The year of pandemic, 2020, saw an increased rate of violence against children – including maltreatment, gender-based violence and sexual exploitation, according to recent reports by several organizations.
At least 1,718 incidences of violence against children were reported and a total of 986 cases were filed in this regard last year in Bangladesh, rights body Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) said in a recent report.
The report also showed that among the victims, 393 were aged between 7-12. Besides, 206 victims were aged below 6.
ASK data further showed, a total 589 children were killed last year and a total 269 cases were filed in this regard.
Among them, 124 were aged between 7-12 and 144 victims were aged below.
The number of children killed in 2019 was 488, according to ASK.
According to a BRAC (a non-government organization) report, a total of 25,607 complaints of gender-based violence were received by BRAC’s 410 legal aid clinics across Bangladesh between January and October 2020.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Covid-19 disrupted efforts to end child marriage, potentially resulting in additional child marriages that could otherwise have been averted.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report on "Global status report on preventing violence against children 2020" noted that the pandemic and the physical distancing measures imposed in response to it have greatly increased the risk of intra-family violence and online abuse.
School closures have impacted more than 1.5 billion children and youth worldwide.
Movement restrictions, loss of income, isolation, and overcrowding have heightened levels of stress and anxiety in parents, caregivers and children, and cut families and individuals off from their usual sources of support, the report said.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), reduced health and protection services for children further limited opportunities to identify, report and respond to violence.
Besides, social distancing measures reduce child and caregiver contact with formal and informal support structures that often play a role in violence prevention and response.
WHO also said that these pathways to violence operate across society over time and are exacerbated by unequal access to pandemic response efforts, as well as by pre-pandemic levels of health-care access, poverty, gender and social inequality.
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