Survival Pattern and Psycho-Social Consequences of Disadvantaged Children: A Study on Dhaka City

Abstract

Children are the most precious human capital of any country. But, on behalf of a developing country, it has no opportunity to fulfill their maximum demands. As a result children are deprived of their essential needs, love-affection, and comfortable environment. In the modern world, the incidence of disadvantaged children has turned out to be a burning issue. It has agitated the minds of the politicians, thinkers, legislators, social workers, philanthropists, planners, policy makers and also conscious section of the society. The issue of disadvantaged children, due to its alarming rise, has been a widely addressed issue around the universe. In this regard the main objective of the study was to present the Survival pattern and Psycho-Social Consequences of Disadvantaged Children in Dhaka city. The study reveals that, lack of adequate nutrition, health problems, a stressful past, a transitory lifestyle, substance abuse, unlearning of learned behavior, deprivation of needs, lack of resources and opportunities, exploitation, stigmatization and so on are the common patterns of the disadvantaged children. The main reasons of being disadvantaged children are family breakdown, armed conflict, poverty, natural and man-made disasters, famine, physical and sexual abuse, exploitation by adults, dislocation through migration, urbanization and overcrowding. Often the disadvantaged children fascinated to this pattern even they are deprived. For conducting this study properly some specific objectives have been set as like as the demographic characteristics, survival pattern, their felt needs and problems, psychological perception and future plan. Millions of children throughout the world work long hours in poor and dangerous condition. The alarming news is, working children are facing many and varied poverty is the root cause for the incidence and prevalence of child labour. Child labour occurs at exploitive circumstances putting the child’s life in hazardous condition leading to child abuses. Such circumstances impede physical, mental and moral development of child. Child abuse is closely related to the social development of a country and it highly exists in countries where incidence of poverty is maximum level. The study has shown that the disadvantaged children have numerous negative consequences. It discloses that, these kinds of children are being hampered in physical also in psychological development. They do not get good behavior and well manner from so called civilized people. Children are in higher risk for a comprehensive range of emotional and behavioural problems including depression, poor school performance, low self esteem and physical health complacence. This study also uncovered that the government provides necessary supports to disadvantaged children in a limited way and some NGOs are providing shelter assistance to survive them. Eventually it has been unveiled that, there should take more initiative for the advancement of disadvantaged children with the best caution.