Abuse behind madrasa walls must be stopped (Part II)

Among the reported cases, 42 female students were allegedly raped by a single teacher in Tangail. In Magura, nine-year-old Zahid was allegedly raped by his principal, who reportedly confessed to abusing two other children in the same week. In Syedpur, Nilphamari, a 12-year-old hefz student was allegedly raped by a teacher and was then reportedly paid off and threatened into silence.

Under the Penal Code, such offences carry sentences ranging from five years' imprisonment to death. Convictions, however, remain rare. In June 2025, the Chattogram tribunal sentenced Nazim Uddin to imprisonment until death for raping students at Rahmania Tahfizul Quran Academy. In another Chattogram case, a teacher received the death penalty for raping four boys during the pandemic.

Many cases remain unresolved. In Netrokona, for instance, the case involving teacher Aman Ullah Sagar remains pending, with the accused still at large.

WHY IT PERSISTS
The vulnerability is structural rather than incidental. Outside Alia madrasas, Qawmi, Hafezi and privately run institutions do not come under a central government authority. Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh alone oversees roughly 29,000 madrasas, while at least five other boards operate alongside it, in addition to an unknown number of unregistered institutions.

The residential system compounds the risk. Researcher Afsan Chowdhury notes that children living apart from their families are "much more unsafe", particularly around older residents. Shipa Hafiza, former executive director of ASK, says allegations are routinely met with denial, quiet settlements and warnings that speaking out will "destroy the institution's reputation".

Weak accountability is reinforced by limited sex education, slow prosecutions, stigma and misinformation. Mojibur Rahman of Dhaka University's Institute of Education Research points to a lingering belief that physical violence is part of religious education. He also recalls a father in Hathazari who initially refused even to file a case.

Around 13,000 institutions, including Qawmi and Hefz madrasas, have no formal salary structure. A head teacher in the city might earn Tk 30,000 to Tk 90,000 a month, but in villages the salary can be as little as Tk 6,000. The disparity makes qualified recruitment difficult and allows less qualified teachers to enter the institutions.

Law enforcement authorities, too, can be reluctant to act against alleged abusers in madrasas for fear of being labelled anti-Islamic or facing mob violence.

Moreover, because Qawmi madrasas operate outside government education boards, accused teachers can obtain bail and return to teaching, sometimes even in the same classroom, with no central registry to prevent them from working with children again.

WARNINGS AND THEIR COST
MJF and UNICEF have both flagged insecurity and poor supervision inside madrasas. Abdus Shaheed of BSAF said, "Devout families often avoid the subject entirely, fearing damage to religious institutions, a silence that keeps cases buried."

International outlets, including AFP and AsiaNews, have interviewed former madrasa students who described abuse by teachers and older students as widespread in some residential madrasas. Survivors who spoke out said they were branded heretics, Islamophobic or foreign agents for speaking about their experiences.