TDS Desk:

Questions intensify over the missing of so many children pushing the nation at concern.

Mohammad Saidul was seven years old when he vanished from his home in Chattogram’s Khulshi area. For the next five years, his family lived with one agonizing, unanswered question: where was their child? His father, Mohammad Mostafa Kamal, searched everywhere. After filing a general diary (GD) at Khulshi Police Station, the family waited for answers that never came. They canvassed neighborhoods with relatives, pursued cold leads, and visited surrounding districts in desperation.

Then, on April 13, 2026, five years after Saidul disappeared, Mostafa spotted his son’s photograph on the Facebook page of a national daily. He immediately contacted the outlet, leading to an emotional reunion. “Those five years were extremely painful for us. My brothers, friends, and relatives searched everywhere. We cried for him and tried everything possible,” Mostafa said. Saidul had accidentally boarded a Dhaka-bound train and ended up in the capital. For five years, he survived among street children by collecting plastic bottles and working at scrap metal shops. Today, he is back home, studying at a local madrasa, and has successfully passed his examinations.

THOUSANDS MISSING, MINIMAL OVERSIGHT

While Saidul’s story ended in relief, it remains a rare exception in Bangladesh, where thousands of families face endless searches without resolution.  A recent investigative report by news channel Ekattor TV revealed that nearly 16,000 general diaries were filed over missing children during a seven-month period.

Following public outcry, Police Headquarters issued a statement clarifying that 13,679 children had been rescued or returned home, but acknowledged that slightly over 2,000 remain untraced so far.  Human rights activists stress that a remaining balance of 2,000 untraced children represents a severe national crisis rather than an acceptable statistic.

“The fact that 2,000 children are missing instead of 15,000 is no cause for relief. Two thousand young lives cannot be left in uncertainty,” said Ejazul Islam, Executive Director of the Human Rights Support Society. “A child is not just a number. A disappearance inflicts long-term emotional, social, and economic trauma on a family.”Islam added that vulnerable children left on the streets frequently fall into the hands of organized criminal syndicates, which force them into forced begging, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities.

Police data highlights a persistent trend in missing person case filings across the country. Of them, 17,808 cases were filed  in 2023, while 16,414 cases were filed in 2024 and  22,550 cases in 2025.

Law enforcement officials noted that younger children generally vanish after becoming accidentally separated from guardians in crowded or unfamiliar places. In contrast, older children often run away due to family disputes, academic pressure, mental health struggles, or peer influence.

THE CRUCIAL “GOLDEN HOURS” LOST TO DELAYS

Despite the high volume of disappearances, law enforcement agencies lack a centralized, dedicated national mechanism for real-time tracking and recovery. Advocacy groups allege that families frequently encounter procedural hurdles at local police stations, where some are discouraged from filing immediate reports or face initial delays.

“The first 24 hours after a child goes missing are the ‘golden hours’ of a rescue operation,” said Maruf Hayath, Media and Communication Officer at MUN Alert, a private initiative tracking missing minors.

“Yet, many families struggle to get a GD registered immediately upon arriving at a police station.”Over the past six months, MUN Alert received 1,226 missing child reports and issued high-priority public alerts in 171 cases. While more than 800 children were successfully reunited with their families through their network, 15 were found dead, and 41 remain untraced.

Activists point out that police investigations move significantly faster when cases involve explicit allegations of kidnapping or ransom. For instance, in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, police rescued two boys—13-year-old Shafiqul and 11-year-old Shahidul—nearly 11 months after formal abduction complaints were registered.

When asked why Khulshi Police failed to trace Saidul for five years, a duty officer stated that all current personnel joined the station after August 5, 2024, and had no documentation regarding older cases. Standard police protocol now involves recording physical descriptions, reviewing CCTV footage, interviewing relatives, and circulating details to nearby police stations.

SYSTEMIC REFORM URGENTLY NEEDED

Rights experts maintain that addressing the crisis requires structural overhaul rather than piecemeal responses.“A coordinated national mechanism is vital to curb child disappearances and human trafficking,” said Ejazul Islam.

“We need rapid information-sharing channels, mandatory instant registration of general diaries, tech-assisted searches, and exemplary punishment for perpetrators.”

While law enforcement urges parents to remain vigilant in public areas and monitor children’s digital interactions, experts emphasize that individual caution cannot replace an effective, centralized child recovery system. Until such measures are instituted, thousands of Bangladeshi families will continue to endure the agony of unanswered questions.