Preventing Child Abuse: The Responsibilities of the State & Society
Children are the future of our society. Ensuring their safety is a fundamental responsibility of families, society, and the state. Children should be able to study, play, and grow up without fear.
If they are instead subjected to sexual abuse, physical violence, or an atmosphere of intimidation, this is not merely an individual crime; it also reflects failures in our social and institutional systems. The responsibility of authorities is even greater when children live in residential educational institutions, away from their families.
Recently, allegations of sexual abuse against children at various educational institutions across Bangladesh have caused deep public concern.
According to a report published in October 2026 by a leading English-language national daily, allegations of child rape, attempted rape, or sexual abuse were reported at six madrasas between 8 and 23 October. The incidents occurred in different areas, including Gazipur, Savar, Kushtia, and Pabna.
Among the alleged victims was a seven-year-old child. News reports indicated that cases had been filed, arrests had been made, and investigations were underway. However, it would be inappropriate to conclusively label anyone a perpetrator before the allegations have been established in court.
Such incidents are not confined to madrasas. Similar incidents can occur in residential hostels, family settings, sports training centres, and other institutions where children remain under adult supervision. Effective safeguarding measures are essential in all such settings.
An institution’s religious identity, reputation, or social influence must never obstruct an impartial investigation. Equally, it is unjustified to blame an entire community or all educational institutions on the basis of isolated allegations.
Child abuse often remains unreported. A child may be unable to speak out because of fear, shame, threats, or concern that nobody will believe them. Reporting becomes even more difficult when the alleged abuser is a teacher, supervisor, or influential person associated with the institution.
Sometimes, families attempt to conceal incidents out of concern for social standing, marriage prospects, or the child’s future. In other cases, institutions may try to suppress complaints to protect their reputations.
A widely read news portal published a report on 2 September 2026 concerning allegations that a seven-year-old child had been repeatedly sexually abused by several students and teachers at a madrasa in Savar. The report was updated on 16 September.
According to the report, an investigation was underway following a case filed by the child’s father.
In such cases, listening to the child, ensuring their safety, and taking prompt legal action are critically important.
Whatever the eventual findings of the investigation, the authorities have a duty to take every child’s account seriously and ensure their protection.
It is dangerous to interpret a child’s silence as consent or to assume that abuse has not occurred simply because no formal complaint has been filed. Children should be taught, in age-appropriate language, about personal safety, inappropriate touching, and how to seek help from trusted adults.
However, the responsibility for preventing abuse must never be placed on children themselves. Creating a safe environment and responding appropriately when allegations arise are responsibilities that belong to adults.
Bangladesh has legal provisions to address child abuse and sexual offences. Depending on the nature and circumstances of an offence, investigations and trials may proceed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, the Children Act, and other relevant laws.
The High Court has also issued guidelines concerning the prevention of sexual harassment in educational institutions. However, the mere existence of laws and directives is insufficient; their effective implementation must be ensured.
A popular online news portal reported in October that, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra, 118 children had been raped and another 46 had been subjected to attempted rape in Bangladesh between January and 20 May 2026.
The same report cited information from JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France, a France-based human rights organisation, stating that the organisation had documented 131 incidents of sexual violence against boys between January and September, involving 171 victims.
Of those incidents, 72 were reported to have occurred in madrasas. The scope and collection methods of these datasets are not identical.
They should not be treated as a complete national account of all incidents or as a comprehensive measure of abuse in madrasas. Nevertheless, they provide sufficient reason to recognise the seriousness of the problem.
The government should establish an integrated information system covering allegations of child abuse, investigations, criminal cases, trials, and case dispositions.
Regularly published data should indicate the types of institutions in which allegations arise, the number of investigations pending, the number of cases that have concluded through the judicial process, and the forms of protection and rehabilitation provided to victims.
Children’s identities and personal privacy must be strictly protected in the publication of such information.
When recruiting teachers and employees for residential educational institutions, verifying certificates alone is not enough.
Their conduct, interactions with students, and handling of complaints must also be monitored regularly. Every institution should have an effective child protection committee, a confidential reporting mechanism, and readily available emergency contact information.
Responsibilities for handling complaints, procedures for investigation, and the appropriate government agencies to contact when necessary must be clearly defined.
Complaints must never be suppressed to protect an accused person’s influence or an institution’s reputation. At the same time, declaring someone guilty before the evidence has been examined is equally unacceptable.
The affected child should be kept at a safe distance from the accused person, and medical care and psychosocial support should be provided where necessary.
Legal procedures should begin promptly while appropriate steps are taken to prevent the destruction of evidence. Allegations of pressure to conceal complaints, threats against children, or obstruction of investigations must also be examined seriously.
If an institution refuses to receive a complaint or fails to take appropriate action, parents should approach the relevant alternative authorities. They must also refrain from publishing the identities or photographs of complainants and victims on social media or spreading rumours about incidents.
The media has an important responsibility to report such cases, but coverage must be handled in a way that protects children’s identities, dignity, and future prospects.
Islam places great importance on protecting the rights of children, orphans, and vulnerable people.
The principles of trustworthiness, compassion, justice, and abstention from oppression must be reflected not merely in public statements but also in the everyday conduct of institutions. Special training could be provided to teachers and institutional administrators on child protection, professional ethics, and the proper handling of abuse allegations.
To prevent child abuse, the state must ensure effective law enforcement, systematic data collection, regular inspections, timely trials, and rehabilitation for victims.
Educational institutions must be brought within an effective framework of complaint handling and accountability. Parents must develop the habit of listening to their children, while society must cultivate a culture of standing beside victims rather than blaming or silencing them.
Children’s safety is more important than protecting an institution’s reputation, more significant than any individual’s influence, and more urgent than any social inhibition.
Allegations must be investigated impartially, perpetrators must be punished in accordance with the law when guilt is established, and abused children must receive long-term support.
Creating a safe environment for children is not the responsibility of the government alone; it is a shared obligation of families, educational institutions, religious leaders, the media, and society as a whole.
(The writer is an Islamic Finance Specialist, Economist, Social and Political Thinker, Geopolitical Analyst, and Human Rights Activist)
