Public Opinion is Clear: Urgent Legislation Required to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation! Read the story

Bangladesh

Members

Aparajeyo Bangladesh

Aparajeyo-Bangladesh (AB) is a national child rights organisation. Though it was founded in 1995 through localisation of an international NGO, the organisation  commenced activities in 1976, working with children living in and around the slums of Dhaka city. Its goal was to reduce their unbearable poverty, distress and vulnerability caused by the harshness of slum life. In 1989, another programme was formeed to provide services to children who live on the citys streets or amongst its public buildings. Over the years, Aparajeyo-Bangladesh has expanded its support to promote and protect the rights of other socially excluded children.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK)

Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK) is a legal aid and human rights resource centre that provides free legal aid to women and child workers. ASK’s legal activism has led to public campaigns and advocacy in defense of individual and group rights within a framework of democracy.

ACD

The Association for Community Development’s (ACD’s) primary mandate is to ensure the rights of women and children in the greater Rajshahi region. Its programmes endeavour to integrate community development and human rights strategies; however, its focus remains on women, adolescents and children at the community level. ACD works to combat the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children.

Facts

Although the legal age of marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys, 33 per cent of Bengali adolescent girls are married before the age of 15 and 60 per cent become mothers by the age of 19.
Children, especially girls, are vulnerable to sexual exploitation from a very young age. Girls with disabilities are more vulnerable, as they are perceived to be easy targets.
Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and has accordingly made provisions in the National Plan of Action for Children to tackle the main SEC manifestations.

Resources

ECPAT International, Eurochild, Terre Des Hommes Netherlands on behalf of the Down To Zero Alliance
Behind the Screens: Early Findings from the VOICE Research

Year: 2023

Download
ECPAT International
South Asia – Summary of Recommendations: Legal Interventions in South Asia

Year: 2022

Download
ECPAT International
Bangladesh — Country Overview

Year: 2022

ECPAT International
Bangladesh – Legal Checklist: Key Legal Interventions to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

Year: 2022

Download
Down to Zero Alliance
Effective Ways to Engage the Private Sector

Year: 2019

Down To Zero Alliance
Background Paper: Effective Ways of Working with the Private Sector

Year: 2019

Stories

News from Bangladesh

Indicators

Age of Consent

Not Yet Assessed

Extraterritoriality & Extradition

Partial

Active extraterritoriality is provided for all offences punished by the Bangladeshi laws in general as well as active and passive extraterritoriality for human trafficking offences. It is unclear whether the principle of double criminality applies to extraterritorial jurisdiction in relation to SEC offences.

Extradition applies to trafficking related offences but not to other SEC related crimes and requires the double criminality principle.

SECTT Legal Checklist Bangladesh, 2020

CSAM Definition

Not Yet Assessed

Background Check Required

No

There are no mandatory legal provisions for criminal background checks nor legislation prohibiting convicted sex offenders to hold positions involving or facilitating contact with children.

SECTT Legal Checklist Bangladesh, Sep-20

National Commitments

Partial

Bangladesh has ratified the CRC, the OPSC, the Trafficking Protocol and the ILO Convention No. 182.

Bangladesh has not ratified the OPIC, the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics nor the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions.

SECTT Legal Checklist Bangladesh, 2020

Child Advocacy Centers

Not Yet Assessed

SEC Police Unit

Not Yet Assessed

Protection Standards Travel and Tourism

No

There are no child protection standards for the travel and tourism industry in place.

SECTT Legal Checklist Bangladesh, 2020

Public SEC Case Data

Not Yet Assessed