I have been working on children’s rights for a long time. From grassroots initiatives to the national level, I have had the unique experience of interacting with children from various layers of society. The purity and simplicity I have witnessed in children’s presence has inspired me in ways that interactions with adults never have.
Their thoughts are untainted and sincere—if such innocence existed among adults, surely the world would have long become a paradise. But where can one find people who truly listen to the minds of children? I feel that by labeling children as the 'future generation', we may have inadvertently neglected their present existence and their immediate needs and desires. Adults assume, often selfishly, that children 'don’t know enough' or 'have nothing important to say'. We expect children to speak only as much as we, the adults, are willing to hear.
What defines a child
Bangladesh is approaching 55 years of independence. Yet, it is surprising that even after 55 years, the state has failed to provide a universally accepted definition of a ‘child.’ Several laws and policies exist in the country to protect children’s rights. However, inconsistent and uncoordinated explanations regarding age in these laws and policies have repeatedly confused the definition of a child.
To ensure children’s protection and rights, the first and foremost step is to establish a universal and widely accepted definition of a child and guarantee rights accordingly. Section 4 of Article 3 of the Children Act 2013 states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other existing law, for the purposes of this Act, all persons under the age of 18 shall be considered children.”
In reality, however, inconsistencies in age definitions across various existing laws and policies, coupled with the lack of necessary amendments and reforms, create confusion and complexity in determining a child’s legal status. Consequently, children are often deprived of their rights.
Perhaps because we have not clearly defined a child and their age, we do not know the exact number of citizens under 18 in Bangladesh. According to the Population and Housing Census 2022, there are over 48.9 million children under the age of 15, accounting for nearly 29 per cent of the total population. Meanwhile, citizens aged 15 to 24 number 31,561,811, about 19.11 per cent of the population.
In other words, to calculate the total number of children under the Children Act (under 18), one must engage in complex calculations and estimates. It is generally said that children make up roughly 40 per cent of the total population. By that measure, there are more than 66 million citizens under the age of 18 in Bangladesh.
How are the children?
The question is, how are the over 66 million children of Bangladesh? To understand their situation, one can look at the surrounding circumstances, but recent data also provides a clearer picture.
Child marriage remains the number one issue in establishing children’s rights in the country. Half of the nation’s children are girls, and half of these girls live under the threat of child marriage.
Years pass, decades pass, even generations pass, yet child marriage does not decrease. A joint report published last March by UNICEF, UN Women, and Plan International, titled “Girls’ Goals: What Has Changed for Girls? Adolescent Girls’ Rights Over Thirty Years,” states that 51.4 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 in Bangladesh were married before turning 18.
Malnutrition is another major concern. According to the Global Hunger Index 2024, 11.9 per cent of children in Bangladesh suffer from malnutrition, severely affecting their physical and mental development. Similarly, data from a 2022 survey by UNICEF and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics shows that among children aged 5 to 17, the child labour rate was approximately 8.9 per cent, affecting about 3.5 million children. Of these, around 1.07 million are engaged in hazardous work.
Lack of playgrounds also affects children. According to the World Economic Forum, Dhaka, a mega-city, requires at least 1,300 playgrounds proportionate to its population, but currently has only 235. Deprived of outdoor play, children turn to devices like mobile phones and tablets, which expose them to cybercrime. A 2023 report by the Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation found that 14.82 per cent of cybercrime victims were under the age of 18.
Children also face daily risks in unplanned urban environments—open manholes, encroached sidewalks, fear of hooligans, traffic congestion, and pothole-filled roads. On busy streets, if a child’s hand slips from a parent’s grasp, there is no guarantee that the child will ever be safely reunited with their mother.
Education is another burden. While the weight of books on children’s shoulders increases, the quality of education remains insufficient. Children’s physical health suffers under heavy schoolbags, yet debates over curriculum and textbooks continue. Examination systems, curricula, and textbook content are often politicised, leaving children unaware of how education, commerce, and politics are intertwined in their lives.
Violence and sexual abuse against children have escalated alarmingly in recent times. According to a report by Ain o Salish Kendra, in the first seven months of 2025, 306 girls were sexually abused, an increase of nearly 75 per cent compared to the same period last year. Among these victims, 49 were under six years old, while the rest were between 7 and 17 years old. The severity of abuse against children is truly shocking, and countless cases go unreported. Even their own homes are not safe spaces for children.
How long will children remain deprived?
Perhaps it is because children are innocent that the state does not hold itself accountable. They want to know: Why, in an independent and sovereign country, are children neglected and deprived of their rights? Why does the state fail to ensure their safety? Why do laws remain locked away for generations, unable to protect them? Why can’t children play freely, move safely, or express their feelings without fear? What crime have they committed?
A few days ago, at the opening ceremony of the National Child Rights Week, I heard the Advisor on Women and Children tell the children, “You can contact the ministry directly for any problem.”
The question is, when adults struggle just to communicate with ministry officials, how can children be expected to contact the ministry directly? How long will we continue to deprive children with mere words and empty promises?
It is astonishing that in a country with over 66 million children, there is no separate department solely for children. Bangladesh has departments for youth development, women’s affairs, labour, fisheries, forestry, and even livestock protection, but there is no dedicated department to safeguard the rights of 40 per cent of the population—the children.
Currently, more than 20 ministries work on child development and rights, yet there is no coordinated plan, clear programme, or effective implementation. Whenever the topic of a children’s department arises, the issue of limited resources is repeatedly cited. Yet, investing in children should be a top priority of the state.
We know that investment in children multiplies its benefits many times over. Bangladesh spends thousands of crores on mega projects, yet the demand for investing in the country’s most valuable resource—its children—is repeatedly ignored.
The most significant avenue to build a strong future for the nation is through children. Ensuring their proper development and nurturing their potential strengthens the foundation of the country. Yet, establishing this strong foundation is repeatedly neglected.
Let us not consider children merely as the future; let us acknowledge their present existence and recognise them as important citizens today. We must listen to children, feel with them, and understand their dreams and potential. If children are not well, we cannot be well. If children are not properly prepared for the future, Bangladesh itself cannot thrive.
Rather than silencing children, let us amplify their voices and build a Bangladesh where children are not treated as mere dependents. Let us create a new Bangladesh for children, led by children, and shaped by their participation and leadership.
#Nishath Sultana is writer and development worker