‘At least 32 children killed in July protest’
FE REPORT | Saturday, 3 August 2024
The UN agency Unicef has confirmed that at least 32 children were killed during countrywide protests in July in Bangladesh with many more injured and detained.
"This is a terrible loss," Sanjay Wijesekera, Unicef regional director for South Asia, said in a statement on Friday.
"I have just returned from a week in Bangladesh, and I am deeply concerned about the impact of recent violence and ongoing unrest on children," he added.
The Unicef condemns all acts of violence erupted across the country.
"Children must be protected at all times. That is everyone's responsibility. I am aware of reports that children are being detained…"
The Unicef urges an end to the detention of children in all its forms in line with international human rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Bangladesh is signatory, and based on research into the effects of detention on children.
This means that children should not be arrested or detained based on their mere presence in any location or because of their background, religion or acts or beliefs of their family members.
Mr Sanjay said, "I visited the Unicef-supported Child Helpline 1098 that has seen a 250-per cent increase in demand since the violence started."
"In addition, 1,100 social workers, trained by Unicef, under the Department of Social Services, are providing psychosocial help for children whose mental health has been affected by the violence and curfews."
One of the best ways to help children recover from violence and to keep them safe is to reopen all schools, restart learning, and reunite children with their friends and teachers.
As many as 30-million students from pre-primary to secondary levels have missed 10 days of school.
These learning losses are compounded by school closures earlier this year due to heat, cyclones and floods.
While the Unicef welcomes the reopening of primary schools in many parts of Bangladesh from 04 August, there will still be around 15.5-million schoolchildren who are unable to resume learning.
The longer children are out of school, especially girls, the less likely they are to return, jeopardising their future.