In Bangladesh, the threat to children is increasingly emerging from within familiar circles -- neighbours, relatives, teachers, and other trusted individuals.
The issue came under renewed scrutiny following two recent horrific incidents, including the rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in Dhaka’s Pallabi area, where the victim’s decapitated body was recovered from a neighbour’s home on May 19.
“Offenders look for easier targets. Children are more vulnerable, less aware, and often unable to clearly communicate what has happened.”
Sumaiya Iqbal, assistant professor of criminology, Dhaka University.
In a parallel incident exposing a similar pattern, police in Sylhet on May 12 arrested a neighbour in connection with the rape attempt and subsequent killing of a four-year-old child on May 6.
These are not isolated incidents; a March report by child rights organisation Shishurai Shob, compiled through an audit of published news reports from 2025, debunks the myth of “stranger danger”.
It revealed that nine out of 10 predators are familiar faces operating within arm’s reach of the victim.
According to the data, immediate neighbours accounted for 40.58 percent (125 out of 308 cases) of recorded rape incidents.
Other trusted figures included acquaintances (21.43 percent), teachers or religious instructors (14.61 percent), and close relatives (13.64 percent).
In contrast, strangers accounted for just 9.74 percent of cases.
The report also highlighted how violence against children is concentrated within intimate spaces.
Around 66.12 percent of 124 child murders and 59.09 percent (182 out of 308 incidents) of sexual abuse cases occurred inside the home or family environment.
Biological parents -- often driven by domestic disputes, marital conflict, drug addiction, or mental illness -- were responsible for the killings of 38 children out of 124.
Another 26 children were killed by close relatives, including stepmothers, uncles, aunts, and siblings.
Familiar neighbours were responsible for 18 deaths, accounting for 14.52 percent of the 124 child homicides, often linked to personal disputes or opportunistic theft.
Laila Khondkar, convener of Shishurai Shob, said, “Global and local experience shows children are mostly abused by known figures -- family, teachers, coaches, or neighbours -- who exploit easy access when children are unsupervised.
“We urgently need research to understand the psychology of predators and unpack the rising societal brutality behind these crimes. In Bangladesh, that analysis is still missing.”
She added that younger children are particularly vulnerable due to their developmental stage, making them easier to manipulate and less likely to report abuse.
According to a four-month report by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) covering January to April, 56 out of 81 rape victims of known age -- nearly 70 percent -- were children aged between 0 and 12.
Similarly, of the 115 children killed during the same period, 63 were aged 0 to 12, highlighting the disproportionate vulnerability of younger age groups.
Shishurai Shob further reported that in around 10 percent of child rape cases in 2025, victims were killed in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
From January to April this year alone, ASK recorded 11 cases of children being killed after rape.
Sumaiya Iqbal, assistant professor of criminology at Dhaka University, said perpetrators often attempt to eliminate evidence by killing victims.
“We call this witness elimination. They try to hide the evidence, and in doing so, many victims are killed because they are the primary witness, and the evidence has to be erased.”
She noted that while some cases are premeditated, others occur in panic immediately after the offence.
Sumaiya added, “Offenders look for easier targets. Children are more vulnerable, less aware, and often unable to clearly communicate what has happened.”
She also linked the trend to weak deterrence and broader social attitudes. “If punishment is not consistent and certain, deterrence fails.
“Alongside impunity, there are deeper social issues -- how society views women and children, and how sexual objectification becomes normalised. These create an environment where violence can persist.”
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Sociologist Samina Luthfa said the crisis is rooted in a deeply entrenched patriarchal mindset that objectifies the female body and extends into violence against children.
She said this tendency has been amplified by digital technologies.
“The easy availability of pornography, child sexual abuse material, and illicit online image markets has further normalised exploitation…. The female body is increasingly commodified and weaponised in digital spaces.”
Samina added that sexual violence is often less about sexual desire and more about power and control.
“In conditions of economic stress and social hopelessness, perpetrators may target children as the most vulnerable means of asserting dominance.”
She also warned that legal responses -- particularly the death penalty for rape -- may have unintended consequences.
“When the law mandates death for rape, perpetrators may be incentivised to eliminate witnesses…. Since it is physically easier to kill a child than an adult, children increasingly become targets of lethal violence.”
TRAUMA, FEAR
Psychiatrist Helal Uddin Ahmed said betrayal by familiar figures or trusted circles causes deep and long-term psychological damage not only to victims but also to peers, parents, and professionals involved in such cases.
He noted that public reaction is initially marked by anger and demands for swift justice, but this gradually shifts into prolonged fear and insecurity.
“The delay in legal processes can lead to deep public despair and hopelessness. Children who witness or learn about such incidents may develop trauma, anxiety, and withdrawal, while professionals including police, doctors, lawyers, and journalists face risks of secondary traumatic stress.”
He also cautioned against excessive parental restriction, saying overprotection may hinder children’s social development. Instead, he recommended consistent safety rules that apply to both strangers and familiar individuals.
CANOPY OF IMPUNITY
Out of 124 child murders documented by Shishurai Shob in 2025, only 35 resulted in formal charges, and just two ended in convictions.
Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, said this institutional failure justifies public skepticism.
“The Pallabi victim’s father is absolutely right to doubt the system; our conviction rate in child rape cases is below one percent.
“Immediate arrests happen, but things fade. Even when death penalties are handed down, executions remain stalled for years due to lengthy appeals, letting criminals exploit loopholes. While political pressure might expedite the Pallabi trial, we cannot rely on ad-hoc justice.”
She added, “Every single perpetrator must be brought to the dock of accountability, and they must be made to realise that they cannot escape the consequences of such heinous crimes.”
Laila Khondkar also called for an end to institutional and media inertia.
“This is a national crisis; business as usual will not work,” she said, demanding an independent, permanent National Child Commission to ensure coordinated accountability.
In line with the Children Act 2013, she urged the newly elected government to fulfill its moral mandate by dismantling fragmented sectoral efforts through adequate budget allocations and collaborative, inter-ministerial protection frameworks.
“To combat parental abuse, a robust tracking system must be equipped to detect early domestic warning signs.
“Concurrently, the legal system must be fast, effective, and child-sensitive, paired with mandatory nationwide self-protection education…. Ultimately, the frontline of defence rests with families; parents must supervise safely, teach children the difference between good and bad touch, investigate if a child avoids an individual, and universally prioritise justice and support over ‘family honour’.”
