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Monday | September 21, 2026 | Dhaka

ASK seeks stronger measures to protect missing children

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:02 AM, 21 September 2026

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has raised serious concerns over child safety after 36 children were found dead following their disappearance between January and August this year.

In a statement issued to the media on Sunday, the legal aid and human rights organisation said the recovery of a child’s body after going missing could not be treated as a normal or isolated incident.
The statement came after the body of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Opratim, who went missing in Comilla, was recovered.

ASK said a series of recent incidents involving children going missing and later being found dead, along with cases of rape, murder and other violence, had heightened concerns over children’s safety and security.

According to ASK data, 36 children were found dead after going missing between January and August 2026. During the same period, the organisation recorded the deaths of 254 children in various incidents.

Meanwhile, Police Headquarters data showed that 15,717 children were reported missing between January and July. Of them, 13,679 were rescued, while 2,038 remained missing.

Police, however, said the figures might not be fully accurate because information on missing children is not always updated subsequently. ASK said protecting children’s lives, safety and dignity was a fundamental responsibility of the state.

It called for effective measures in line with the Constitution, the National Child Policy, the Children Act and Bangladesh’s international commitments. The organisation also demanded an integrated and regularly updated national database on missing children to provide an accurate picture of those missing, rescued and still unaccounted for. Such a database would also help identify risks and formulate effective preventive measures, it said.