Incidents of violence against children marked 18.75 per cent rise in the country in the outgoing year 2018 compared to the previous year (2017), reads a study.
Besides, 380 children faced different types of violence each month of 2018 on an average and as many as 4,566 children became victims of violence in the year, the study added.
Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) made public the report of the study at a press conference titled "Child Rights Situation-2018" at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city on Wednesday.
The number of children facing violence and torture was 3,845 in 2017, the study found.
BSAF prepared the data based on reports published in the country's 15 leading Bangla and English dailies.
Citing media reports, BSAF said in the report that courts delivered verdicts only on 31 child murder cases and 50 on child rape cases in 2018.
The overall scenario indicates the culture of impunity and delay in getting justice, the report stated.
Moreover, 2,354 of the total number mentioned became victims of unnatural deaths and 812 were victims of sexual abuse in 2018, BSAF statistics reveals.
The number of unnatural deaths is 23.30 percent higher than that of the previous year and the number of incidents of sexual abuse is 9.17 per cent less than that of 2017.
National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque was present at the press conference as the chief guest while UNDP Chief Technical Adviser on Human Rights Sharmila Rasul addressed the event as special guest.
BSAF director Abdus Shahid Mahmood read out the report while BSAF chairperson Khawaja Shamsul Huda was in the chair.
Kazi Reazul Hoque said children account for 45 per cent of the country's total population and it is unfortunate that violence against them is rising.
"We need to give all possible efforts to completely eliminate violence against children from the country," he added.
Mentioning government efforts in this regard, he urged the government to form a 'child commission and a child department' to this effect.
Bangladesh is doing better in some socio-economic sides but the country needs to focus more on the child issues; otherwise the ongoing developments could come under question, emphasised Sharmila Rasul.
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