Protecting Our Children from Violence and crime

Part-11

Police responsibility: Police response must be immediate, sensitive and professional. Every complaint involving child sexual abuse, attempted rape, abduction, threat, suspicious disappearance, online blackmail or violent assault should be treated with urgency. Officers should ensure proper recording of complaints, register cases where legally appropriate, protect the victim and family, preserve evidence, identify suspects quickly and prevent intimidation.

Investigations must be scientific. DNA evidence, medical examination, crime-scene preservation, CCTV footage, mobile phone records, call-detail records, online communication, witness statements and forensic documentation should be collected quickly and lawfully. Delay is one of the greatest enemies of justice. It allows evidence to disappear, witnesses to be influenced and offenders to escape.

In the case of Ramisa, police quickly arrested the prime suspect, Sohel Rana, and his wife, Swapna Khatun. The primary accused has since given a formal confessional statement to the court.  This is once again drawing national attention to the alarming rise in violence against children. According to the charge sheet, Sohel, 30, an autorickshaw mechanic, told a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate on May 20 that he regularly consumed drugs in the mornings after the other residents of the shared flat had left for work. In his confessional statement, he said that at around 9:30am on May 19, he saw Ramisa near his room and called her inside. He then allegedly took the child into the bathroom where, after she screamed, he covered her mouth with his hand and gagged her with pieces of cloth before sexually assaulting her. The statement further revealed that when the child lost consciousness, Sohel assumed she had died and subsequently used a knife to mutilate the body in an attempt to destroy evidence. According to the autopsy report, Ramisa died from haemorrhage and shock caused by decapitation, and all injuries were confirmed to be antemortem, meaning they had been inflicted before death.

By collecting forensic and other scientific evidence promptly, the police were able to complete the investigation and submit the charge sheet within only a few days, demonstrating a commendable level of professionalism, efficiency, and investigative competence in handling the case. The swift progress of the investigation also reflected the growing importance of evidence-based policing and the effective use of modern investigative techniques in serious criminal cases.

However, while the investigation phase was completed rapidly, ensuring justice through due process within the legal framework remains a long and challenging journey. The trial process, which involves the presentation of evidence, examination of witnesses, judicial scrutiny, and adherence to procedural safeguards, may still take considerable time before the case reaches its final conclusion.

Child victims or surviving family members should not be repeatedly questioned in harsh, humiliating or insensitive ways. Police, doctors, prosecutors and judges need specialized training in child-sensitive handling of sexual violence cases. In cases involving girl children, trained women police officers should be available, but child-sensitive investigation should not be treated only as a women-officer responsibility. Every officer who handles such cases must understand trauma, confidentiality, evidence preservation and victim dignity.

Victim and witness protection is also crucial. Many families are poor, socially vulnerable or locally powerless. If they are threatened, bribed or pressured, the case may collapse. Police should assess risk, prevent local intimidation, monitor compromise attempts and coordinate with social services where shelter, counselling or legal assistance is needed.

At the same time, police must avoid two harmful extremes. The first is negligence: refusing complaints, delaying action, blaming families or treating missing children casually. The second is performative policing: rushing to media exposure, disclosing sensitive details or focusing only on arrest without building a strong evidence-based case. Effective policing requires both urgency and professionalism.

Justice institutions: Justice delayed in child sexual violence cases can become justice denied. The Children Act, 2013 provides an important legal framework concerning children, while the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000 remains central to offences involving violence against women and children in Bangladesh. (Bdlaws) However, laws alone cannot protect children unless implementation is effective.

UNICEF notes that access to justice remains a challenge in Bangladesh, and its child-protection page states that although there are 102 children’s courts in Bangladesh, more than 23,000 cases involving children are pending trials in the juvenile justice system. (UNICEF) Such delay has serious consequences. It weakens deterrence, increases pressure on families, allows witnesses to forget or withdraw, and deepens trauma.

The justice system should therefore ensure child-friendly courts, trained prosecutors, victim-support services, protection from intimidation, confidentiality, speedy forensic reports, and strict action against illegal compromise. Trial speed should not come at the cost of fairness, but avoidable delay must be reduced through better case management, forensic capacity, witness scheduling and judicial monitoring.

