Dhaka, May 30: A recent report highlights a troubling increase in violence against children in Bangladesh, primarily perpetrated by familiar individuals such as neighbors, relatives, teachers, and close acquaintances.
The issue has gained renewed attention following two brutal incidents. One involved the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in the Pallabi area of Dhaka. Her decapitated body was discovered in a neighbor’s home on May 19. Another disturbing case emerged from Netrokona district, where an 11-year-old girl was sexually abused, resulting in her becoming seven months pregnant.
According to the Bangladeshi newspaper ‘The Daily Star,’ these incidents are not isolated but part of a larger pattern of violence against women and children. A report by child rights organization Shishurai Shob, released in March, challenges the common perception that strangers pose the greatest threat. This report, based on an analysis of news articles from 2025, reveals that most crimes against children are committed by familiar faces rather than strangers.
The findings indicate that nine out of ten offenders are known to the victims. Data shows that 40.58% of reported rape cases involved close neighbors, with 125 out of 308 incidents linked to them. Following this, 21.43% were acquaintances, 14.61% were teachers or religious leaders, and 13.64% were close relatives. In stark contrast, only 9.74% of reported incidents involved strangers.
Most incidents of violence against children occur in small communities. The report indicates that approximately 66.12% of the 124 child homicides and 59.09% of the 308 sexual abuse cases took place within the home or family environment.
The Daily Star quoted Laila Khondkar, convenor of Shishurai Shob, stating, “Global and local experiences show that most harm to children is inflicted by familiar individuals—family, teachers, coaches, or neighbors—who exploit the lack of supervision. We urgently need research to understand the psychology of offenders and the rising social brutality behind these crimes. Such analysis is still lacking in Bangladesh.”
Additionally, the Dhaka-based organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) reported that from January to April, 70% of the 81 rape victims were children aged 0 to 12. During the same period, 63 out of 115 murdered children were also in this age group, highlighting the increased risks faced by younger children.
In 2025, nearly 10% of child rape cases involved victims being killed to eliminate evidence. Between January and April of this year, ASK recorded 11 cases of children murdered post-rape.
Sumaiya Iqbal, an assistant professor of criminology at Dhaka University, noted that offenders often kill victims to destroy evidence. “We refer to this as eliminating witnesses. They attempt to conceal evidence, and in doing so, many victims are killed as they are the primary witnesses,” she explained.
Iqbal linked the disturbing patterns of violence against children to inadequate prevention measures and broader societal attitudes. She added, “If punishment is neither uniform nor certain, prevention fails. Along with impunity, deeper social issues persist: how society views women and girls and the normalization of sexual objectification. These create an environment where violence can thrive.”
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