Children repression prevention tribunal has two judges, one courtroom, and PP from a different court

Two judges, but only one courtroom. For one to conduct proceedings, the other must vacate the bench. There is also no dedicated Public Prosecutor (PP) to represent the state either. Instead, a prosecutor from another court serves here on an additional-duty basis.

This is the current state of the Children Violence Prevention Tribunal in Chattogram.

The tribunal was established with the specific goal of ensuring the swift disposal of child rape cases. However, it is currently grappling with a massive backlog of 1,092 pending cases. Over the last four and a half months, the tribunal has managed to settle only one single case.

Public prosecutors say the tribunal is operating with inadequate facilities. They said that to ensure justice for child victims, the authorities must provide a separate courtroom, appoint a permanent PP and resolve the ongoing shortage of administrative staff. Furthermore, ensuring the timely appearance of witnesses is essential to expedite the proceedings.

The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 (amended in 2026) mandated the formation of specialised ‘Children Violence Prevention Tribunal’ to exclusively handle child rape and related violence cases.

On 12 January, two such tribunals began operating on the fourth floor of the Chattogram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court building, covering cases from 16 metropolitan and 17 district police stations. Previously, these cases were carried out in the seven Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunals in Chattogram.

One such case currently pending involves a six-year-old child from the Bayazid Bostami area. The child’s father told Prothom Alo that he had hoped for a speedy trial after establishment of the separate tribunal, yet even the testimony has not begun. The incident dates back to 2022.

Similarly, a 2019 child rape case from the Chandgaon area remains unresolved. Although a suspect named Mahbubul Alam was arrested, the trial is currently at the witness testimony stage.

Meanwhile, the tribunal delivered a verdict just 26 days after a case was filed over the rape of a four-year-old child in Bakalia. On Wednesday (17 June), the accused, Monir Hossain, was sentenced to life imprisonment. The victim’s father had filed the case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act on 22 May.

Mahmudul Alam Chowdhury, Public Prosecutor of the Chattogram Child Violence Prevention Tribunal, told Prothom Alo that the court delivered the verdict in the child rape case within eight working days of the commencement of the trial.

Earlier, the tribunal had formally begun proceedings on 9 June by framing charges against the accused. After completing the investigation in five working days, Bakalia police submitted the charge sheet to the court on 4 June.

A total of 677 cases from the 16 police stations under Chattogram city are currently pending before the Child Violence Prevention Tribunal.

Mahmudul Alam Chowdhury, who serves as acting Public Prosecutor of the tribunal while also working as a prosecutor at the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2, told Prothom Alo that both the metropolitan and district tribunal judges are conducting proceedings in the same courtroom. According to him, judicial proceedings could move much faster if separate courtrooms were available.

“We have to divide our time between the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal and this tribunal. If a dedicated Public Prosecutor is appointed here, cases can be disposed of more quickly,” he said.

Alamgir Mohammad Yunus, the acting PP for the district tribunal, expressed the same concern. Yunus, who also serves as the PP for the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1, noted that the absence of plaintiffs and witnesses on scheduled dates is a primary cause of legal gridlock.

He said court proceedings are often delayed because of their absence. He also called for the appointment of the necessary staff, including an administrative officer, bench assistant and process server at the tribunal. Only then will rape cases be disposed of more quickly.

Abdus Sattar, former president of the Chattogram District Bar Association, said the swift disposal of such cases is essential to help prevent incidents of rape.

He told Prothom Alo that the Child Violence Prevention Tribunal in Chattogram lacks the necessary courtrooms, staff and dedicated public prosecutors. These shortcomings must be addressed, he said.