A major reform priority should be certainty of justice. The state may increase punishment, but if conviction remains uncertain, deterrence will remain weak. Certainty requires competent investigation, forensic reliability, witness protection, prosecutorial preparation and judicial efficiency. A justice system that treats survivors with dignity also encourages reporting.

State responsibility: Bangladesh needs a permanent national strategy against child rape, sexual abuse, attempted rape and rape-murder. Such a strategy should not be activated only after public outrage. It should operate continuously through prevention, reporting, response, prosecution, rehabilitation and monitoring.

A national strategy should include a coordinated child-protection database, stronger monitoring of repeat complaints, mapping of high-risk locations, faster forensic testing, more women and child support desks, child-friendly courts, trained investigators, psychological counselling for victims and families, strict action against illegal salish, and coordination among police, schools, hospitals, social services and local government.

A convicted sexual offender database may be considered with strong legal safeguards, privacy protections and due-process controls. The purpose should not be mob punishment but risk management, institutional screening and prevention of repeat offending. Any such database must be governed by law, judicial standards and human-rights safeguards.

Bangladesh should also strengthen the social-service workforce. Child protection is not only a policing matter. Social workers, probation officers, counsellors, psychologists, school authorities, local government representatives and health professionals must be part of the response. UNICEF’s child-protection approach in Bangladesh emphasizes child-friendly justice, social-service systems and violence-prevention work, which should be integrated into state policy. (UNICEF)

The state should also expand public awareness of Child Helpline 1098. Child Helpline International states that Bangladesh Child Helpline 1098 can be reached from any part of Bangladesh at any time of day, including public and weekly holidays, and operates 24/7 in Bangla. (Child Helpline International) UNICEF Bangladesh has also urged concerned persons to call Child Helpline 1098, which provides counselling and referrals to protection, legal aid, shelter, health and education services. (UNICEF) The number should be displayed in schools, madrasas, buses, markets, police stations, hospitals, mosques, community clinics, union parishads, city corporation wards and social media campaigns.

Digital child protection: The protection of children can no longer be limited to physical spaces. Children now live in hybrid environments: home, school, neighbourhood and online platforms. Offenders may use mobile phones, messaging apps, gaming platforms, fake identities, social media, video calls or online groups to groom children. They may offer attention, affection, money, game credits, gifts or emotional support. They may then ask for photos, videos, secrecy or private meetings.

Online grooming can lead to physical abuse when the offender arranges a meeting. It can also lead to psychological abuse when the offender threatens to release photos, videos or private chats. Children may remain silent because they fear punishment from parents or humiliation by peers. Therefore, digital safety must be taught as part of child protection.

Parents should not only monitor screen time but also understand digital relationships. They should teach children never to share private images, personal addresses, school locations, passwords or family information with unknown or suspicious persons. Schools should teach online safety, cyberbullying prevention and reporting mechanisms. Police cyber units should be trained to respond quickly to child online exploitation, preserve digital evidence and coordinate with platforms where necessary.

UNICEF has warned that rapid growth of digital technologies has created gaps in laws, services and education, and that children may be at risk of exploitation, trafficking, cyberbullying and privacy invasion in online environments. (UNICEF) Therefore, a modern child-protection strategy must include cyber-safety, digital literacy and online reporting.

Media and social media responsibility: Media must report child sexual violence responsibly. The identity, photo, address, school, family details or private information of the victim must never be exposed. Social media users should not share graphic details, rumours, photos, videos, screenshots or identifying content. Such behaviour further harms the victim’s family, damages dignity and may compromise investigation.

UNICEF’s 2026 statement strongly emphasized that sharing photos, videos or identifying personal details of victims adds to the trauma of survivors and families, and appealed to the public, media outlets and social-media users to refrain from such sharing. (UNICEF) This principle should be treated as an ethical and legal obligation. A society that shares the private details of a harmed child commits a secondary injury against the victim.

Responsible reporting should focus on systemic lessons: how the child was accessed, where supervision failed, what institutions did or did not do, whether police responded properly, whether the justice process is progressing, and what preventive measures are required. Sensationalism may produce temporary attention, but responsible journalism can produce long-term reform.

