Deep scars in young minds

A four-year-old child trembles at the sound of loud noise. When it comes to school, there is now only one thing on his small lips—“School is bad, I won’t go to school anymore.” At an age when school should be a joyful place filled with the scent of new books and the chatter of friends, fear has already taken root in his mind.

On 18 January this year, the child was subjected to physical punishment at a kindergarten named Sharmin Academy in the Naya Paltan area of the capital. Since then, he has not been able to return to school.

He is not alone. Across the country, thousands of children subjected to corporal punishment in schools and madrasas are silently carrying such invisible wounds—marks that are often deeper in the mind than on the body.

Numerous videos of such punishment in educational institutions have spread across social media—some showing caning, some forcing children to squat holding their ears, and others even showing punishment by submerging children in water. On 25 January, a video of children being forced to squat holding their ears at the central playground of Dhaka University went viral, drawing criticism toward DUCSU member Sarbamitra Chakma; authorities later issued him a warning.

Although laws and campaigns exist worldwide to end all forms of punishment against children, it has not been eliminated in practice. Against this backdrop, the International Day to End Corporal Punishment of Children is being observed today, 30 April. The observance began under an initiative titled “End Violence Partnership,” and the World Health Organisation joined the initiative in 2023.

According to the preliminary report of the “Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025” conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF, 86 per cent of children aged 1 to 14 in the country experienced physical or psychological punishment in the month preceding the survey. Among them, 25 per cent were subjected to physical punishment such as slapping on the face, head, ears, and neck, beating, and repeated physical assault.

Age-based analysis shows that children aged 3 to 9 are the most affected. Among them, 76 per cent experience physical punishment and 33 per cent experience severe physical punishment. For children aged 5 to 9, the rates are 67 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

Yet corporal punishment of children is prohibited by law in Bangladesh. The Children Act of 2013 provides for up to five years’ imprisonment for causing physical or mental harm to a child. In addition, the Ministry of Education introduced a policy in 2011 banning physical and mental punishment of children in educational institutions.

However, experts say that due to the lack of government regulation and monitoring in kindergartens and certain madrasahs, including Qawmi institutions, these policies are not being effectively implemented. State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Badiul Hossain acknowledged such concerns.

He told Prothom Alo that the government lacks the capacity to monitor all institutions due to the rapid growth in the number of primary-level schools. However, he said discussions will soon be held with representatives of kindergarten schools on these issues.

On 11 August last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report titled “Corporal Punishment of Children: The Public Health Impact.” The report states that although corporal punishment is completely banned in 67 countries, it remains prevalent in many others.

The rate of corporal punishment in schools is around 70 per cent in Africa and Central America, and about 25 per cent in the Western Pacific region. Globally, around 1.2 billion children experience punishment at home every year.

The report states that corporal punishment does not improve children’s behaviour; rather, it reduces empathy and self-control, and increases the risk of lying, stealing, truancy, and involvement in crime later in life.

On 22 April, the father of the child abused at Sharmin Academy told Prothom Alo, “We wanted to admit him to another school. But he is so scared that he does not want to enroll anywhere. He says, ‘School is bad, they beat you at school.’ His eating has also decreased.”

In a case filed by the child’s mother, the school manager, Pabitra Kumar, was arrested. However, the head teacher, Sharmin Jahan, has not been arrested.

On 3 April, a seven-year-old child at Madrastul Abrar Arabia Madrasah in Narsingdi town was allegedly beaten for refusing to bathe. The child’s father said, “There is a limit to discipline. The way the teacher beat my son, he could have died from it.” The teacher, Nazmus Sakib, has been arrested by police.

On 3 September, 2024, a second-grade student at Seba Multimedia School in Batakandi area of Titas upazila in Cumilla lost vision in his right eye after being struck with a scale by a teacher. Although the teacher, Rahatul Islam, was arrested, he is now out on bail.

In May 2024, a child reportedly died following abuse at Al Moeen Islami Academy Madrasah in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila. In September last year, and again on 3 April, the hanging bodies of two children were found in madrasahs in Hatirjheel in Dhaka and Companiganj in Noakhali, respectively.

Regarding such allegations of abuse, Mohammad Arifur Rahman Majumdar, Deputy Director (Administration) of the Madrasah Education Directorate, told Prothom Alo, “Among the madrasahs where incidents of abuse have occurred, some are Qawmi, Hifz, and privately run institutions. We do not have control over these institutions.”

Asked how action would be taken in such cases, he said those accused must be brought under the law as criminal offenders.

Layla Khandakar, convener of the organization “Shishurai Shob,” said that although circulars banning punishment in educational institutions exist, they have not been effectively enforced. She told Prothom Alo that even if teachers lose their temper, it cannot justify punishment. Proper training is needed for teachers to supervise children effectively, and they must behave responsibly toward them.

She urged teachers and parents not to vent personal anger, frustration, or disappointment on children. She said punishment does not teach proper behaviour; rather, love and age-appropriate guidance support healthy development.

Children who experience punishment may become involved in violent behaviour in the future. Therefore, if punishment against children is not stopped, it will be difficult to break the cycle of violence in society.