Ain o Salish Kendra records deaths linked to disappearance, physical abuse, family violence and sexual assault as thousands of children remain missing

Dhaka, September 2026 : At least 155 children were killed across Bangladesh between January and August this year in incidents involving disappearance, sexual assault, physical abuse, family-related violence and other forms of crime, according to figures compiled by Dhaka-based human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), local media reported

The rights organisation said the figures reflected a continuing pattern of violence against children across the country. According to data cited by the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune, the bodies of 36 children who had been reported missing were recovered during the first eight months of the year

ASK recorded 68 child deaths resulting from physical abuse, while another 49 children were killed in incidents involving family-related violence. The organisation also reported that 26 children, including two boys, were killed following rape

Four children reportedly died following attempted rape, while three were shot dead. Two domestic workers died allegedly as a result of physical abuse, two children were killed by stalkers and another child was killed following abduction

During the same eight-month period, ASK also documented 99 cases involving suicide, mysterious deaths and the recovery of children's bodies, highlighting the range of circumstances surrounding deaths involving minors

Recent cases have further drawn attention to the dangers faced by children in different parts of Bangladesh. Several incidents reported in September involved children who disappeared and were subsequently found dead, with allegations of sexual assault and murder

In Pabna Sadar, a 10-year-old child who went missing on September 9 was found dead in a ditch seven days later. Police said the child had been raped and killed. Two people were arrested in connection with the case

In another incident in Madarganj of Jamalpur, a seven-year-old child disappeared after leaving for school on September 10. The child's body was discovered the following day, buried beneath the floor of a classmate's house