Psychosocial support: Child sexual violence produces deep trauma. When the child survives, the child may suffer fear, shame, nightmares, depression, anger, withdrawal, self-blame, distrust of adults, school avoidance and social isolation. When the child is murdered, the family suffers unbearable grief, anger, guilt and social trauma. Siblings may become fearful. Parents may blame themselves. Communities may feel unsafe.

Therefore, psychosocial support is not optional. It is a necessary part of justice and recovery. Victims and families need trauma-informed counselling, legal support, medical care, safe shelter where necessary, school reintegration support and long-term follow-up. UNICEF’s 2026 statement also emphasized the need for psychosocial support for women and children affected by violence. (UNICEF)

Police stations, hospitals, schools and courts should have referral pathways for counselling and social services. The child and family should not be forced to navigate the system alone. A victim-support officer or trained social worker should help them understand medical examination, legal procedures, court appearances, protection options and available support.

Illegal compromise and social pressure: Why salish cannot resolve child rape

One of the most dangerous social practices in child sexual violence cases is informal compromise. Local elites, relatives, political actors or community figures may attempt to settle the matter through money, apology, marriage proposal, intimidation or pressure. Such practices are morally wrong and legally unacceptable.

Child rape is not a private dispute. It cannot be repaired through money. It cannot be erased by apology. It cannot be settled by marriage. It cannot be compromised in the name of honour. Informal settlement protects the offender, silences the victim, weakens the rule of law and exposes other children to danger.

The state should treat illegal compromise attempts as obstruction of justice. Police should record attempts to intimidate or pressure the family. Local representatives, teachers, religious leaders and community leaders should be trained to support reporting, not settlement. Public awareness campaigns should clearly state that compromise in child rape cases is a form of injustice.

Protecting vulnerable children: Although recent public attention has focused on minor girls, child-protection policy must protect all children. Girls face serious risk of sexual violence, but boys can also be victims. Children with disabilities may be especially vulnerable because they may have communication barriers or dependence on caregivers. Street children, domestic child workers, children in institutions, children in slums, children in transport hubs, children in conflict with the law, children in residential madrasas and children from poor families may face heightened risks.

A comprehensive child-protection strategy must therefore be inclusive. It must not assume that only one category of child is vulnerable. It must also recognize that poverty, disability, displacement, family breakdown, domestic work, migration and institutional residence can increase exposure to violence.

The national prevention strategy should identify high-risk groups and ensure targeted outreach. Child Helpline 1098, community policing, school safeguarding, social services and local government should work together to reach children who are less visible and less able to report.

Toward an integrated prevention model

A comprehensive prevention model for Bangladesh should include seven interrelated pillars.

First, family-based prevention should focus on body-safety education, emotional communication, supervision, digital monitoring, safe childcare and early recognition of behavioural warning signs.

Second, community-based prevention should include ward-level child-safety committees, risk mapping, community policing forums, religious and social leadership, neighbourhood reporting and rejection of victim-blaming.

Third, institutional safeguarding should require child-protection policies in schools, madrasas, coaching centres, hostels, daycare centres and residential institutions. Safeguarding should include staff training, complaint mechanisms, visitor records, safe transport, rules on private contact and mandatory reporting of serious allegations.

Fourth, police and forensic response should ensure immediate registration, evidence preservation, suspect identification, victim-sensitive questioning, cyber-evidence collection and protection of families from intimidation.

Fifth, justice-sector reform should reduce delay, strengthen child-friendly courts, protect witnesses, improve prosecution, prevent illegal compromise and ensure certainty of justice.

Sixth, psychosocial and social-service support should provide counselling, medical care, legal aid, safe shelter, school reintegration and long-term family support.

Seventh, media and digital responsibility should prevent identification of victims, discourage rumour-sharing, combat online grooming and promote safe reporting.

These pillars correspond closely with the WHO INSPIRE framework, which emphasizes law enforcement, norms and values, safe environments, caregiver support, economic strengthening, response services and education and life skills. (World Health Organization) Bangladesh should adapt this framework to local realities through police, local government, schools, communities and social services.

Policy recommendations

Bangladesh should adopt a national child sexual violence prevention and response protocol applicable to police, schools, hospitals, courts, local government and social services. This protocol should define how to report, who must respond, how evidence must be preserved, how the child must be interviewed, how families must be protected, and how cases must be monitored.

