'You lost your child, what can I do?': Missing child's parent alleges police apathy
15,717 GDs concerning missing children were filed between January and July this year. Of those reported missing, 13,679 children have been recovered, while 2,038 remain missing, according to Police Headquarters.
"Police say, you lost your child, what can I do?"
Hosen Ali, a clothing seller from Khajura village in Jhenaidah, breaking down in tears as he spoke about his 12-year-old son, Mohammad Ali, who has been missing for one and a half months.
He shared his ordeal at a press conference titled "Where Is My Child?" organised by Zero Missing Children at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital today (6 September), demanding the recovery of missing children, their safe return and effective state action.
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Hosen alleged that he had to visit the nearest police station for three days after his son went missing before police finally accepted a general diary (GD). He said the police have not contacted the family since then.
With no other option, Hosen has been travelling from place to place in search of his son. Despite financial hardship, he has borrowed money to publish notices seeking information about the missing child.
His only plea is for authorities to find his son.
Hosen is not alone. Many other families across the country are living with similar uncertainty.
Four-year-old Jadav Karmakar went missing from his home in Baliarpur, Savar, on 30 July.
His mother, Basana Karmakar, alleged that although she provided police with information about suspects after receiving threats over the phone, there has been little progress in the investigation.
She said she has spent the past month running from one place to another in the hope of finding her child.
Three-year-old Samia from Kamrangirchar has also been missing for 115 days. According to her mother, Samia disappeared while playing in front of their home.
The mother alleged that different police officers gave the family different information about the case. She later spotted a child resembling Samia on TikTok under the name "Mithai" and informed the authorities, but alleged that no effective action was taken.
"The case was later transferred to the Detective Branch and then to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), but the child has yet to be found," she said.
According to Police Headquarters data, 15,717 general diaries concerning missing children were filed between January and July this year. Of those reported missing, 13,679 children have been recovered, while 2,038 remain missing.
Additional Inspector General of Police Khandaker Rafiqul Islam told The Business Standard that an online GD system is available and that action would be taken if any GD was found to have been rejected improperly.
He said everyone below the age of 18 is considered a child and that missing-child GDs cover various circumstances, including children leaving home after falling in love, out of resentment or for other reasons.
Asked whether the police would launch any special initiative to address missing children, the officer said police have many other responsibilities but stressed that the force remains "sensitive" to the issue.
Around 40 families of missing children from different parts of the country shared their experiences at the press conference.
They demanded the swift recovery of missing children, reinvestigation of long-pending unresolved cases and effective state measures to prevent child disappearances and trafficking.
The families are also expected to submit a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs following the press conference.
