A total of 271 children were killed in organised crimes like rape, murder and sexual abuse in 2018.
Deaths in the tragic incidents rose by 18 per cent in 2018 than that of 2017, according to a study revealed on Sunday.
Moreover, as many as 129 children were abused by their teachers across the country in 2018.
Sensational crimes against children scarred the year under review than the previous two years relatively.
The study styled 'State of Children in 2018: Analysing Newspapers' was tabled at an event co-hosted by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and UKAID at the National Press Club.
Apart from the dead, the MJF study showed, another 1006 children were also victimised by culprits.
The research was based on news reports published in the country's six national dailies over child issues.
It also revealed shocking information of children's involvement in crimes that rose 213 per cent to 401 from only 128 in 2017.
According to the study, juvenile deaths in road crashes also surged to 545 in 2018 which were 452 in 2017.
The number of kidnapping cases was 98 in 2018. It was 72 and 53 in 2017 and 2016 respectively.
However, suicidal attempts and deaths came down in frequency last year.
A total of 197 children attempted to commit suicide. Of them, 152 were killed in 2018, according to the news reports ran in the six dailies.
In 2017, as many as 210 children attempted to take their own lives. However, 203 of them died.
Children aged between 13 and 18 were more vulnerable to suicidal attempts, the news analysis found.
Incidents of rape and sexual harassment witnessed a rise in 2018, with a total of 433 incidents of rape and rape attempts when 22 children died.
The figure was 573 in 2017 but death toll was 18.
Children in the 7-12 age group are most vulnerable to rape attempts and those in the 13-18 age band are exposed to sexual harassment, said the study.
Prof Shahnaz Huda, who teaches law at Dhaka University, said, "The number of victims might be more if we look at more newspapers, including the regional ones."
"Category of crime has been changing which we never experienced in the past," she went on to say.
MJF executive director Shaheen Anam chaired the programme.
She said, "So many incidents now make us confounded. A four-month infant becomes a rape victim, can we imagine it ever?"
Ms Anam highlighted the need for further social studies on such heinous crimes to make a way out.
Senior asst secretary of women and children affairs ministry Rony Chakma and MJF media and communication coordinator Shahana Huda Ranjana, among other, also spoke.
MJF programme coordinator Rafiza Shaheen presented the study.
THE MJF placed an eight-point recommendation for the betterment of children, including formation of a separate directorate for children.
It suggested proper implementation of labour law to bring children out of hazardous jobs by making 'the children's unit' of the ministry functional.
MJF laid emphasis on enacting a comprehensive national policy specifying the role of the government, private and autonomous agencies over children's safety, their right to live, flourish and participation.
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