Staff Reporter
Human rights organization Justicemakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has reported that 2,774 children and adolescents have been arrested or detained in Bangladesh in 12 incidents and series of raids in a month.
The report, prepared by monitoring data from four departments and eight districts from September 23 to October 22, 2026, was released today from the organization’s headquarters in Paris.
The JMBF prepared the report by monitoring news from national, regional, and local print and online media.
Information from the organization’s own reliable sources has also been included. Where possible, they have verified the information through multiple media reports and their own sources.
The JMBF expressed deep concern over the scope of the operation and the use of police custody to control the normal movement of children and adolescents, their participation in public gatherings, or their attendance at school.
According to the organization, the right to liberty of children and adolescents is violated when they are detained without a specific, lawful, and necessary basis—even if they are later released into the custody of their guardians.
Advocate Shahanur Islam, founding president of JMBF, said, “Children and adolescents should not be taken into police custody based on the assumption that they have gathered in public places, have not gone to class, or may commit crimes in the future.”
He added, “For each arrest, the police must show individual legal grounds and prove why detention is necessary. Even if children and adolescents are later released on bail from their guardians, if their rights have already been violated, that violation does not erase it.”
Most arrests in Comilla
According to the JMBF, Comilla has the highest number of children and adolescents arrested or detained as a district – 2,035. Division-wise, there are 2,418 in Chittagong, 300 in Sylhet, 50 in Rajshahi and six in Barisal.
On a monthly basis, 2,173 children and adolescents were arrested or detained between September 23 and 30 and 601 between October 1 and 22.
JMBF said these numbers are an estimate of the cases detected in its monitoring; they are not the full number of cases in the country. It believes the actual number may be higher than the number mentioned in the report as some cases have not been published or have not reached the organization’s monitoring network.
The report also provides an account of the post-detention consequences. 1,720 people were released with written bonds from their guardians. Another 194 were handed over to their guardians in other ways. 833 people were sent to prison and 27 were sent to the Tongi Child Development Center.
The JMBF has clarified that these figures are indicative; they do not indicate how many people are currently detained.
16 students detained during class
The report specifically highlights the incident of 16 school children and teenagers being detained while classes were in progress in Shahrasti, Chandpur. They were later released to their guardians.
JMBF has also reviewed the mass campaigns in Comilla, Sylhet, Natore and Noakhali. The organization has questioned whether the authorities properly considered any alternative to detention before taking away the freedom of children and adolescents.
The JMBF said that the constitutional protection of personal liberty and the provisions of the Children Act, 2013 apply to any police operation involving children and adolescents. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, detention must be lawful and not arbitrary. Detention must be used as a measure of last resort and children and adolescents must be detained for the minimum appropriate period of time.
The organization said that allegations of a child or juvenile being involved in an organized criminal group do not violate their rights. Such allegations cannot be considered as a basis for proving a crime.
Multiple demands, including an end to mass arrests
JMBF has called for an end to the mass arrests and detention of children and adolescents.
The organization’s demands include: reviewing the legal basis and necessity of each case of detention of children and adolescents; releasing those detained without lawful grounds; prioritizing alternative measures and appropriate rehabilitation; ensuring legal assistance, contact with families, and probation support; and independently investigating allegations of arbitrary detention.
The organization also called for effective remedies for illegally detained children and adolescents, and demanded that compensation be ensured if it is due according to the law.
Incidents identified as directly related to political activities have been excluded from this report.
JMBF has reviewed such incidents in a separate report: Six-month monitoring report on the arbitrary arrest of children for political reasons in Bangladesh .
However, the JMBF has expressed concern that the actual or perceived political identity of children and adolescents, and even their family’s political affiliations, may be an undisclosed reason for some arrests.
According to the organization, an independent investigation is needed into this matter.
https://stapravda.ru/20221228/reyting_samyh_populyarnyh_hostingov_v_rossii_196445.html, рейтинг хостингов России подтверждает, что выбор надежного провайдера важен для бизнеса.