United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka's sprawling slums have long been a symbol of hardship, but a worsening crisis is now intensifying the struggles of their residents— the alarming rise of drug addiction. A field visit to various slum areas reveals a grim reality where substance abuse is tearing apart families and futures. In Korail slum, Nadia (pseudonym) recounts her father’s tragic downfall. Once a hardworking man, he now spends his days intoxicated, leaving Ripa and her mother to toil as domestic workers to sustain the family. Their story is not unique as it echoes throughout the slums, where addiction is claiming lives and livelihoods. Atiya Khatun, another resident, fights a daily battle to survive. “My husband is no longer around. My son used to work in a shop, but addiction took hold of him, and now he refuses to work. I used to clean two houses; now, I clean six just to make ends meet. If I don’t give him money for drugs, he turns violent.” Sixteen-year-old Sifat, who works in a shop and dreams of going back to school, explains the gravity of the situation: “Many of my friends worked here, but they’ve all been lost to addiction. They use yaba, various pills, cannabis, and other substances. They buy drugs from bars and Raja Bazaar. Their parents don’t even know. They just take money from them and spend it on drugs.” Poverty and Exploitation Slum residents pay around Tk 3,500 to Tk 4,000 for a single cramped room, leaving them with little to cover other expenses. Asma Khatun (not her real name) highlights the economic desperation that drives many to extreme measures. “There is barely any work available. Employers offer Tk 4,000-5,000 for an entire day’s labour, but rent alone consumes most of that. Many women are forced to beg or engage in unethical activities just to survive,” she said. She went on to say, “Addiction is making everything worse. Those who already struggled financially now face an even bleaker future.” Education: A Flicker of Hope Despite the hardships, some slum families prioritise education. Nasima, a mother, proudly shares, “My son is studying in a madrasah, and my sister’s two sons are in college and university.” Russell Sarwar, Inspector of Banani police station, acknowledges the challenge: “Hundreds of thousands of people live in the two parts of Koral slum. We conduct daily raids and arrest an average of 5-6 individuals each day. Many young people here are addicted. Growing up in such an environment makes it hard for them to develop positive habits. However, a few manage to escape through education, and that is encouraging.” In Rupnagar, Mirpur, the story repeats itself. Fourteen-year-old Shahana was once a student, but addiction shattered her family’s stability. “My father used to work, but now he stays intoxicated. I had to drop out and start working with my mother in homes to survive.” One anonymous boy shared a personal battle: “I, too, gave in to peer pressure and tried drugs. My parents were furious and forced me back into school, but most of my friends are still addicted.” Homelessness and Hopelessness The Malibagh Rail Gate area is home to many families who have lived on the streets for years. Zahurul Haque and his wife reside in a makeshift shelter of plastic sheets. “We barely manage two meals a day. On top of that, we have to pay Tk 5-10 every time we use public toilets. It’s an unbearable burden,” he laments. The family, like many others, dreams of free public facilities that could ease their suffering. Expert Insight: Breaking the Cycle Touhidul Haque, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, Dhaka University, underscores the structural issues behind addiction: “Family plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s future. But in slums, poverty dictates life from birth. Most parents cannot afford proper education, leaving their children vulnerable to crime and substance abuse. A few manage to break free, but for many, addiction becomes a lifelong struggle.” The rising addiction crisis among Dhaka’s slum youth is not just a personal tragedy—it is a societal emergency. As addiction fuels financial ruin and social decay, experts stress the need for comprehensive interventions, including education, job opportunities, and rehabilitation programmes. Without urgent action, the cycle of addiction and poverty will continue to trap generations in despair. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has over 5,000 slums housing approximately four million people. One of the largest among them is Korail, which spans about 100 acres and is home to more than 50,000 residents. The issue of slum dwelling is not unique to Bangladesh; as of 2022, 24.8% of the world's urban population lived in slums. