A series of allegations of sexual abuse involving students at madrasas across Bangladesh has raised questions about child protection, complaint mechanisms and institutional accountability, particularly in residential institutions where children live away from their families.
Recent cases in Gazipur, Kushtia, Chittagong, Pabna and Brahmanbaria have led to arrests and criminal proceedings against teachers and madrasa officials. Some cases involve allegations of repeated sexual abuse, while earlier incidents include the deaths of children.
The High Court has issued directives requiring educational institutions and workplaces to establish committees to prevent sexual harassment, receive complaints, investigate allegations and recommend appropriate action. However, reports of alleged abuse in both Alia and Qawmi madrasas have prompted questions about how effectively these safeguards are being implemented.
Alia madrasas operate under the supervision of government education authorities and the Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board. Qawmi madrasas, by contrast, largely operate under their own education boards and management structures.
The distinction has renewed debate over who is responsible for monitoring individual institutions, ensuring that complaints are investigated and holding authorities accountable when allegations are ignored.
Recent allegations in several districts
In recent weeks, cases have been filed and arrests made following allegations of sexual abuse involving children at Qawmi madrasas in Tongi and Gachha in Gazipur. In Banshkhali, Chittagong, a madrasa headmaster was arrested over allegations of repeatedly sexually abusing an eight-year-old student.
In Daulatpur, Kushtia, a Qawmi madrasa teacher was arrested following an allegation that he attempted to rape a nine-year-old student. A separate case involving an Alia-stream Dakhil madrasa teacher in Brahmanbaria also resulted in an arrest over the alleged rape of a female student.
These cases have drawn attention to the safety of students, particularly children living in residential institutions, and the availability of safe and effective channels for reporting abuse.
Allegations of abuse, and cases involving children's deaths
On October 20, an allegation of sexual harassment was raised against Mosleh Uddin, vice-principal of Qari Ul Quran International Madrasa in Madhya Auchpara, Tongi, Gazipur, involving a seven-year-old student.
The child's family alleged that the teacher kissed the child inappropriately and threatened physical punishment if the incident was disclosed. After the child's father filed a case, police arrested the accused. A court subsequently ordered that he be sent to jail.
In Pakuria village under Pragpur Union in Daulatpur upazila, Kushtia, Sayeed Hossain, also known as Nannu, a teacher at Darul Abrar Madrasa, was accused of attempting to rape a nine-year-old third-grade student.
The child's mother filed a case on October 20. The teacher was arrested and subsequently sent to jail.
In Gazipur, police arrested teacher Oliullah Islam and madrasa director Mohammad Mizan following allegations that an eight-year-old residential student at Darul Hedaya Qawmi Madrasa in the Kalmeswar area under Gachha police station had been repeatedly sexually abused. Both were sent to jail on October 23.
According to the case statement, the child's family had reported the alleged abuse to the madrasa authorities, but no action was taken. The family also alleged that attempts were made to cover up the incident.
Three people were named as accused in the case, two of whom had been arrested, according to the report.
In Banshkhali, Chittagong, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested madrasa headmaster Muhammad Ramiz Uddin on August 3 over allegations of repeatedly sexually abusing an eight-year-old student.
He was arrested in the Bairag area near China Road, close to the Karnaphuli Tunnel in Anwara.
The child studied at Darussunnah Khairia Madrasa in Paschim Chechuria Ghonapara, Bailchhari Union, Banshkhali.
According to the case statement, the teacher allegedly took the child to a washroom and abused the student repeatedly, threatening the child to ensure silence. The alleged abuse was said to have continued from the time the child enrolled at the institution.
After the madrasa closed on July 23, another alleged incident reportedly took place in a classroom on the second floor of the orphanage's Hifz department, where students memorise the Quran.
The child's father filed a case on July 29 under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Earlier incidents have also raised concerns about the safety of children in Qawmi madrasas.
In June 2019, a teacher named Hafizur Rahman was arrested in Sharsha, Jessore, over allegations that he attempted to sexually assault and subsequently murdered 12-year-old student. Police said the child was killed after the alleged attempt to sexually assault him failed. The teacher was arrested at a Qawmi madrasa in Dighalia, Khulna.
In March 2022, three teachers were arrested after the body of an eight-year-old student was found with his throat slit at a Qawmi madrasa in Boalkhali, Chittagong.
More recently, in Pabna Sadar upazila, Md Abu Yusuf, a teacher and director of Nure Madina Women's Qawmi Madrasa in Dari Bhaudanga, Bharara Union, was accused of sexually abusing and attempting to rape a student.
Local residents detained him on October 22 and handed him over to police. The following day, an angry crowd vandalised the madrasa and set it on fire.
Allegations of sexual offences have also emerged at Alia-stream institutions.
In Kasba, Brahmanbaria, Abul Bashar, a mathematics teacher at a Dakhil madrasa, was accused of raping a sixth-grade student. A medical examination reportedly found that the student was three months pregnant.
The teacher was arrested, and the student's father filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The student alleged that the teacher had threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident.
