Sort out harmful objects from waste to save scavengers
Speakers tell seminar
Harmful objects should be sorted out from waste before throwing those into the dustbins or dumping sites, said speakers at a seminar yesterday.
This system will protect those women and children who work on the garbage sites from harmful materials, including sharp objects or medical waste.
Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) and Grambangla Unnayan Committee (GBUC) organised the seminar on 'Depraved conditions of scavenging children and women' at Cirdap Auditorium in the city.
Everyday about 27,000 tonnes of solid waste end up in 10,000 dustbins and 70 dumping sites across the country. Over four lakh people, including children, scavenge through these garbage dumps to earn their livelihoods.
They face serious health hazards and are deprived of basic human rights, said the speakers.
“People express a feeling of repulsion towards us. They ask us to stay away from them,” said Sufia, a scavenger at DCC landfill in Matuail.
“We toil behind the recycling industry without any recognition,” she said.
These women are forced to take their children in the landfills. These children are exposed to harmful waste materials, said the speakers.
Some even face accidents with garbage trucks, levelling machines or bulldozers, they added.
The situation cannot be solved immediately but the government should take short-term initiatives to this end, said Prof Anisur Rahman, a Board Member of RIB.
The government should try to provide the scavenging communities with basic rights and facilities, he said.
Speaking as the chief guest, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said some of the health hazards faced by the scavengers could be minimised by providing them with protective gloves and boots.
They (scavengers) should be given fair price for their work, she said.
RIB Chairman Dr Shamsul Bari chaired the programme while GBUC Executive Director AKM Maqsud presented the keynote paper.
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