UNICEF has urged Bangladesh to end the criminalization of children and establish a justice system that prioritizes their care, protection, and rehabilitation.
In response to the UN Human Rights Office report on the July-August 2024 protests in Bangladesh, UNICEF Representative Rana Flowers emphasized the need for child-sensitive legal processes with specialized courts, legal aid, and investigations that uphold children’s rights.
The report estimates that over 1,400 people were killed, including more than 100 children, during the protests. Cases of gender-based violence, arbitrary arrests, inhumane detention, and torture of children were documented. Shocking incidents include the death of a 12-year-old protester from metal shot pellets and a six-year-old girl killed by a stray bullet while observing clashes from her rooftop.
Flowers called for immediate reforms, urging policymakers to ensure accountability for the lives lost, reintegrate detained children, and enact policing and justice reforms to prevent arbitrary detention, torture, or violence against children exercising their right to peaceful assembly.
UNICEF pledged support for independent investigations into these violations and stressed the need for stronger safeguards, including independent monitoring mechanisms, to protect child protesters and survivors. The agency reiterated its call for justice and a safer, fairer future for Bangladesh’s youth.