Data show wider pattern of sexual violence against children
According to data from Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 118 children were victims of rape, and 46 were victims of attempted rape in Bangladesh between January and May 20, 2026.
Data compiled by France-based human rights organisation JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) documented 171 victims across 131 incidents of sexual violence against boys between January and September 2026.
Of those incidents, 72 occurred in madrasas and involved 109 boys. The organisation recorded allegations against 81 madrasa teachers in 65 of the cases.
JMBF's data do not distinguish between Qawmi and Alia madrasas. ASK's figures, meanwhile, cover violence against children nationwide rather than incidents specifically involving madrasa students.
As a result, the available figures do not establish the total number of sexual abuse cases occurring in madrasas or allow a direct comparison between the two education systems.
No separate national figures for madrasa abuse
Human rights organisations in Bangladesh monitor incidents of rape and other forms of violence largely through media reports and other available information. However, they do not maintain separate national statistics categorised by educational institution.
Consequently, there is no comprehensive monthly or annual count of rape cases specifically involving students at madrasas.
ASK recorded 641 incidents of rape involving women and children across Bangladesh between January and July 2026. The figure included 400 cases involving women and 241 involving children.
Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir, a senior coordinator at ASK, told Bangla Tribune that the organisation did not categorise its records by institution and therefore could not provide separate figures for madrasas.
"We do not maintain records categorised by institution; therefore, there are no separate figures for madrasas. However, our observations suggest that incidents of rape and sexual harassment occur in educational institutions, including madrasas," he said.
He added that this did not mean such incidents were absent from other types of educational institutions. ASK had also observed cases in which boys were raped or sexually abused in madrasas, he said.
The absence of institution-specific data makes it difficult to assess the scale of the problem in madrasas, identify patterns and determine whether existing preventive measures are working.
What are the High Court's directives?
On May 14, 2009, the High Court Division issued landmark directives aimed at preventing sexual harassment in workplaces and educational institutions.
The guidelines called for complaints committees to be established in public and private educational institutions and workplaces. The committees are required to be headed by a woman and include at least two members from outside the institution or organisation.
The directives were intended to remain in force until a separate law on sexual harassment was enacted.
The committees' responsibilities extend beyond receiving complaints. They are expected to examine allegations, conduct investigations and recommend appropriate action. Where a complaint is substantiated, the relevant authorities are required to take action in accordance with applicable rules.
However, the effectiveness of the system depends not only on establishing committees but also on ensuring that they are functional, accessible to students and capable of investigating complaints impartially.
Recent allegations involving madrasa students have raised questions about whether the directives are being implemented effectively, particularly in residential institutions.
Different oversight systems for Alia and Qawmi madrasas
On April 16, 2019, the Directorate of Madrasa Education issued a notice calling for committees to be formed to prevent sexual harassment and for oversight to be strengthened. On April 30 that year, the Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board issued a similar directive to its affiliated institutions.
Alia-stream madrasas operate within a government-supervised framework involving the Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board and relevant education authorities.
Qawmi madrasas, however, generally operate under independent education boards and management structures.
Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh, which brings together six Qawmi madrasa education boards, coordinates the recognition of Dawra-e-Hadith (Takmil) certificates and related academic activities.
Its role does not, however, extend to routine supervision of every individual madrasa or the direct investigation of allegations of sexual abuse at those institutions.
This distinction raises questions about the mechanisms available to monitor individual Qawmi madrasas, receive complaints from students and guardians, and ensure that allegations are referred to the appropriate authorities.
The two streams of madrasas should not be assumed to operate under identical administrative arrangements. Nevertheless, regardless of an institution's management structure, allegations of criminal conduct must be addressed under the applicable law.
'Heads of institutions must be held accountable if complaints are ignored'
Zahid Hasan Fahad, a Supreme Court lawyer and joint secretary of the human rights organisation Rise for Rights Foundation, told Bangla Tribune that the allegations in the Tongi case would have to be established through the legal process.
However, he said the allegation that madrasa authorities had failed to act after being informed of the incident warranted particular attention.
"If this allegation proves true, it suggests that the institution lacks an effective sexual harassment prevention committee, as mandated by the High Court," he said.
He described the matter as particularly sensitive because the institution caters to young children.
"If it is established that complaints were ignored or directives were disregarded, then not only the accused individual but also the institution and its head must be brought under the purview of the law," he said.
Fahad said the 2009 High Court ruling required educational institutions and workplaces across the country to establish committees to prevent sexual harassment. Yet, many institutions had either failed to form such committees or had committees that were ineffective, he said.
He added that those responsible should be held accountable if oversight of the directives' implementation was found to be inadequate.
Depending on the circumstances and available evidence, he said, there could also be grounds for initiating contempt of court proceedings.
'The committee must be made active'
Muhammad Mozammel Hossain Khan, director of administration and finance at the Directorate of Madrasa Education, told Bangla Tribune that the directorate regularly issued instructions aimed at preventing sexual abuse in madrasas.
The instructions included disseminating relevant guidance and holding periodic meetings with guardians to discuss the issue. Monitoring at the upazila level was carried out through upazila secondary education officers, he said.
