Today marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
With the 2026 theme of “Victims first. Actions now,” the United Nations rightfully call to place victims at the centre of all efforts and note that enforced disappearances are preventable and that it is nations and other stakeholders that have clear responsibilities and tools to act.
For our country, this day is of particular significance as we remember one of the darkest chapters of our recent history - a period when citizens could be taken without warrant, held without acknowledgement, and erased from public view.
For years, families here lived with unbearable uncertainty, not knowing whether their loved ones were alive or dead. Reports from human rights groups and UN investigators have documented patterns of abduction, secret detention centres, torture, and concealment carried out by state agencies during the previous regime.
The mass uprising of 2024 may have forced a reckoning, and Bangladesh has since taken steps toward reform, including drafting new legislation to criminalize enforced disappearance and strengthen accountability mechanisms.
With that said, it is evident from our recent history that laws alone are not enough. Rights organizations have warned that without institutional reform, independent oversight, and political commitment, the culture of impunity could persist, and enforced disappearances could once again make a comeback.
Bangladesh owes its citizens truth and justice. Protecting these rights is not only a legal obligation but a moral one, essential to rebuilding trust and ensuring that the state serves its people.
This day must therefore serve as a national reminder: Never again. Never again should families be forced to search for answers in silence and fear. Never again should any government be allowed to use disappearance as a tool of repression and control.
