October 8, 2025
DHAKA – The regularity with which children are being harassed, abused, and raped is quite alarming. Several reports published over the past few months have revealed stark findings on child violence in the country. The latest gruesome incident involved the murder of a six-year-old girl in Shariatpur’s Bhedarganj upazila. Reportedly, the child, a nursery student, went missing on September 24. Two days later, her body was recovered from a neighbour’s septic tank. According to the post-mortem report, she was sexually assaulted before being strangled to death. The details of the torture inflicted on this little girl would leave one numb with horror. What kind of society do we live in where children face such brutal fates? Why is the state failing to ensure that our children grow up in a safe environment?
According to Ain o Salish Kendra, between January and August this year, a total of 297 children were killed across the country. The ages of the victims make the incidents even more disturbing. Among the children who were killed, 65 were between the ages of 0-6, and 66 were between 7-12. ASK data on child rape is similarly disturbing—326 girls and 34 boys raped in the first eight months of 2025. Worryingly still, the actual number of such victims could be much higher as many incidents go unreported, and cases are filed in only a handful of incidents. But what do those numbers say about our state’s child protection measures? Evidently, not much has improved even after decades of discussions and numerous government programmes aimed at ensuring child rights.
Unfortunately, our justice system also often fails the victims of such crimes, with numerous loopholes in the legal system obstructing the path to justice. Reportedly, between January and August this year, the conviction rate for crimes against children was just 0.52 percent, with a punishment rate of only 0.30 percent. Clearly, such low conviction rates only embolden the perpetrators. To create a safe environment for our children, this culture of impunity must be broken. The state must ensure that those who commit crimes against children are convicted without fail by strengthening the legal process. In the Shariatpur case of child murder, we urge the government to deliver justice following a swift and thorough investigation. Only by ensuring justice in such cases can the state prevent the recurrence of crimes against children.