Street Children in Karachi

Others beg, from time to time a number offer sex, earning up to 500 rupees
for an hour or so with a man, under a bridge or in a room rented at a
roadside hotel. “Yes, I sometimes offer a massage but only when I need money and haven’t eaten a meal for a few days,”
Munir, aged around 11 told in a depressed voice. Munir begs near the building of Radio Pakistan, which has ironically
become a hub for runaway children, petty criminals and drug addicts. The
fact that he is good-looking – fair, with gleaming green eyes – makes him
especially likely to be approached for sex, but he insists, “I can fend
for myself. I have a knife to scare people away.”

These children are also being drawn into a
life of petty crime by those running pick-pocketing or drug-pushing
mafias. “We know such things are wrong, but sometimes the men threaten us
to join. They also offer money, regular food and protection,” Aqil, aged
around 14, says. many of the children suffer deep psychological problems, sometimes cutting themselves
with razors, alongside skin infections, sexually transmitted diseases and
problems arising from glue addiction. “Many of the children suffer respiratory problems or stomach complaints
because of this addiction,” said Dr.Sonia Qureshi of Agha Khan Hospital. She adds, “Every day a child contracts HIV and hundreds of children under 15 are dying each year due to AIDS. Street children are at risk from HIV/AIDS because they are vulnerable to sexual abuse, unprotected sex, early sexual initiation, and injecting drugs.”

Many of us come across these children daily but do we ever wonder how they end up on the street. An important question is what role an individual can play to help these children. These are just few stories out of thousands taking shape daily on the streets of Karachi, giving it an ugly look, crying at our social apathy and inability to take care of these flowers of 21st century.