Dhaka, July 16 (IANS) Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in human rights violations, including abuses against women and children, mob violence, attacks on minorities, political clashes, assaults on journalists, and deaths in jail custody during the first half of 2026, local media reported citing a human rights organisation.

In its latest report, the Dhaka-based Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) documented 1,621 cases of violence against women and girls between January and June 2026, marking a 56 per cent rise from the 1,042 cases recorded during the same period last year.

As per the findings, 404 were rape victims, including 238 children and adolescent girls. It added that among them, 88 women and girls were gang-raped and 17 were killed after being raped, while one died by suicide, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported.

Additionally, 473 women and girls, including 173 children, were subjected to sexual harassment.

According to the report, domestic violence against women resulted in 320 deaths, 211 injuries and 147 suicides, compared with 166 deaths, 27 injuries, and 72 deaths by suicide reported during the same period last year.

The report further recorded a sharp rise in child abuse, with 1,077 children falling victims during the first half of this year.

Among the victims, 305 were killed and 772 suffered physical or mental torture, while the corresponding period last year recorded 673 cases of child abuse, including 132 deaths and 541 instances of physical or mental torture.

HRSS also reported increasing violence against minority communities in Bangladesh, documenting 50 incidents that left 56 people injured, compared with 10 attacks and four injuries during the same period last year. The incidents included attacks on 19 temples; vandalism of 15 idols and 43 houses, along with four land-grabbing cases; and the gang rape of an indigenous woman.

Highlighting an escalating surge in mob violence incidents, HRSS recorded 261 incidents, resulting in 133 deaths and 256 injuries. This marked a significant rise from 141 incidents reported during the first six months of 2025, which left 67 dead and 119 injured.

The report recorded a rise in political violence, with 830 incidents leaving 56 people dead and 5,246 injured.

It further documented 396 incidents of electoral violence, leaving 13 people dead and 2,578 injured, ahead of and following the 13th national election in February this year. It added that over 600 businesses, houses, and election offices were attacked, vandalised, looted, or set ablaze during the same period.

The organisation also recorded 200 incidents of attacks and harassment targeting journalists, affecting 383 media workers. Compared with the same period last year, the figures represented a 32 per cent increase in incidents and a 49 per cent rise in the number of journalists affected, when 152 cases involving 257 journalists were reported.

As custodial deaths across Bangladesh increased, the report noted that 58 prisoners died in jails nationwide, which included 26 convicted prisoners and 32 detainees. This marked a 45 per cent increase from 40 fatalities during the same period last year.

The HRSS called for zero-tolerance policies towards mob violence, speedy trials in cases involving violence against women and children, enhanced victim protection measures, safeguards for press freedom, and reforms of cyber laws in accordance with human rights principles.

–IANS

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