The UN Human Rights Office’s report on the tragic events that took place in Bangladesh in July and August 2024 is both shocking and heartbreaking, said a Unicef statement on Wednesday.
Among the 1,400 people the report estimates were killed between July 1 and August 15, more than 100 of them were children, it also stated.
Unicef reported on many of these deaths and has continued to work on clarifying how many children were killed or hurt.
“We mourn every one of them,” said the statement, signed by Rana Flowers, Unicef representative in Bangladesh in response to the OHCHR fact-finding report.
Gender-based violence, including physical assaults and threats of rape, was also documented, aimed at deterring females from participating in protests. Children were not spared; they were killed, maimed, arbitrarily arrested, detained in inhumane conditions, and tortured, the statement also stated.
In one harrowing case, a 12-year-old protester in Dhanmondi died from internal bleeding caused by 200 metal shot pellets.
Another tragic incident involved a six-year-old girl in Narayanganj, who was killed by a bullet to the head while observing clashes from her rooftop.
On August 5, one of the deadliest days of the protests, a 12-year-old boy in Azampur described police firing "everywhere like rainfall," witnessing at least a dozen dead bodies.
“These findings must horrify us all, and Unicef appeals to all across Bangladesh to ensure ‘never again’ must this be allowed to happen to children in Bangladesh.”
Unicef also stressed the need for all policymakers in Bangladesh, political actors, and officials to work urgently on three key aspects to help the children, young people and families of Bangladesh to heal and to move forward with hope.
First, there must be accountability and reconciliation for those children whose lives have been lost and whose families grieve for them.
Second, they called for justice, supporting and ensuring reintegration of those who remain in detention, or who are otherwise affected by these events.
Third, Unicef urged to turn the event into a moment of catalytic change.
“A time for all political actors, parties and policymakers to reach a consensus on the need for reforms to policing and justice systems so that no child in Bangladesh ever again faces arbitrary detention, a lack of due process, torture, or violence for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, and so that children in Bangladesh can fully realize their right to safety, dignity, and justice.”
In calling for accountability and reform, Unicef offered support to ensure there are:
• Independent investigations into all cases of violence, abuse, and unlawful detention of children.
• Justice sector reforms that align Bangladesh’s legal framework with international standards for child protection.
• Stronger safeguards to prevent future violations, including establishing independent monitoring mechanisms.
Unicef also urged for a justice system fit for children that:
• Ends the criminalization of children: Rather than treating children as threats, ensure they understand their accountability, and recognize them as rights holders in need of care, protection, and rehabilitation.
• Expand the alternatives to detention for children who are found by the courts to have committed a crime, such as diversion programs, probation, and restorative justice that replace punitive approaches that inflict lasting harm.
• Ensure child-sensitive legal processes: where specialized courts, legal aid, and child-sensitive investigations uphold children’s rights.
• Protect child protesters and survivors: Accountability mechanisms are established to prevent further violations against children and ensure justice for victims.
