The Reality of Being Born Poor

Aasha Mehreen Amin

While most of us may agree that poverty is by far the biggest burden for a nation to carry, there are few books on this subject that grasps the attention and compels the reader to read from start to finish. This is why a book like 'Our Lives and Hopes' Beyond Statistics and Reports is such a rare find. Through the voices of 140 children the reader is introduced to the daily struggles of the poor, especially poor children. The stories are compelling because the children themselves, in impassioned tones, narrate them; they speak of unbelievable deprivations and remarkable optimism in spite of all odds.

Our Lives and Hopes Beyond Statistics and Reports By Mridu Shailaj Thanki and Jyoti Dhingra Price: TK. 340; pp 158 Publisher: University Press Limited, 2006

The most obvious intention is to give a first hand account of this struggle to survive that is part of our reality that we often choose to ignore. There is enough statistical information to draw obvious conclusions about the extent of poverty in our country: 'A conservative estimate puts the number of street children (children living and working in the streets of Dhaka) at 50,000. Almost 80 per cent come from the rural areas. Approximately 10,000 girls are working as prostitutes on the streets of Dhaka - many as young as 9 and the majority around 14…'

But it is the simple quotes of the children that bring to life the difficulties they face and the absence of basic opportunities that stand in the way of their living a close to decent life. Says Ali, a thirteen-year-old: 'People do look down on us poor; they do not recognise us as human beings. The police harass us the most, day and night. They beat us, kick us, wake us up and take us to the police station…Six years of life on the streets - there is nothing I like about it…I hope someone will give me work but it does not happen. There are people who try to push us into bad (sex) work. I resist but they take me and make me do bad work…'

Complementing the stories are the in -depth analyses of the researchers who have interviewed many of the parents of these children to get a total picture of the reality they live in.

Through extensive interviews the authors have found out things like, how these children see themselves in society, how poverty affects them, what their aspirations are and how they perceive the rich. Eleven-year-old Mia who lives in a slum near Gulshan lake sums it up: 'Big people are big headed. If you say something they can say you are poor we are big people…Rich people want to block poor people. But there are others who want the poor to be like them. But some think the poor should stay where they are - they are poor let them be poor. Some do much work but get little pay…'

Dhaka, being a mega-city, is chosen to demonstrate the nitty-gritty of urban poverty because of its unique status. It is a city bursting at the seams as more and more migrants from impoverished rural areas rush to in searching for work. Thus 'amidst all this growth and development lie massive pockets of poverty. …poverty is very much 'in your face'. Life on the streets is unbelievably brutal for poor children. They live in stations, docks, parks and any place where they get shelter. The police are brutal and offer no protection from local thugs who often force these children into prostitution or crime. Apart from the risks and deprivations of living on the streets, many children cannot stay with their loved ones especially their mothers because of poverty.

The writers have, through the interviews, identified the major causes of urban poverty such as lack of work in the villages and the misfortune of being born poor. 'Ill health, lack of jobs, death, depletion or loss of resources push people further and further into deprivation…The writers call this the 'quicksand of poverty' where 'if you are born in a poor country into a poor family, 99 per cent chances are that you will remain poor or get poorer, deprived of many rights enshrined in various constitutions and charters.'

The researchers point out the significance of family support for Bangladeshis whether in the villages or in the urban areas.'In the absence of any welfare system, generally the family provides what support it can to the more deprived of its clan. Patronage also plays an important part in an individual's survival or betterment, for Bangladesh remains a class- and status-driven society…'

One of the most humbling revelations of the book is the obvious maturity of these children who have had to think like adults in terms of how they will survive in the absence of support. Their dreams are modest constrained by their situation. These children are not necessarily interested in becoming rich. They want to go to school, live in clean homes with their family and get the chance to work in decent environments where they will not be abused. Most of all they want to be treated with respect.

The writers emphasise this need to show respect to the poor and are scathing in their criticism of all agents of power and privilege. These include not only the rich members of society but also the government and the formidable number of NGOs that have made disappointing progress. International bodies such as WTO and the IMF are also blamed because of the difficult conditions they impose on poor countries. The writers remark that 'without fundamental transformation in our thinking regarding rich-poor relations, those both between richer and poorer nations and between poor and affluent people, not much will change for the people living in poverty.'

The researchers refreshing avoidance of development jargon and simple, lucid style, makes this an easy-to read book. Simple drawings by children intersperse the book, add colour and give expression to their thoughts. The writers' empathy and respect for these children are more than obvious as is their criticism of the larger society that has failed to provide any support system. If it is the intention of Thanki and Dhingra to make the privileged squirm, it has certainly been successful. Perhaps enough to change their attitude towards the poor.

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2006