Aug. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday that at least 32 children were killed and “many more injured and arrested” during protests in July in Bangladesh against the now suspended quota system for civil servants, which sparked anger among student movements who considered it an act of discrimination.
“This is a terrible loss. UNICEF condemns all acts of violence. On behalf of UNICEF, I offer my deepest condolences to the families who are grieving the loss of their sons and daughters,” said UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Sanjay Wijesekera.
In a statement posted on its website, the UNICEF representative expressed “deep concern about the impact of the current violence and unrest,” which has already left at least 147 dead, as confirmed by the Bangladeshi government on Sunday (a figure that the Students Against Discrimination Movement, the umbrella organization that has led the recent protests, puts at 266).
Since the violence broke out, Wijesekera said, requests for UNICEF-supported child support have increased by 250 percent. In addition, 1,100 UNICEF-trained social workers are providing counselling to children “whose mental health has been affected by the violence and curfews.” “They listen to their concerns, refer them to appropriate support and services, and follow up with them,” he said.
The UN representative also denounced the detention of minors by the Bangladeshi authorities, calling on them to end this practice “in all its forms”, in line with international law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Bangladesh is a signatory. “This means that children should not be arrested or detained for their mere presence anywhere or for their origin, religion or the actions or beliefs of their relatives,” he said.
Another consequence of the protests and the authorities’ response to them has been the closure of schools, affecting some 30 million pupils, from pre-school to secondary school. While primary schools are expected to resume on Sunday, some 15.5 million pupils will still be unable to attend classes, Wijesekera warned.
The protests against the quota system – which gave 30 percent of places to descendants of fighters from Pakistan’s war of independence in a discriminatory decision, critics say – have been the most serious in the country’s recent history. Amnesty International has accused the security forces of practising a policy of repression against the protesters and there is still no official death toll, but national media, citing medical sources, estimate around 200 dead and 20,000 wounded.
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