At least 32 children were killed and many more injured and detained during student protests that erupted in Bangladesh in July, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.

Last month, students in Bangladesh staged massive protests against the Government, demanding an end to a “quota system” for government jobs amid rising unemployment.

More than 200 people were killed in clashes with security forces, including bystanders, according to media reports.

Although the authorities withdrew the system, fresh protests broke out in parts of capital Dhaka on Friday calling for accountability, reports stated.

Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility

Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, having just returned from Bangladesh, expressed deep concern over the impact of violence and the ongoing unrest.

“UNICEF has now confirmed that at least 32 children were killed during July’s protests, with many more injured and detained. This is a terrible loss. UNICEF condemns all acts of violence,” he said in a statement.

“Children must be protected at all times. That is everyone’s responsibility.”

Stop detaining children

Wijesekera also noted reports that children were being detained, and stressed that for a child, coming into contact or conflict with the law can be very frightening.

In line with international human rights law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Bangladesh is signatory, he called for an end to the detention of children in all its forms.

“This means that children should not be arrested or detained based on their mere presence in any location or because of their background, religion, or acts or beliefs of their family members,” he said.

Reopen schools

With the outbreak of protests, authorities ordered the closure of schools, causing about 30 million students from pre-primary to secondary school levels to miss 10 days of school. This compounded the learning losses due to school closures earlier this year because of extreme temperatures, cyclones and floods.

Primary schools are expected to reopen on 4 August in many parts of Bangladesh, but around 15.5 million school children will still be unable to resume learning.

Wijesekera underscored the importance of reopening schools, resuming learning and reuniting children with their friends and teachers. 

“[It is] one of the best ways to help children recover from violence and to keep them safe,” he said, adding, “the longer children are out of school, especially girls, the less likely they are to return, jeopardizing their future.”