164 children raped in six months

A culture of impunity, social decay and abuse of power have made child rape a deeply alarming reality in the country, with at least 164 children reportedly raped in the past six months.

According to available data compiled from reported incidents, 164 children became victims in 156 incidents during the period. In some incidents, more than one child was victimised.

Of the victims, 24 were killed after rape. Chattogram district recorded the highest number of child rape incidents, with 37 cases, while Dhaka division recorded the highest number among divisions, with 49 cases.

The data shows that children below the age of 10 were the most vulnerable. Of the 164 victims, 117 were under 10 years old, accounting for 71 percent of the total. Among them, 22 were below the age of five.

Children aged between 11 and 14 accounted for 37 victims, representing around one-fourth of the total.
The analysis also shows that the accused were not always strangers. In 76 cases, or 44 percent of the total, family members, relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, teachers, madrasa teachers or imams were allegedly involved. In the remaining 88 cases, or 56 percent, the accused were unknown to the victims or their families.

Among the cases involving known persons, close relatives and neighbours were named in 36 incidents, accounting for 23 percent of the total. School and madrasa teachers and imams were named in 32 incidents, representing 21 percent.

Rights activists say the figures indicate that children are no longer safe only by staying away from unknown places or strangers. Homes, neighbourhoods, educational institutions and places of religious learning have also become areas of concern.

The situation is even more alarming in cases where victims were killed after rape. Of the 24 children who were killed, most were below the age of nine. The three youngest victims were only four years old.
In 16 of the 24 killing cases, the accused were reportedly unknown to the child or the family. In the remaining eight cases, stepfathers, brothers-in-law or other family members were accused.

Gender-based data shows that 87 girl children and 43 boy children were raped. Girls accounted for 53 percent of the victims, while boys accounted for 26 percent. The gender of 34 victims was not mentioned in media reports.

The data also recorded 43 cases involving male child victims. In 26 of these cases, madrasa teachers or mosque imams were accused, meaning 60 percent of reported cases involving male child victims were linked to religious educational institutions or places of worship. Five cases involved family members or close relatives, while 12 involved unknown persons.

Child rights campaigners say the figures point to serious failures in prevention, protection and justice. They say delays in investigation, weak prosecution, social pressure on victims’ families and lack of child-friendly reporting systems allow many offenders to escape accountability.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Fawzia Moslem identified the culture of impunity as one of the main reasons behind the rise in such crimes.

“Without creating examples through justice, these crimes will never decrease – they will only continue to rise,” she said.

Rights activists have called for speedy trials, stronger monitoring of schools and madrasas, child protection committees at local level, safe complaint mechanisms and psychological support for survivors.

They said children must be protected not only in public spaces, but also inside homes, schools, religious institutions and neighbourhoods, where many victims come into contact with people they are expected to trust.