A job I think deserves far more respect is rubbish collection, the people who pick up our waste every day. I'm a thirty-one-year-old accountant in Dhaka, and I started thinking about this seriously during the monsoon last year.
In my neighbourhood, collectors come round with handcarts early every morning, usually before six. They go from building to building, collect bags left at the gates, sort out some plastic and metal to sell, and then push the heavy carts to a larger collection point. They do it in heat, rain and floods, often without gloves or proper boots.
At the moment, they're mostly invisible to society. People rarely greet them, and I've seen residents complain loudly if they're five minutes late, but never thank them. Their pay is low, and many people look down on the work as dirty or shameful. Some children are even told to study hard so they don't 'end up like them'.
I believe the job deserves more respect because a city simply can't function without it. During a strike a few years ago, rubbish piled up in the streets within days, the smell was unbearable and diseases spread quickly. That showed me how much we depend on them. They also do a lot of recycling, which helps the environment more than many of us do. There's a personal side too. One collector, Rahim, once found my father's wallet in a rubbish bag and returned it with everything inside. Since then, I always say good morning and give him tea during festivals. Respect doesn't cost anything, and it would make a real difference to how they feel.