Ain o Salish Kendra records deaths linked to disappearance, physical abuse, family violence and sexual assault as thousands of children remain missing
Dhaka, September 2026 : At least 155 children were killed across Bangladesh between January and August this year in incidents involving disappearance, sexual assault, physical abuse, family-related violence and other forms of crime, according to figures compiled by Dhaka-based human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), local media reported.
The rights organisation said the figures reflected a continuing pattern of violence against children across the country. According to data cited by the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune, the bodies of 36 children who had been reported missing were recovered during the first eight months of the year.
ASK recorded 68 child deaths resulting from physical abuse, while another 49 children were killed in incidents involving family-related violence. The organisation also reported that 26 children, including two boys, were killed following rape.
Four children reportedly died following attempted rape, while three were shot dead. Two domestic workers died allegedly as a result of physical abuse, two children were killed by stalkers and another child was killed following abduction.
During the same eight-month period, ASK also documented 99 cases involving suicide, mysterious deaths and the recovery of children's bodies, highlighting the range of circumstances surrounding deaths involving minors.
Recent cases have further drawn attention to the dangers faced by children in different parts of Bangladesh. Several incidents reported in September involved children who disappeared and were subsequently found dead, with allegations of sexual assault and murder.
In Pabna Sadar, a 10-year-old child who went missing on September 9 was found dead in a ditch seven days later. Police said the child had been raped and killed. Two people were arrested in connection with the case.
In another incident in Madarganj of Jamalpur, a seven-year-old child disappeared after leaving for school on September 10. The child's body was discovered the following day, buried beneath the floor of a classmate's house.
According to police, the father of the classmate had raped and killed the child. Two people were arrested in connection with the incident.
The reported killings have occurred alongside a wider concern over children going missing across Bangladesh. Media reports, citing official figures, said more than 15,000 children disappeared during the first seven months of the year.
Bangladesh Police Headquarters said earlier this month that 15,717 children had been reported missing between January and July. Of these, 13,679 children were subsequently traced, while 2,038 remained missing.
The figures mean that nearly 13 per cent of the children reported missing during the period had not been traced at the time the police data were released.
The cases documented by ASK also indicate that alleged perpetrators were, in several instances, known to the victims, according to media reports. The incidents have included alleged sexual violence, fatal physical abuse and attacks in which children were killed along with other family members.
Dhaka Tribune also reported that seven children were killed alongside other family members in four separate incidents.
The latest figures have intensified concerns among rights groups and child-protection advocates over the safety of minors in Bangladesh. The data underline concerns not only over violent crimes against children but also over the large number of disappearance cases being reported nationwide.
While thousands of missing children have been traced, the continued number of unresolved cases remains a concern. The reported deaths of children whose bodies were subsequently recovered have further raised questions about mechanisms for preventing abuse, ensuring timely investigations and protecting vulnerable minors.
The ASK figures cover the period from January through August, while the police figures on missing children cover January through July. Together, they provide a snapshot of the scale of concerns surrounding child safety in Bangladesh during the current year.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
