Bangladesh’s drug rehabilitation system is struggling to meet the needs of women and adolescents, with government centres offering limited capacity even as more women and children seek treatment.
The number of women and children receiving treatment at government drug rehabilitation centres has risen sharply over the past decade, highlighting growing demand for services that remain heavily geared towards men.
The shortage is compounded by long waiting lists, staff vacancies, uneven access and high relapse rates, leaving many drug-dependent people without sustained support.
Government rehabilitation centres have only 199 beds, compared with 6,190 in private facilities, according to Mohammad Zakir Hossain, assistant director for rehabilitation and treatment at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC).
The capacity is “very insufficient”, he told The Daily Star, as Bangladesh struggles with an estimated 8.2 million drug-dependent people.
At the Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre in Tejgaon, the country’s main government-run facility, women and children have historically had only a fraction of the beds. The centre previously had 124 beds: 90 for men, 24 for women and 10 for children.
It is now being expanded into a 250-bed hospital, but treatment is currently limited to 28 adult male patients as infrastructure work continues.
Even adult male patients face long waits. Outside the centre, a 65-year-old waited with her 35-year-old son.
They had been told he might have to wait up to two months for admission.
“If I can get admitted here, I want to return to a healthy life,” the son told The Daily Star.
DNC data show the number of women and children reaching government treatment services rose from negligible levels before 2016 to 90 in 2016, 171 in 2018, 544 in 2019 and 1,242 in 2020.
The figure later fluctuated, reaching 917 in 2023, 708 in 2024 and 434 in 2025. The latest decline came as overall treatment at government centres also fell sharply, from 13,024 patients in 2024 to 7,159 in 2025.
Of the 434 women and children treated in 2025, only 127 received inpatient care, compared with 1,955 men.
The DNC annual report says around 80 percent of drug users are aged 15 to 30, making adolescents and young adults particularly vulnerable.
Md Ariful Haque, a psychologist at Oasis De-addiction and Mental Health Counselling Centre, said adolescents often start using drugs because of peer pressure, curiosity, stress, family crises and weak parental supervision.
“When we ask them why they started, many say friends, seniors or peer groups influenced them,” he said.
A SYSTEM BUILT AROUND MEN
Dr Quazi Lutful Kabir, chief consultant at the Tejgaon centre, said it has only four doctors against 18 sanctioned posts, along with shortages of nurses and other staff.
The centre provides free food, medicine and a 28-day treatment course, followed by a year of follow-up.
Private treatment, meanwhile, can cost from several thousand taka to several lakh a month, depending on the facility and services.
In 2025, 39,641 drug-dependent people received treatment at government and private centres, up slightly from 39,076 a year earlier.
But government-centre treatment fell to 7,159 from 13,024, while private-centre treatment rose to 32,482 from 26,052.
The DNC annual report says rehabilitation services remain insufficient and unevenly distributed, particularly outside major urban centres.
Asked about the crisis, DNC Assistant Director Zakir said the government plans to establish a 200-bed treatment centre in each of the seven divisions outside Dhaka, adding 1,400 beds.
WIDER CRISIS FOR GIRLS
At Apon Addiction Rehabilitation Residence in Singair, Manikganj, a 16-year-old girl who once lived on the streets now studies, learns boutique work and hopes to continue her education.
She has been at the centre for around four years, completing Class V and learning handwork. The centre is now trying to enrol her in Class VI.
“I lived a very helpless life on the streets. I had dirt all over my body, and many people treated us badly. Now I get food, education and training. I want to grow up and move forward,” she said.
After becoming separated from her family, she was allegedly trafficked to India, where she was abused. She was later rescued and returned to Bangladesh but could not find her mother or sister.
She subsequently lived on the streets in Dhaka, where she became addicted to dandy, a cheap adhesive, and yaba before being taken to Apon.
Khandaker Ashaduzzaman Jewel, trainer, counsellor and development worker at Apon, said the Singair centre currently provides treatment and rehabilitation to 25 children aged six to 12, and 12 girls aged 12 to 18.
“Most children who come to the centre are addicted to dandy or glue sniffing. Some are also addicted to cannabis and yaba,” he said.
For them, the centre provides treatment, education, counselling and vocational training while trying to trace families.
The usual rehabilitation package runs for a year, though it is extended in some cases. More than 1,500 children and women have received services there, Jewel said.
The DNC annual report recommends treating addiction as a chronic disease and strengthening rehabilitation and follow-up support since relapse remains a major challenge.
“According to our assessment, around 35 percent of patients can stay away from drugs after treatment, while around 65 percent relapse after returning to the same environment or peer groups,” Dr Kabir said.
