Hofstra University Professor Kari Jensen teaches global studies and geography and specializes in the plight of impoverished children in Bangladesh. Jensen, a native of Norway, focuses her research in
the slums of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and has worked with human rights organizations to increase access to education.
Q: Why Bangladesh?
A: My husband is Bangladeshi, so I guess my reasons were romantic. I always wanted to help people but I definitely wanted to focus my attention on Bangladesh because of him. I met him in Norway and went to Bangladesh a few years after we had been married. I’ve been there seven times.
Q: What kind of work did you do?
A: For my last major Ph.D. project I studied the experiences of child domestic workers, or servants, who are sent from poor villages to wealthier families in the city. The grave problem is that these kids are so vulnerable so it just depends on what kind of employer they get. They don’t have anyone to look out for their best interest. They have parents in the village, parents who think that they are sending their child to a better life in the city.
Q: Do these parents send their children away without knowing what’s going on?
A: One of the youngest child servants was five years old. Can you imagine? All alone, without family supervision to make sure they are OK. Kids can be beaten, starved, abused--physically and sexually. Many of the parents in the villages are naïve; they believed the salespeople who came and said their children would be safe and rich and showered with gifts. They really know how to butter these village families up. These parents that I spoke with said they never thought anybody would have a reason to hurt their children. But some of their children came back abused and that’s when they realized the reality. Human Rights Organizations now form networks through the villages so that families can share their experiences and other mothers can be warned of the risks of sending their kids away. It’s a huge step forward.
Q: Were you surprised by the results of any of your research?
A: During one of my research trips I interviewed 240 households in the slums about why their children did not go to school. Almost every single parent hoped their child would go to school because they said it was the only way out of poverty. I was surprised because my findings were different from what I had read in other research. Many research reports and big organizations tend to throw out statements about the poor people being ignorant but in my experience they all recognized the value of education. I guess what I’m trying to say is poor people are not stupid people. They may have varying reasons for not enrolling their children. For example, about 10 percent of the parents said they wouldn’t enroll their kids in school because they were afraid of having their kids go out in traffic. Traffic in Bangladesh is complete chaos and it is very dangerous. Or even just the cost of notebooks, something that sounds really minor to us is unaffordable for many of these families.
Q: Can you describe Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, for someone who has never been to a third world country?
A: I’m teaching South Asian geography class in which I once had a student ask me the same question. A Bangladeshi student in the same class answered, “It’s like the mall at Black Friday, every single day.” It’s such a great description of the markets, the streets, the sidewalks where you never get anywhere. Traveling to a place that should only be 10 minutes away would take hours. There weren’t just cars on the streets. There were lots of rickshaws, bike taxis, even animals. It’s all combined. It’s one of the most densely populated places on earth. It’s also very hot and humid.
Q: Slumdog Millionaire, this year’s Academy Award winning movie, graphically portrays slums in India. Did the slums you visited look anything like that? Or were the slums exaggerated?
A: I loved the movie. Loved it. I was very emotional when I saw it because it reminded me so much of my fieldwork. I walked around the slums for months talking to people and Bangladesh was just like that. It’s not exaggerated. That is how roughly half the urban population lives. That’s the reality. It really is that unhygienic. It’s where they have their babies. That’s where they grew up.
It’s extreme wealth and extreme poverty side-by-side, intermingled. It’s very striking, it’s scary. It’s surreal. You know that’s how the world is -- it’s full of contrasts -- it’s just that it becomes so clear when you see it right in front of you, just side by side like that. And speaking to the rich is depressing because in many cases they couldn’t care less. They become oblivious.
Q: You were in Bangladesh for six months at one point. Did you initially experience culture shock?
A: Oh definitely. The difficult part wasn’t adjusting to the culture. I had learned a little bit of the language. Loved the food. I had many Bangladeshi friends in Norway. I felt comfortable and even excited about culture. The real shock was in seeing poverty up close. I’m not talking about just barely getting by. I mean people with grave difficulties, knocking on my door for food for a starving child. It was hard because I wanted to help everybody and that’s impossible. I just felt very helpless and frustrated.
Q: What is your most vivid memory from Bangladesh?
A: I especially remember a single mother with a tiny, tiny baby who was severely handicapped. The mother was with her brother who was also handicapped. His feet were severely deformed. He was with her for protection. In Bangladesh it’s a huge problem if you’re a woman and you’re on your own. He and the baby were so thin I just started crying. They came knocking at my door, asking for food and I asked them to come back. I bought some baby clothing and a few other things. The baby was so thin and so tiny and looked so much younger than it actually was. It was heartbreaking.
Q: What aspect of the Bangladeshi culture impresses you most?
A: Their use of resources. We have so much to learn. They don’t let anything go to waste. It’s really amazing. Anything like paper, plastic, clothes- they find a way of reusing, recycling anything. Of course we can say they have to because they’re poor. So what: we think we can use as much as we want of anything. But our earth will eventually come to an end if we don’t correct our ways. We have become more materialistic, richer and wealthier but, we’ve forgotten what really matters. Most people realize that relationships matter most. I feel that most Bangladeshis put a lot of emphasis on family. They spend a lot of time with one another.
Q: What is your advice for college students who want to help people and make a difference?
A: Learn about what is going on in the world. Engage yourself in organizations. Try to keep sympathy and empathy high up on the list. We need to identify with the pain of other people to solve problems.
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