However, the directorate did not have its own dedicated field-level monitoring mechanism, he added.
Mozammel said reports of such incidents had increased recently and that monitoring needed to be strengthened.
"We will work on this and place greater emphasis on the implementation of these directives," he said.
The Directorate of Madrasa Education said Alia madrasas were monitored at the field level by officials of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, as the Directorate of Madrasa Education did not have its own dedicated field-level staff.
Maulana Bahauddin Zakaria, vice-president of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh and senior joint secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, said Qawmi madrasas operated under their own curricula and management systems.
Each madrasa had its own committee, and teachers were accountable to that committee, he told Bangla Tribune.
"I am not certain to what extent the High Court's directives apply to Qawmi madrasas. Nevertheless, even when isolated untoward incidents occur, the madrasa boards and authorities remain vigilant and play a proactive role," he said.
He added that madrasa authorities took action against individuals involved in wrongdoing, although such action often went unreported.
A professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Government Madrasa-e-Alia told Bangla Tribune that government educational institutions had committees to address drug abuse and sexual harassment.
He said similar committees should be established at private educational institutions and made fully functional.
Regular monitoring was also necessary to ensure that the committees could perform their duties effectively, he added.
Fear of reporting and uncertainty over redress
Children may be reluctant to report sexual abuse because of fear, shame or social pressure. These barriers can be particularly difficult for students at residential madrasas, who live away from their families and may depend on teachers and administrators for their daily needs.
In the Gachha case in Gazipur, the child's family alleged that the madrasa authorities failed to act after being informed of the alleged abuse. Similar allegations have also appeared in a report by BBC Bangla.
The allegations must be established through an impartial investigation. However, claims that complaints were ignored highlight the need for reporting mechanisms that children and guardians can access without fear of retaliation.
Removing an accused teacher from an institution, on its own, is not enough to address an allegation. Authorities must ensure an impartial investigation, take appropriate legal action where warranted and put safeguards in place to prevent further abuse.
Students should be able to report concerns to a trusted adult or an independent authority, particularly when the person accused of abuse holds a position of power within the institution.
What needs to be done to prevent abuse?
Those concerned with child protection say madrasas should establish or activate complaints committees and clearly communicate the names of committee members and their contact details to students and guardians.
Institutions should also provide safe and confidential channels for reporting abuse, including alternative ways to lodge complaints when a student cannot approach the institution's management directly.
When allegations are received, authorities should ensure impartial investigations, protect the confidentiality of complainants and take appropriate legal measures. Complaints should be documented, and residential madrasas should be subject to regular inspections.
Institutions must also be held accountable for attempts to intimidate complainants, suppress reports or shield accused individuals from investigation.
Teachers, students and guardians should receive guidance on child protection, recognising inappropriate behaviour and reporting concerns.
The responsibilities of education boards, government departments and madrasa management committees should be clearly defined for both Qawmi and Alia institutions. Effective oversight requires more than issuing directives or formally establishing committees: reporting channels must work, allegations must be investigated fairly, and those responsible for neglecting their duties must be held accountable.
Qawmi boards order student protection committees and hotlines
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has said that six Qawmi madrasa education boards and institutions under their jurisdiction have been instructed to form or activate student protection committees to prevent abuse and immoral conduct.
In a statement sent to the media on Saturday night, the organisation's joint secretary general, Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi, said allegations of student abuse or unethical behaviour must be investigated and reports submitted within a maximum of seven days.
The statement also said the madrasa boards had been directed to establish monitoring cells and hotlines through which complaints could be reported.
Hefazat Ameer Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari and Secretary General Allama Sajedur Rahman said Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh had issued the instructions on September 19.
The leaders said child abuse and other forms of misconduct in educational institutions were unacceptable, but stressed that people must not take the law into their own hands.
They called for fair investigations and appropriate action through administrative and legal channels to maintain law and order.
Describing child sexual abuse as a longstanding social problem, the leaders said it was not confined to any one community or type of institution, noting that abuse could occur in schools, madrasas and other settings.
They warned that institutions could face suspension or cancellation of affiliation if they failed to establish student protection committees, allowed committees to remain inactive or failed to act on complaints.
The statement also stressed that children's safety and emotional well-being must be prioritised. It called on schools and madrasas to follow the instructions issued by their respective authorities and warned that those found guilty of misconduct should face both institutional and legal consequences.
The leaders said there would be no compromise in dealing with such cases, emphasising the responsibility of educational institutions to provide children with a safe environment for learning and development.
Religious affairs minister: 'Very sad and shameful'
Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain, also known as Kaikobad, described the reported incidents as "very sad and shameful".
He made the remarks on Saturday morning after the triennial council session of the Bangladesh National Imam Association in Agargaon, Dhaka.
"I have noticed that such incidents in the country are very sad and shameful. I believe this thing will not happen in future. We will do what is necessary in that regard," he said.
The minister added that imams had been instructed to raise awareness to help prevent such acts in religious institutions, including madrasas.
