Fast-tracking trials brings no solution to repeated child abuse
The repeated incidence of child abuse in Bangladesh has become an alarming social crisis, exposing deep-rooted failures within both society and the state system.
Almost every day, newspapers, television channels, and online portals publish heartbreaking reports of children being abused, raped, tortured, or murdered.
These are no longer isolated incidents. Rather, they have become a recurring reality that continues to shock the nation.
The persistence of such crimes across regions and social classes suggests that child abuse has taken an endemic form.
Despite public outrage and repeated promises of reform, the situation has shown little meaningful improvement.
One major reason behind this disturbing trend is the weakness of the criminal justice system.
Although perpetrators are often arrested after incidents gain media attention or go viral on social media, justice for victims is rarely ensured.
On 24 May, 2026, a court in Meherpur sentenced a man to death over raping an 11-year-old girl last year. The crime had taken place last year. But this isn’t the regular template of proceedings.
Investigations are frequently slow, poorly conducted, or influenced by political and social pressure.
Court proceedings drag on for years, prolonging the suffering of victims and their families.
Witnesses lose interest, evidence weakens over time, and victims are often pressured into silence.
Amnesty International reported in 2020 that only 3.5 per cent of cases involving violence against women and children filed between 2001 and July 2020 resulted in court judgments, while just 0.37 per cent ended in convictions.
Such a low conviction rate encourages offenders to commit these crimes without fear of punishment. Some child rape cases have taken decades to conclude, exposing serious flaws in the legal and judicial system.
This painful reality was reflected in the words of the father of Ramisa, an eight-year-old girl who was raped and brutally murdered in Mirpur.
He said he no longer sought justice because he believed the state was incapable of ensuring it. According to him, the incident would soon be forgotten once another tragedy dominated public attention.
His grief reached the highest levels of government, and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the family, assured them of justice, and directed authorities to act swiftly. The police quickly arrested the accused, completed the investigation within three days, and submitted the charge sheet.
While these actions are commendable, Ramisa is far from the only victim. According to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), there were 94 incidents of child rape between January and April alone. Among the victims, 44 were aged between seven and twelve, while at least 16 were below the age of seven.
It is impossible for the prime minister to visit every victim’s family, nor does every case attract national attention. What the government can do at this moment is strengthen the legal system and ensure that laws are implemented properly through fair investigations, careful evidence collection, and due process.
Like millions of people across the country, we all hope that justice will be ensured in Ramisa’s case. But fast-tracking justice in one or two high-profile incidents cannot solve this crisis.
In 2020, a Kushtia court delivered a verdict in a rape case within just three working days, setting a national record. Yet the rapid trial did little to curb sexual violence. ASK later reported that 1,321 women were raped in the following year, many of them children. At least 79 victims were under the age of six. Among the 47 victims who were murdered after rape that year, the majority were children. These figures demonstrate that harsher or faster punishments alone have failed to dismantle the culture of abuse.
In 2025, Bangladesh’s interim government amended the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act to accelerate the handling of sexual assault cases. The law reduced investigation time from 30 days to 15 and shortened trial periods from 180 days to 90.
Judges were also allowed to proceed with cases using medical certificates and circumstantial evidence without waiting for mandatory DNA reports, which often delayed proceedings.
Although the amendments were introduced in good faith, they have not significantly improved the overall situation. The crisis therefore demands deeper reflection.
Child abuse is not merely a failure of law enforcement; it is also a symptom of moral and social decline. Values such as compassion, responsibility, and respect for children appear to be eroding. Offenders often exploit the vulnerability of children, knowing that many families hesitate to seek justice because of fear, shame, or social stigma.
In some cases, influential individuals use their power and connections to evade accountability. Victim-blaming attitudes, social silence, and lack of awareness further intensify the problem.
Over the years, citizens, human rights organisations, and advocacy groups have organised rallies, seminars, awareness campaigns, and human chains demanding stronger protection for children.
Governments have also responded with stricter laws and harsher punishments. However, these measures have remained largely ineffective because they focus mainly on punitive responses rather than the deeper social conditions that enable abuse.
Laws alone cannot resolve the crisis unless they are properly enforced and accompanied by educational, institutional, and cultural reforms.
Globally, child sexual abuse is recognised as a widespread social problem rather than a series of isolated crimes. According to the World Health Organization, one in five women and one in seven men worldwide report having experienced sexual abuse during childhood.
UNICEF estimates that more than 370 million girls and women alive today experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of eighteen. These figures reveal a global pattern rooted in unequal power structures, silence within families and communities, gender discrimination, poverty, and weak social protection systems.
Importantly, perpetrators are often not strangers. In many cases, abusers are relatives, neighbours, teachers, religious figures, or other trusted adults. This means the danger frequently exists within the very environments where children are supposed to feel safest.
Fear, shame, family honour, and social stigma prevent many victims from speaking out. Children are often taught obedience rather than bodily autonomy, while discussions surrounding sexuality remain taboo. Such silence protects perpetrators more than victims.
Economic hardship also increases vulnerability. Poverty, overcrowded living conditions, child labour, trafficking, migration, and lack of education expose children to exploitation. In refugee settings and conflict zones, the risks become even greater.
At the same time, the digital age has introduced new dangers through online grooming, exploitation networks, and AI-generated abuse content. Protecting children today therefore requires not only legal safeguards but also stronger digital awareness and supervision.
The consequences of child abuse extend far beyond the immediate victim. Survivors often suffer lifelong psychological trauma, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, social isolation, and difficulties in forming healthy relationships. The damage affects families, communities, and ultimately the moral foundation of society itself.
To combat child abuse effectively, Bangladesh needs a comprehensive and long-term strategy.
The justice system must ensure fair investigations, speedy trials, and proper punishment for offenders. Law enforcement agencies should become more sensitive and accountable when handling cases involving children.
At the same time, families, schools, religious institutions, media organisations, and community leaders must work together to build moral awareness and teach children about safety and their rights. Public campaigns should encourage victims and families to report crimes without fear or shame.
Child abuse must not be viewed simply as a law-and-order issue. It is a social epidemic rooted in systemic failures and moral decline.
Arrests and punishments may address crimes after they occur, but only broad social transformation can reduce the conditions that allow such violence to persist. Protecting children must become a national priority, because a society that fails to protect its most vulnerable members risks losing its own moral future.