Experts believe Bangladesh is failing to protect children from violence, abuse

During a roundtable, speakers believe these children have become vulnerable to abuse and violence amid weakness in the implementation of laws.

Speaking at an event titled "Violence Against Women and Children in Bangladesh: A Call for Strategic Action", organised jointly by Unicef, Plan International and The Daily Star at The Daily Star Centre, Shabnaaz Zahereen, child protection specialist at Unicef Bangladesh, was quoted as saying by the newspaper that 5,600 cases of sexual violence against children were reported from 2013 to 2024, but only 2 percent resulted in convictions.

"According to MICS 2025, 86 percent of children aged 1–14 experience violent discipline, and 47.2 percent of girls are married before 18," she said.

According to reports, the country's child helpline 1098 received 425,651 calls from January to November this year.

Of these, 354,435 calls, including 145,384 from girls, were related to abuse, exploitation or psychosocial support, the newspaper reported.

During the event, Prof Tania Haque of Dhaka University's Women and Gender Studies department said women are treated as private property at home and public property outside.

Shamima Pervin, head of UNFPA Bangladesh's gender unit, was quoted as saying by The Daily Star that school sexual harassment committees are mostly inactive due to poor training, unclear reporting systems and low awareness among parents, teachers and students.

She said comprehensive sexuality education covers less than 20 percent of essential topics.

Rekha Saha, legal aid secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said most complaints come from girls and women facing abuse within the family, including restrictions on education and mobility, forced marriage and domestic violence.