Bangladesh made a big promise to protect kids twelve years ago. The government passed a special law called the Children Act 2013 to help young people who break rules. Officials said they would build special courts just for children. The law was supposed to make sure kids got fair treatment when they faced judges.
Nobody kept that promise. Thousands of children still walk into scary adult courtrooms every single day. These kids sit next to dangerous criminals and face the same harsh treatment as grown-ups. The whole system treats children like mini-adults instead of giving them the help they need.
The numbers tell a shocking story about this broken system. Court records show that one out of every four cases in Dhaka involves children under 18. That means 395 kids out of 1,594 total cases had to face adult judges during the first half of 2025. Across the entire country, more than 42,000 children wait for their day in court.
Legal experts say the current setup hurts kids more than it helps them. The Judiciary Reform Commission wants the government to build 143 new courts just for children. A top prosecutor agrees that separate courts would speed up trials and give kids better chances at turning their lives around.
The Children Act says no child can get the death penalty or life in prison. The law also protects kids from being used for begging, drugs, or illegal activities. But without proper courts, these protections mean nothing to the thousands of young people trapped in the adult justice system.
Nobody kept that promise. Thousands of children still walk into scary adult courtrooms every single day. These kids sit next to dangerous criminals and face the same harsh treatment as grown-ups. The whole system treats children like mini-adults instead of giving them the help they need.
The numbers tell a shocking story about this broken system. Court records show that one out of every four cases in Dhaka involves children under 18. That means 395 kids out of 1,594 total cases had to face adult judges during the first half of 2025. Across the entire country, more than 42,000 children wait for their day in court.
Legal experts say the current setup hurts kids more than it helps them. The Judiciary Reform Commission wants the government to build 143 new courts just for children. A top prosecutor agrees that separate courts would speed up trials and give kids better chances at turning their lives around.
The Children Act says no child can get the death penalty or life in prison. The law also protects kids from being used for begging, drugs, or illegal activities. But without proper courts, these protections mean nothing to the thousands of young people trapped in the adult justice system.
