Every year, Bangladesh Police publish a neat set of crime statistics. Murder, theft, rape, and narcotics offenses are carefully tallied, year by year. On paper, they suggest steady progress, fewer violent crimes, fewer reported incidents, fewer threats to public safety.
But to many citizens, these numbers feel distant from reality. The picture of crime that Bangladesh lives through is not the same one recorded in police data.
This is the country’s “dark figure of crime” -- the unreported and unrecorded offenses that remain invisible to the justice system. It is the unspoken half of our national story on crime, rooted not in numbers but in fear, distrust, and the cost of seeking justice.
The gap between reality and reports
According to the Bangladesh Police’s 2023 Annual Report, roughly 2,17,000 criminal cases were filed nationwide that year -- a slight increase from 2022. Yet, in the same period, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) reported in its Violence Against Women Survey 2022 that 72.6% of women who experienced violence never sought help from any formal institution, including the police.
That single figure reveals how wide the gulf is between lived reality and recorded crime. If over two-thirds of victims remain silent, our official statistics capture barely a fraction of the real problem.
Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) found in 2023 that nearly half of respondents in urban areas said they would “avoid the police unless absolutely necessary.”
Their reasons were consistent: fear of harassment, time delays, and disbelief that their complaints would be treated seriously.
This pattern is echoed by the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), whose 2021 study on gender-based violence found that only 18% of victims in Dhaka slums had ever reported incidents to police, despite nearly all experiencing repeated abuse.
The message is clear. While formal crime figures may appear stable, the silent majority of victims remain uncounted and unseen.
Why don’t people report?
For many, justice begins with a risk. Filing a General Diary (GD) or First Information Report (FIR) can mean repeated visits to police stations, unwanted attention, and even retaliation from perpetrators. For low-income or rural women, the cost of transportation alone can deter a complaint.
A 2020 UNODC South Asia Access to Justice Report noted that around 60% of low-income citizens in Bangladesh said they “did not know the correct process” to report a crime. Others said the process was “too expensive” or “too slow.”
The problem deepens in cases involving domestic or sexual violence, where cultural stigma compounds the fear. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) recorded 1,143 cases of rape in 2023, yet advocacy groups estimate the true number is several times higher. Survivors often choose silence to avoid humiliation or disbelief.
Criminologically, this falls squarely within the concept of the “dark figure” -- coined to describe the hidden portion of criminal activity unaccounted for in official data. In Bangladesh, that figure may exceed the visible one.
A matter of trust
Public confidence in law enforcement has long been a barrier to accurate reporting. In a 2022 survey by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), respondents were asked whether they believed “the police act impartially.” Only 27% said yes.
Trust deficits are not new, but they matter profoundly. If victims believe the system will not protect them, crime reporting collapses. When fewer cases are filed, fewer offenders are prosecuted, and the justice system’s credibility weakens further -- a self-perpetuating cycle.
At a macro level, this means policymakers, journalists, and even international observers end up with distorted data. When real crime levels are underestimated, resource allocation, law reforms, and social interventions miss their targets.
Technology and the new visibility of crime
Social media has introduced a new paradox. Platforms like Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) are now filled with posts about harassment, assault, or theft -- often with photos or video evidence. Yet few of these online testimonies translate into police reports.
In 2024, BRAC’s Digital Justice Project observed that while digital complaints on social media rose by 240%, only a small fraction reached formal investigation. Online outrage does not automatically equal institutional action.
This suggests that the public’s willingness to speak about crime has increased -- but not necessarily their faith in reporting it.
Bridging the invisible divide
Addressing the hidden half of Bangladesh’s crime problem will require rebuilding trust and lowering the barriers to justice.
Some progress is visible. Initiatives like the Police Help Desk for Women and Children, the 999 emergency hotline, and online GD submission have made first-contact processes easier. But they remain limited in coverage and public awareness.
Criminologists argue that meaningful reform must also involve victim-centred policing, community-level legal education, and improved accountability. In short, crime control cannot rely solely on arrests, it must restore belief.
The justice system can only protect what it can see. The unseen crimes, the unspoken abuses, the unfiled reports, form the invisible foundation of insecurity that millions quietly live with.
Until the invisible becomes visible, no statistic can truly measure our safety.
Maymuna Mizan is a freelance contributor and a student of law.
