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Urban livelihoods from children’s perspectives: protecting and promoting assets on the streets of Dhaka

Chronic Poverty Research Centre, conticini{at}unicef.org, conticini{at}hotmail.com

This paper investigates what children in street situations in Dhaka value as important, and how they protect and promote their livelihoods when living on the street. It argues that, despite the common belief held by many people in mainstream society, in the realm of policy and in NGOs, these children are not destitute. They have dynamic portfolios of assets and show complex coping strategies generally managed in a group. When considering policy implications, this paper argues that to be effective, sustainable and respectful, intervention has to abandon the focus on children’s deprivations often fostered by a strict interpretation of children’s rights. On the contrary, a more systematic investigation of children’s initiatives to improve their lives when on the street should guide interventions on how to help them strengthen their assets, rather than to create substitutes for them.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 17, No. 2, 69-81 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/095624780501700206


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