In April 2026 recorded the highest number of women and children repression cases filed at police stations nationwide in the past nine months, since July 2025. The total number of cases reached 2,011 in April 2026, marking a 35.4% surge from 1,485 cases in March 2026 (Bangladesh crime statistics -April 2026). Data released by human rights watchdogs like the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) and ASK underscore the scale of the epidemic: In 2025, documented cases of rape and gang rape surged by more than 52%, with nearly 70% of all victims being minors under the age of 18 (543 documented minor victims out of 786 total tracked by BMP).
Police headquarters registered over 7,000 cases under the Women and Children Repression Prevention (WCRP) Act (2000). In January 2026 alone, ASK tracked 35 severe rape cases nationwide including 10 gang rapes with 13 of the victims being young children aged 12 or younger. According to UNICEF estimates, 1 in 8 girls and women alive today globally experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, and studies in Bangladesh confirm that perpetrators are often known to their victims.
Child rape and violence are happening due to social degradation. People's religious values and feelings are decreasing due to social and economic reasons. Misuse of AI and digital platforms like social media, involvement in unnecessary activities, in this case, social degradation is taking place. Especially in the post-Corona era, people are behaving in an unusual way. The government has failed to provide social security to the common people of the country. As a result, we have faced some political changes, such as the change in economic and social demand for essential goods in the post-Corona period, the quota movement, Interim government then the BNP government.
A series of brutal child rape and murder cases in Bangladesh has sparked public outrage and swift legal action. Rape, murder of 8-year-old in Pallabi: Ramisa Akter's neighbour, Sohel Rana (31) raped and then killed and beheaded her in Pallabi. The prime suspect confessed before a magistrate to raping and killing the child. Following the recording of his confessional statement by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (1898), a Dhaka court sent Sohel Rana, to jail.
The judicial system has faced immense pressure from the public and international bodies like UNICEF to deliver swift capital punishment. The trial of the horrific assault of an 8-year-old child in Magura became a benchmark for fast-tracked judicial action due to massive public outcry and direct judicial intervention. The High Court Division issued a strict directive ordering the local tribunal to finalize the trial within the statutory timeline and mandated the immediate removal of the child's identity and photos from all social media platforms to protect her dignity. In May 2025, the Women and Child Repression Prevention (WCRP) Tribunal delivered its swift verdict, sentencing the prime accused (Hitu Sheikh) to death by hanging under the WCRP Act (2000)
A 15-year-old girl was abducted from her father's custody and subsequently murdered. Investigations revealed she was targeted and killed for demanding legal justice regarding a prior rape. Her body was recovered from a field in the Madhabdi area of Narsingdi on February 26. On February 27, 2026, police tracking the suspects arrested the prime accused, Nur Mohammad (alias Nura, 28), in the Maona area of Gazipur. Nine individuals were formally named in the murder and assault case.
On February 1, 2026, an 11-year-old girl was forcibly taken into a garden and raped while playing in a crop field near her home in the Jinardi union of Palash, Narsingdi. Relatives rushed to the scene after hearing her screams, and the child was hospitalized in critical condition. Following a rapid pursuit, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-11) tracked down and arrested the prime suspect, a 50-year-old man named Md. Abu Kalam, near the Ghorashal Bridge on the night of February 3, 2026.
In a landmark judgment (State v. Mahbubur Rahman, 2018), the High Court explicitly banned the archaic and traumatizing "two-finger test" during medical examinations of rape victims. The court declared it a violation of the constitutional right to liberty and dignity, ruling that medical reports must rely strictly on modern forensic science and DNA testing. The Supreme Court has issued general directives to lower tribunals emphasizing that rape and child sexual abuse trials must ideally take precedence and be completed within the statutory 180-day window. In 2025, the Law Ministry amended procedures to propose cutting trial timelines down even further (aiming for 90 days) to prevent witnesses from being intimidated due to prolonged delays.
Blast and Others v. Bangladesh (2018), Emerging from the gang rape of a indigenous Garo girl, the High Court issued 18 mandatory guidelines for law enforcement. It ruled that police cannot refuse to file a rape case based on jurisdiction, required DNA samples to be sent to labs within 48 hours, and mandated that victim testimonies be taken in a secure, supportive environment.
Responsibility for the government to effectively control child sexual violence, ensure swift justice, and restore public trust in Bangladesh's judicial system, reforms must go beyond strict laws and address systemic, structural, and cultural challenges. Key priorities include enforcing zero-tolerance against police officers who refuse or delay FIRs or encourage Shalish, and ensuring every police station has a trained Child Affairs Officer (CAO) under the Children Act 2013. Strengthening forensic evidence and DNA collection through district-level labs and timely processing within the 48-hour window is essential.
The government should expand WCRP Tribunals, increase the number of judges, reduce the case backlog, and enforce accountability for delays beyond the statutory 180-day trial limit under the WCRP Act (2000). Fast-tracking Death Reference and appeal proceedings in the High Court is also necessary. Bangladesh needs a comprehensive witness and victim protection framework, to improve the conviction rate, including safe houses, anonymous reporting, and state-backed security. Authorities must also strictly enforce the privacy protections of the Children Act, taking action against any media outlet, social media page, or individual that reveals a child victim's identity.
When the public feels the legal system is corrupt or favors the wealthy, they lose faith. Law enforcement frequently publicizes dramatic arrests, but the public rarely hears about the final verdict years later. Mainstream and state media should actively broadcast when a culprit is convicted and sentenced, sending a powerful deterrent message to society and proving that the system works. Authorities must guarantee that political affiliations, financial status, or local influence will not shield an accused individual from prosecution.
The writer is a student, Department of Law and Land Administration, University of Rajshahi
