When poverty and insecurity threaten the very existence of a person, one would most probably agree with Haider.

To most of the homeless vagrants of Dhaka City existence is a big gamble.They neither have any profession to earn a livelihood nor a shelter to rest their head. Insecurity is the password of their life.

Food, clothing and shelter are basic human needs. The homeless have somehow reached the capital city from the villages. But now they have to struggle for their most basic needs much like the mythical golden deer.

Human Rights is mainly a high-sounding phrase derived mainly from the West- where the basic needs of the people have already been met.

The way many people live in Dhaka City is inhuman. But is there any alternative?

Recently, the government took a decision not to employ under-aged workers In the garments sector. This decision was taken under pressure from the US government.

This decision could be a risky one for Bangladesh. Already, a large number of girls have lost their jobs.

At least 90% of the workers in garment factories are women. This decision of the government made a huge number of women jobless resulting into many families losing their main, sometimes the only, source of income.

When a vagrant girl or sex worker of school going age roams on the city streets to earn some money to buy food to fill her belly the rationale for government’s decision to eliminate child labor in this manner raises big question marks in the public mind.

The same decision could make a totally reverse impact in an economically well off country. We are reminded that during the industrial revolution in England under-aged under aged children were employed as full time workers who had to work in the mines or factories for 12- 16 hours a day.

We are not defending child labor, but it is not desirable either that the rulers of our country should take decisions that are prompted from outside and do not consider the stark realities of our society. Decisions Should be taken to solve problems, not to aggravate them.00