Every city corporation ward, municipality and union parishad should establish a child-protection committee linked to local police and social-service offices. These committees should map risky spaces, monitor vulnerable children, organize awareness campaigns and ensure that Child Helpline 1098 is widely known.

Every educational institution should be required to adopt a safeguarding policy. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, madrasa education authorities and local administration should develop standard safeguarding guidelines. These guidelines should cover teacher-student interaction, coaching, hostels, toilets, transport, digital communication and complaint mechanisms.

Police should create specialized child sexual violence response teams at district and metropolitan levels. These teams should include trained investigators, women police officers, forensic liaison officers, cyber-support personnel and victim-support referral officers.

Forensic capacity should be expanded. DNA testing, medical examination, digital evidence collection and crime-scene management should be faster and more reliable. Hospitals should have trained medical professionals who can examine child victims sensitively and document evidence properly.

Illegal salish in child rape and sexual violence cases should be treated as obstruction of justice. Local leaders should be instructed that they have a duty to report, not compromise. Public campaigns should make clear that child rape cannot be settled socially.

Media regulators, journalist associations and social media campaigns should promote ethical reporting. The identity and private details of victims must not be disclosed. Media should focus on systemic prevention rather than sensational details.

Child Helpline 1098 should be mainstreamed into all child-safety campaigns. The number should be printed in textbooks, school diaries, bus posters, police stations, hospitals, community clinics, madrasas and social media materials.

Legal reform alone cannot end rape culture in Bangladesh. Real change also requires transforming social attitudes through education, public awareness, and community involvement. Schools, colleges, and universities should introduce awareness programs that teach the importance of consent, gender equality, and respect for women.

Religious leaders, teachers, community representatives, and public figures should work together to challenge harmful social attitudes and stereotypes. Families also have an important role in building a culture of justice and respect. Boys should be raised with values of responsibility, empathy, and respect for others, rather than ideas of dominance or control. Public awareness campaigns must clearly convey one message: rape is never the survivor’s fault, and every survivor deserves justice and a fair trial.

Bangladesh should create a monitoring mechanism to track child sexual violence cases from complaint to trial. This mechanism should identify delay, withdrawal, intimidation, forensic bottlenecks, acquittal reasons and institutional failures. Without data, reform becomes emotional rather than evidence-based.

Finally, the rape and murder of a child is not only a crime committed by one offender. It is also a warning that many layers of protection have failed. A child was not protected by family supervision, neighbourhood vigilance, institutional safeguards, social courage, rapid policing, forensic capacity, victim protection or certain justice.

Therefore, prevention must begin before the crime occurs. Bangladesh needs families that listen, schools that protect, communities that report, police that respond professionally, courts that act swiftly, media that behave responsibly and a state that builds a permanent child-protection system. Public outrage must become public responsibility. Punishment must be certain, but prevention must be continuous.

A society is judged not only by how loudly it condemns violence after a child is lost, but also by how seriously it protects every child before violence occurs.

Md. Motiar Rahman

References

Ain o Salish Kendra. 2026. Statistics on violence against children and human rights violations in Bangladesh. Cited in The Business Standard report on child rape and murder statistics, 21 May 2026. (The Business Standard)

Child Helpline International. 2025. Bangladesh: Bangladesh Child Helpline 1098. (Child Helpline International)

Cohen, L. E., and Felson, M. 1979. “Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach.” American Sociological Review, 44(4), 588–608.

Finkelhor, D. 1984. Child Sexual Abuse: New Theory and Research. New York: Free Press.

UNICEF Bangladesh. 2024. The Government, with UNICEF support, accelerates efforts in combating violence against children and child marriage in Bangladesh. (UNICEF)

UNICEF Bangladesh. 2026. Statement Attributable to Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh. 22 May 2026. (UNICEF)

UNICEF Bangladesh. n.d. Child Protection. (UNICEF)

UNICEF. n.d. Tackling Online Violence Against Children. (UNICEF)

World Health Organization. 2016. INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children. Geneva: WHO. (World Health Organization)

Government of Bangladesh. 2000. Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000. (Bdlaws)

Government of Bangladesh. 2013. Children Act, 2013. (Bdlaws)