Bangladesh, at least 32 children killed in violence that is bloodying the Asian country

ROMA – These are days stained with blood and with 56 deaths on the streets of the country’s capital, Dhaka, and in other cities, at the culmination of many days of protests by thousands and thousands of unemployed young people against the system of assigning jobs in the public sector, which reserves places for the families of veterans of the war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. The outcome was a coup and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, who together with her sister left the country by helicopter to land in Indian territory. The Prime Minister is the daughter of one of the fathers of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who in 1971 led the country to independence from Pakistan and was assassinated in a coup in 1975,

32 children killed during clashes. At this point the humanitarian situation in the Asian country takes on worrying and dangerous connotations. “I have just returned after a week in Bangladesh – says Sanjay Wijesekera, regional director of theUNICEF for South Asia – and I can only report a situation that is nothing short of dramatic in terms of the impact that what is happening has on children. At least 32 children were killed during the protests in July, while many others were injured and detained”.

Minors locked up in prison. “I am aware of the reports of children being detained and I remind the authorities that for a child to come into contact or conflict with the law can be very frightening. This is in line with international human rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Bangladesh is a signatory,” Sanjay Wijesekera said.

Reopen schools. One of the best ways to help children recover from violence and keep them safe, UNICEF documents highlight, is to reopen all schools, restart learning and reunite children with their friends and teachers. 30 million students, from pre-school to secondary school, have missed 10 days of school. These learning losses are exacerbated by school closures earlier in the year due to heat, cyclones and floods.