Alarm Over Child Sexual Abuse in Bangladeshi Madrasas Sparks Debate

A surge in reported incidents of sexual abuse and rape targeting young students within Bangladeshi madrasas has reignited a fierce national debate regarding institutional accountability, regulatory oversights, and the protection of vulnerable children.

While overall crime statistics compiled by human rights organisations track nation-wide sexual violence, they do not systematically categorise offences by specific educational sectors. Consequently, comprehensive monthly or annual data dedicated solely to madrasas remains unavailable. However, rights defenders caution that the documented instances reflect merely the tip of an iceberg, as countless cases go unreported due to social stigma, religious intimidation, and systematic cover-ups.

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|                      CHRONOLOGY OF RECENT REPORTED INCIDENTS IN MADRASAS                           |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| Date / Period        | Location             | Summary of Incident & Legal Status                   |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| July 2019            | Narayanganj          | RAB arrested a teacher accused of abusing 11 students|
|                      |                      | over three years using spiritual coercion.           |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| July 2019            | Kendua, Netrokona    | Principal mobbed and arrested for abusing young girls|
|                      |                      | and forcing them to swear secrecy on the Quran.      |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| March 2025           | Sreepur, Gazipur     | Teacher arrested following an attempted rape; full   |
|                      |                      | confession recorded on video.                        |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| May 2025             | Netrokona            | Teacher arrested after an 11-year-old student became |
|                      |                      | pregnant following repeated sexual assaults.         |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| July 2025            | Kumarkhali, Kushtia  | Teacher detained for repeatedly assaulting a male    |
|                      |                      | student over a fortnight under the guise of dreams.  |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| August 2025          | Banshkhali, Chittagong| Principal arrested by RAB for repeatedly abusing an  |
|                      |                      | eight-year-old student in washrooms.                 |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| Jan - Jun 2025       | Nationwide (HRSS)    | 404 total rapes reported; 238 victims were minors;   |
|                      |                      | 17 victims were murdered following assault.          |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| Jan - Jun 2025       | Nationwide (ASK)     | 319 rape incidents recorded; 164 involved minors;    |
|                      |                      | 30 victims were killed post-assault.                 |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| July 2025            | Nationwide (HRSS)    | 95 females raped in one month; 61 were under 18;     |
|                      |                      | 11 subjected to gang rape.                           |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| Full Year 2025       | Nationwide (ASK)     | 759 total rapes recorded; 370 victims were minors;   |
|                      |                      | 36 victims were killed post-assault.                 |
+----------------------+----------------------+------------------------------------------------------+

Patterns of Exploitation and Systemic Silence

Analysis of recent criminal cases reveals deeply concerning patterns within these institutions. Perpetrators are overwhelmingly adult male teachers or institutional heads who target vulnerable, underage students of both genders. In many residential facilities, abuses are sustained over extended periods. Predators frequently manipulate religious concepts—threatening victims with divine retribution, eternal damnation, or spiritual curses—to enforce silence. In several cases, administrators have attempted to settle grave criminal acts through local arbitration (salish) rather than notifying law enforcement.

Human rights advocates stress that the structural setup of residential madrasas amplifies child vulnerability. Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir, Senior Co-ordinator at Ain o Salish Centre (ASK), noted that whilst sexual harassment occurs across various educational settings, its incidence is disproportionately high in madrasas. He highlighted that sexual assault against male students (sodomy) has reached alarming levels.

“There is a severe absence of monitoring in these institutions, the majority of which operate as boarding schools,” Kabir explained. “Parents rarely have the opportunity to check on their children’s well-being, and religious fear is routinely weaponised to silence victims.”

Ejazul Islam, Chief Executive of the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), concurred, stating that the problem is longstanding but is now receiving greater exposure due to increased media awareness. He warned, however, that the actual frequency far exceeds media reports due to pervasive secrecy.

Institutional Resistance and Claims of Propaganda

In response to public outcry, representatives from Qawmi madrasas—which operate independently of state curriculum control—have pushed back against what they describe as unfair targeting.

Maulana Manzurul Islam Afendi, head of the Jamia Islamia Islambag Madrasa in Dhaka, maintained that administrative boards are taking firm action. “Wherever such crimes occur, we demand legal prosecution and enforce strict monitoring. However, our investigations show that certain groups are deliberately targeting madrasa education, exaggerating isolated incidents into widespread scandals,” he claimed.

Similarly, Mufti Mehdi Hasan, Director of Darul Quran Meherunnisa Women’s Madrasa in Khilgaon, dismissed the majority of media coverage as malicious propaganda designed to defame religious education for financial gain via social media. He argued that abuse cases represent less than a fraction of one per cent of total occurrences, asserting that wrongdoing stems from individual human flaw rather than systemic institutional failure.

From the regulatory perspective, Maulana Muslehuddin Raju, Vice-President of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh (BEFAQ)—the primary board overseeing Qawmi madrasas—acknowledged the existence of offences while insisting they are overblown in public discourse. He revealed that out of approximately 50,000 Qawmi madrasas nationwide, around 35,000 are registered with the board, leaving roughly 15,000 operating completely outside any monitoring umbrella.

“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment and have introduced mandatory directives, including the installation of CCTV cameras and codes of conduct for staff,” Maulana Raju stated, emphasizing that unorganised and unregistered institutions pose the primary oversight challenge.

Meanwhile, official state-regulated institutions face fewer structural blind spots. Professor Khondokar Md. Sadequr Rahman, Chairman of the Alia Madrasa Education Board, clarified that state-governed institutions enforce administrative committees to handle harassment allegations directly, handing over criminal matters to law enforcement agencies upon verification.

Academic Insights and Legal Imperatives

Sociological and educational experts emphasize that structural inequality lies at the heart of the crisis. Professor Mojibur Rahman of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research pointed out that many residential madrasas offer free boarding and meals, attracting children from destitute socio-economic backgrounds. This economic dependence drastically reduces institutional accountability and parental supervision.

“The High Court of Bangladesh explicitly ordered the establishment of anti-sexual harassment cells across all educational institutions,” Professor Rahman noted. “When even major universities struggle to implement these directives fully, enforcing them in unregulated madrasas becomes immensely difficult.”

In 2019, investigative journalist Saiful Baten Titu authored a book titled Bishphora (The Carbuncle) after visiting 200 male boarding madrasas in disguise. His research depicted systemic child abuse driven by entrenched impunity, administrative cover-ups, and cyclic psychological trauma. Following its publication, the Bangladeshi government banned the book in 2020, and Titu subsequently fled to Europe after receiving severe death threats.

Anthropologist Professor Snigdha Rezwana of Jahangirnagar University stressed the need to view child sexual exploitation holistically rather than framing it solely as an institutional attack, which inevitably triggers defensiveness from religious bodies. Meanwhile, Maleka Banu, General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, described the influx of reports as an explosion of hidden trauma, calling for mandatory public transparency and the inclusion of civil society representatives within mandatory anti-harassment committees.

Under current Bangladeshi jurisprudence, non-consensual sexual acts against male children are criminalised alongside rape offences, carrying penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Supreme Court Advocate Ishrat Hasan emphasized that legal enforcement remains hindered by institutional opacity.

“Numerous residential madrasas operate in rented premises without formal state registration or teacher vetting procedures,” Advocate Hasan stated. “To safeguard children effectively, the state must bring every single madrasa under a mandatory registration framework and rigorously enforce the High Court’s anti-harassment guidelines across all educational sectors.”