Bodies of 36 missing children recovered in eight months

The body of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Apratim, who went missing in Cumilla, has been recovered. Earlier this year, bodies of other missing children were found buried in the ground or in rivers.

According to human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), the bodies of 36 missing children were recovered during the first eight months of the year.

In addition to missing children whose bodies were later recovered, there have also been cases this year of children being killed after rape, dying from physical abuse, and being killed along with family members. In some of the killings, allegations have been made against people known to the victims.

For example, a seven-year-old child in Madarganj, Jamalpur, went to school on 10 September and did not return home. On 12 September, the child’s body was found buried beneath the floor of a classmate’s house.

Police said at a press conference that the classmate’s father had raped and killed the child. Two people were arrested in connection with the incident.

ASK compiles statistics based on reports published in various media outlets. Its figures show that 155 children died in various incidents during the first eight months of the year, from January to August, including cases involving missing children, murder, rape and abuse.

Of them, 68 died after physical abuse, 49 died after abuse within the family, 26 were killed after rape, including two boys, four were killed after attempted rape, three were shot dead, two domestic workers died after physical abuse, two were killed by stalkers, and one was killed after being abducted.

In addition, there were 99 cases involving suicide, mysterious deaths and recovery of children’s bodies.

A series of child killings have come to light recently. In Pabna Sadar, for example, a 10-year-old child went missing on 9 September. Seven days later, on 16 September, the child’s body was recovered from a ditch. Police said the child had been raped and killed. Two people were arrested in connection with the incident.

Four incidents recently reported in the media indicate that seven children were killed along with other members of their families.

On 25 June, a mother and her three daughters were hacked to death after attackers entered their rented home in Raipur, Lakshmipur. Of the three sisters, Sipa was 10, Ikra was 17 and Saima Akhter was 21.

In August, 12-year-old Ayush was killed along with his father retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, mother and elder sister in Rangpur. The same month, in Shibchar, Madaripur, the body of a woman was recovered, and five days later, on 24 August, the body of her one-year-old child was recovered from a river. Police said the mother and child had been killed.

In Tahirpur, Sunamganj, three children from the same family, aged ten, seven and two, were killed during the night of 18 September.

There have been many other killings besides those involving children. According to data from the Police Headquarters, 2,362 murder cases were filed across the country during the eight months from January to August this year. That amounts to an average of 295 murder cases a month.

Alongside child killings, there have also been numerous cases of children going missing. Various media outlets reported that more than 15,000 children had gone missing across the country between January and July this year.

Against this backdrop, Police Headquarters issued a press release on 3 September saying that 15,717 children had gone missing during the first seven months of the year, but more than 87 per cent had been rescued.

A total of 13,679 children had been rescued. That leaves 2,038 children still missing, or nearly 13 per cent of the total.

UNICEF expressed concern over the rape and killing of children in Bangladesh in a statement issued on 22 May.

Rana Flowers, UNICEF’s representative in Bangladesh at the time, called for an end to impunity in such cases. The organisation also called for children’s safety to be ensured in every setting—in homes, institutions and society.

UNICEF stressed the need to address gaps in mechanisms for reporting abuse, child-friendly policing and judicial processes, local protection services, and psychosocial support. It also called for greater accountability in schools, madrasas and workplaces.

Professor Fatema Rezina Iqbal, chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Dhaka, follows cases involving child killings and violence against children.

Speaking to Prothom Alo yesterday, Saturday, she said such brutality against children was deeply concerning for society. “The question now is: where are children actually safe? It seems their safety cannot be ensured anywhere—not on playgrounds, when they go out with friends, or even when they are with their families.”

Fatema Rezina Iqbal said that in addition to perpetrators’ distorted mindsets, revenge and family disputes could also lie behind such violence against children. In some cases, children become victims of conflicts or hostility among adults, she said. She added that swift and exemplary punishment for such crimes could increase public awareness and help reduce such incidents.