Majority orphans suffer, a section involved in crime & religious militancy

Majority of orphans head towards uncertain life in inadequate and substandard orphanages amid negligence of the government resulting in involvement of a section of them in crime and religious militancy.
There are more than 100 orphanages in Dhaka and outskirts most of which cannot provide inmates with required food, clothes, education and shelter due to shortage of funds.
Many inmates in orphanages are not really parentless whereas real orphans being deprived of shelter there pass their days on footpath, road dividers, passenger terminals, railway stations and sheds adjacent to shops.
There is a communication gap between government and orphanage authorities with the effect that the former is ignorant of what is happening there. Some orphanages have been transformed into religious organizations rather than charitable ones as inmates are taught religious education like Quami type without following syllabus of the government.
Fund sources from government grant and public donation being inadequate the inmates have to beg in the streets, buses, markets and other public areas upon the instruction of orphanage authorities.
Rules and discipline in the orphanages are loose permitting drug addiction and other anti-social activities among inmates.
An orphan is not supposed to remain in the orphanage after 18 years but there is no planning as to where they will go and as to what they will do for lack of proper education.
A staff of Salimullah Muslim Orphanage at Azimpur confirmed that a problem is being caused for the reason that despite exceeding 18 years many boys and girls cannot leave orphanage as they are yet to be established.
Situation becomes worse as many orphanages have been constructed and funded by an unscrupulous section to impart religious training to the poor boys although many of those are not really parentless.
An orphanage is being funded by management of Shah Ali Bagh Mazar in Mirpur-1 where students are taught Quami type of education and some people from the Mazar visit the boys and teach something avoiding public notice.
Although social welfare and religious ministry are accountable for overseeing these organisations but concerned officials do not visit the orphanages and even are not knowledgeable about running of many houses in the name of orphanages.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today