For children living in slum areas, life is difficult and often dangerous, with high rates of malnourishment, school dropout, child marriage, child labour and abuse. The situation of children in urban slums is much worse than in rural Bangladesh, as per data from the Child Well Being Survey 2016 and the MICS.

The slums lack basic infrastructure and services and are in the constant threat of eviction. Because these are usually situated in fragile low lying areas, the urban poor living in slums are highly vulnerable to natural disaster.

The Dhaka city, the main urban centre, already has limited land. Fast urbanisation is pressurising its already weak services and fragile environment. Children, adolescents and their families living in slums do not have the awareness, means and capacity to demand for services.

Water and air pollution from poor waste and traffic management poses serious health risks. Urban areas experiencing unregulated growth are at higher risk in the event of earthquakes and cyclones.