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this figure was even higher at 53.6%, the highest percentage of any major region. In contrast, Australia and New Zealand reported no urban slum populations that year. Globally, slum populations continue to rise. The UN estimates that 1.1 billion people currently live in slums or slum-like conditions in cities, with an additional two billion expected to do so over the next 30 years. This growing urban challenge underscores the urgent need for sustainable housing solutions and inclusive urban planning to accommodate expanding city populations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recorded an increase in the total recruitment contracts of domestic workers during the fourth quarter of the year 2021, where the rate of increase between October and December reached more than 15%, according to "Musaned" platform of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, which is specialized in the recruitment of domestic workers. Saudi Arabia is utilizing "Musaned" platform to add several new countries to the recruitment of workers in the current year 2022. The Kingdom is also keen to have the domestic workers exported from the new countries fit the Saudi family, based on several studies and criteria, including: epidemics, crime rate, language, educational level, expected recruitment cost, salaries, and other criteria. The platform indicated that the recruitment contracts of the domestic workers recorded an increase during the fourth quarter of the last year by amounting to 65,000 contracts in October, rising in November to more than 69,000 contracts, while in December they exceeded the ceiling of 76,000 contracts, thus recording a steady increase in the number of recruitment contracts at the end of 2021. READ: Bangladesh lambasts Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's Jazan "Musaned" platform indicated that Bangladesh topped the list of countries with the highest domestic workers recruitment contracts during the month of December of the year 2021 with more than 12 thousand contracts, while Pakistan came second with more than 11 thousand contracts, followed by the India with about 11 thousand contracts. The latter recorded in December a higher turnout in issuing contracts compared to the months of October and November. READ: Bangladesh condemns Houthi attack on southern Saudi Arabia Based on the November records, Philippines recorded 13,000 recruitment contracts, followed by the Bangladesh with 13,000 contracts, and Egypt with more than 9,000 contracts. Philippines recorded the same figure of 13,000 contracts in October, while the number from Bangladesh rose to more than 11,000 contracts, and Uganda ranked third with about 10,000 contracts. It is worth noting that "Musaned" platform aims to govern, automate and facilitate the procedures of the recruitment of domestic workers and increase the level of protection of the rights of all parties by managing the contracting process between individuals and the recruitment offices, in addition to the management of the relationship between the Saudi recruitment offices and the domestic workers offices in the workers exporting countries. Source: ALSON World

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated working conditions that were already very poor, and domestic workers were more vulnerable to the fallout from the pandemic because of long-standing gaps in labour and social protection, according to a new ILO report. ''This particularly affected the more than 60 million domestic workers in the informal economy,'' the report noted. Ten years after the adoption of an historic International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention that confirmed their labour rights, domestic workers are still fighting for recognition as workers and essential service providers. Working conditions for many have not improved in a decade and have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report. Also read: ILO: Slow jobs recovery, increased inequality risk long-term COVID-19 scarring At the height of the crisis, job losses among domestic workers ranged from 5-20 percent in most European countries, as well as Canada and South Africa. In the Americas, the situation was worse, with losses amounting to 25-50 percent. Over the same period, job losses among other employees were less than 15 percent in most countries. Data in the report shows that the world’s 75.6 million domestic workers (4.5 percent of employees worldwide) have suffered significantly, which in turn has affected the households that rely on them to meet their daily care needs. "The crisis has highlighted the urgent need to formalise domestic work to ensure their access to decent work, starting with the extension and implementation of labour and social security laws to all domestic workers," said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. A decade ago the adoption of the landmark Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) was hailed as a breakthrough for the tens of millions of domestic workers around the world – most of whom are women. Also read: ILO, UNICEF record first increase in child labour in two decades Since then there has been some progress – with a decrease of more than 16 percentage points in the number of domestic workers who are wholly excluded from the scope of labour laws and regulations. Domestic work remains a female-dominated sector, employing 57.7 million women, who account for 76.2 percent of domestic workers. While women make up the majority of the workforce in Europe and Central Asia and in the Americas, men outnumber women in Arab States (63.4 percent) and North Africa, and make up just under half of all domestic workers in Southern Asia (42.6 percent). The vast majority of domestic workers are employed in two regions. About half (38.3 million) can be found in Asia and the Pacific – largely on account of China – while another quarter (17.6 million) are in the Americas.

Forty-four domestic helps in the country faced workplace torture in 2020.