Ensure immediate action for violence against children

UNICEF to interim govt

UNICEF, a UN agency dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of children worldwide, has said the interim government and law enforcement agencies should ensure immediate action and accountability for all reported cases of violence against children through strengthened investigation, prosecution, and judicial processes.
Establishing a specialised child protection unit within law enforcement, trained in trauma-informed investigations and victim-sensitive approaches, is fundamental, said UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers. Besides, she said, expanding and professionalising the social service workforce would provide gender-sensitive, child-centered support for survivors and their families.
To secure justice for victims and survivors, independent and gender-sensitive prosecutors must be appointed to ensure timely prosecution and hold legal actors accountable for meeting the government 90-day case resolution target, she mentioned.
The UNICEF Representative said she is "profoundly horrified" by the alarming rise in reported cases of sexual violence against children, especially girls, in Bangladesh over the last weeks.