Most people accused of childhood sexual abuse in 132 anonymous reports submitted to Bangladeshi platform Awaz.bd were known to the children, with acquaintances, trusted acquaintances and relatives making up a significant share of the reported perpetrators.
The data also shows that abuse frequently occurred in places where children were expected to be safe, with homes accounting for 48% of the reported incidents and religious or educational institutions for another 35%.
Among male survivors, acquaintances were identified as alleged perpetrators in 37% of cases, followed by trusted acquaintances at 21%, close relatives at 9% and distant relatives at 9%. Strangers accounted for 12%.
For female survivors, distant relatives were the most commonly reported perpetrators at 30%, followed by acquaintances and close relatives at 17% each and trusted acquaintances at 13%.
The findings are based on anonymous submissions to Awaz.bd, a data and awareness platform that documents experiences of childhood sexual abuse. The platform says it is not a helpline or legal assistance service.
According to the data, 10-12-year-olds accounted for 32 reports, while 7-9-year-olds accounted for 20.
Of the reported locations, open spaces accounted for 10% and commercial or transport-related places for 8%.
Religious and educational institutions emerged as another major setting for abuse. Within this category, Qawmi madrasas accounted for 23 reports, or half of all reports involving such institutions. Schools accounted for eight, mosques seven, universities and Alia madrasas three each, and colleges and temples one each. No reports were recorded from pagodas.
The data also indicates that abuse was often not an isolated experience. About 48% of survivors reported multiple incidents, while 15% described abuse that continued over a long period. Another 36% reported a one-time incident.
In 35% of reports, the abuse involved an alleged misuse of power or authority. Another 24% said the abuse began with force and continued through fear, while circumstances were unclear in 39% of cases.
Awaz.bd was founded by Rakibul Hasan and Salahuddin Jahangir. Rakibul, who studied International Relations at the University of Dhaka, said the initiative grew out of concern over child sexual abuse, particularly cases involving boys in madrasa settings.
He said the founders initially intended to document abuse against boys in madrasas, but submissions soon came from both male and female survivors and from different types of educational institutions.
“This is not a help centre or a legal assistance centre. It is an awareness platform,” Rakibul said.
He said the platform was created to document experiences that often remain unreported because of fear, social consequences and the lack of safe avenues for speaking out.
The anonymous accounts submitted to the platform describe alleged abuse by relatives, classmates, neighbors, senior students and other people known to the survivors. Some contributors said they never told anyone about the abuse because they were afraid, confused or unable to speak about what had happened.
Several accounts also describe lasting emotional effects, including fear, shame, trauma and difficulty discussing childhood experiences.
The submissions came from districts across Bangladesh. Dhaka accounted for 28 reports, followed by Chittagong with 11, Cumilla with eight, Noakhali with seven, Narayanganj with six, and Gazipur and Mymensingh with five each.
Rakibul said the founders hope the platform will draw greater attention from the government and madrasa authorities to child safety and create public pressure for stronger action against abuse.
Awaz.bd says it does not ask contributors for their names, photographs or other identifying information. It also says it does not use cookies or tracking tools and does not retain personal information.
However, the 132 submissions should not be interpreted as a national prevalence estimate. The data comes from voluntary anonymous submissions, is not nationally representative and has not been independently verified.
People seeking immediate help can contact Child Helpline 1098, the Women and Children Violence Prevention Helpline at 109, or National Emergency Service 999.