes, what were they asked to do? a) Go outside with that man/woman b) Talk alone with the man/woman c) Engage in a physical relationship d) Other 53. How the child react in this situation? a) Go with the adult under compulsion b) Want to prevent c) Willingly go d) Others

[1] [2] [3] [4]

[1] [2] [3] [4]

54. Do you have any friends who are working abroad? a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 55. If yes how many?...................................................... 56. What is their age range?...............................Gender: malefemale

57. Which country are they working in now?............................................................ 58. Who arranged their job abroad?........................................................................... 59. What type of job are they involved in? ............................................................... 60. How long ago they did they leave Bangladesh? ................................................. 61. Have you or their family had any communication with them after they left? a) Yes [1] b) No 62. Does your friend send money to his/her family? (If No, skip to question 64) a) Yes [1] b) No 63. How much money do they typically send? ........................................................... 64. Have you ever been the victim of violence at your workplace? (If the respondent is not employed, jump to question 66) a) Yes [1] b) No [2] 65. If yes, what type of violence? 66. Have you ever taken any type of drug? (If No, skip to question 75) a) Yes [1] b) No

[2]

[2]

51

[2]

67. If yes, what type? a) Cigarette b) Powder of tobacco c) Sleeping pill d) Alcohol e) Marijuana [5]

[1] [2] [3] [4]

f) Dandy (type of glue used for shoe making) g) Heroin h) Fensidil (codine-based cough syrup) i) Other

[5] [7] [8] [9]

68. How long have you been taking this drug? a) Very often [1] b) 4-6 months [2] 69. Why did you start taking drugs? a) Joining friends b) Out of curiosity c) As a result of abuse by parents

c) 7-12 months d) More than one year

[3] [4]

d) Being refused by lovers e) Others

70. With whom you usually take drug? a) With friends b) With the local people 71. Where do you get the money to buy drugs? a) Through stealing b) Through forcing the parents c) Through sex work

c)

Alone

d) Through dealing of illegal materials e) From the addicted friends f) Other means

72. What problems do you encounter due to drugs? a) Physical restlessness b) Psychological restlessness

c) Social Challenges

73. Have you ever gone to the doctor for the problems mentioned above? a) Yes b) No 74. Do you want to stop using drugs? a)Yes

b) No

52

75. What is your future goal? Where do you hope to see yourself in the future? 76. What do you think you need to do to reach your goals? 77. Who do you think can help you reach your goal and what type of support do you want from him / her / them? 78. What do you think are the major barriers to your safety? 79. How do you think that you and your friends could be better protected from danger?

80. Do you know about Aparajeyo and the YPP project? If not, would you like me to give you some information? Would you like to participate in a YPP youth meeting?

Interviewer Comments / Notes

53

___________________________ Interviewer Signature ______________________Date:

ANNEX II FGD Questionnaire (English Version)

Youth-Led Slum Survey Focus Group Discussion Questionnaire
1. What types of problems do you or children of your age generally encounter in the area where you live? 2. Why do children become involved in early marriage in the area where you live? 3. What type of abuse do children where you live generally encounter in their workplace?

54

4. What are the reasons that cause children where you live to become addicted to drugs? 5. What reasons or situations cause children where you live to become involved with CSEC? Who facilitates this? 6. What do the local police and community do to maintain peace where you live? 7. What priority steps do you feel should be taken to address the problems faced where you live?

ANNEX III Child Protection Guidelines (English Version)

Youth-Led Slum Survey Protection Guidelines for Youth Surveyors
Always inform the relevant Education Center manager or an adult member of the YPP team before going to a slum area to conduct interviews. Always keep a list of important phone numbers with you, including the local police station, ward counselor, slum manager, Education Center manager, YPP Child Protection Officers and YPP National Coordinator Avoid carrying valuable objects (e.g. cell phone, jewelry, unnecessary money, etc.) Remain in contact with the other surveyors, do not go anywhere alone and be sure that other members of your team nearby while conducting interviews. Avoid interviewing respondents alone in a room or other secluded place Adhere to the agreed timeframe and leave the slum area before sunset. Always were your YPP ID card around your neck in a visible position before entering the slum area to conduct the survey. Always ensure that you are clean and appropriately dressed when conducting the survey. Choose a suitable place for the interview where the respondent feels ease and is comfortable to answer the questions. Be sure that your cell phone is off when conducting the interview. Clarify the objective of the survey and ask for the permission of the respondent before starting the interview.

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 Ask for the permission of respondents before writing down their name or any other information. Do not write anything if the respondent does not want you to write. Never promise to give any food or gifts to the respondents and avoid accepting any food or gifts from them. Create a friendly environment and chat with the respondent to build a positive rapport before starting interview. Always ask questions respectfully Avoid asking any overt or direct question to the respondents that makes them feel uncomfortable or shy. Avoid repeating the same question or forcing the respondents to answer if they appear to be unwilling to do so. Never touch the respondent physically at any time during the interview.

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Speak to any community members that you encounter, including parents of the respondents, politely and respectfully. Never behave aggressively with anyone in the slum areas

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