The reports of Bangladesh’s street children struggling through cold and hunger are a heartbreaking and deeply unacceptable reality.

With recent cold waves and dropping temperatures, the fact that approximately 500,000 children are unable to find warmth, food, or basic shelter should prompt immediate action.

Children on the streets are among the most vulnerable in our society, and their struggles are a chronic reality that intensifies during colder months.

For a country that speaks of progress, tolerance, and compassion, failing to protect its youngest and weakest citizens is a glaring lapse in accountability.

These children are citizens whose right to basic safety and nourishment is the nation’s responsibility, and a lack of sufficient measures to fulfil this duty is, frankly, shameful.

While the authorities claim support is being provided, it is clearly not enough. Confronting this crisis demands larger, more concrete measures.

Safe and permanent shelters with year-round capacity must be built so that street children have reliable places to eat and sleep.

Community outreach, paired with stronger social services, must also be expanded. Many street children lack identity documentation or family support, which makes access to aid difficult. Mobile food distribution, healthcare services, and psychosocial support should be deployed to reach children wherever they are.

In addition, local governments and NGOs must collaborate on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes that help children find safe support systems or transition into education and skills development.

It is unacceptable for anyone -- especially a child -- to endure cold and hunger in a nation capable of far better. 

These concerns must be translated into lasting policy, structure, and compassion that outlive the winter season. Only then can we truly claim to value the future of every child in this country.