36 children’s bodies recovered in 8 months: ASK 

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has expressed deep concern over the murder of 13 years old Ishayat Shahriar Opratim after he went missing in Cumilla. In a press release issued on Sunday, ASK pointed to recent incidents involving missing children, killings following rape and other forms of abuse, raising serious concerns over children’s safety.

According to ASK monitoring data, 36 children’s bodies were recovered after disappearance between January and August this year, while 254 children died in various incidents during the period. Police Headquarters data shows that 15,717 children were reported missing between January and July. Of them, 13,679 were recovered and 2,038 remained missing. Police, however, acknowledged possible discrepancies as missing child data is not regularly updated.

ASK stressed that protecting children's lives, safety and dignity is a fundamental state responsibility under the Constitution, National Child Policy and Children Act, as well as Bangladesh's international commitments.

"When a child's body is recovered after they had gone missing, the incident cannot be viewed merely as an isolated crime," ASK Executive Director Tahmina Rahman said. "A neutral and effective investigation must be conducted to determine how the child went missing, what steps the relevant authorities took to locate them, whether there was any negligence or lack of coordination, and who was involved in the crime."

ASK demanded swift, impartial and transparent investigations into the deaths of missing children, including Opratim, and prosecution of those responsible.