Families demand specialized police unit for missing children in Bangladesh

Families of missing children and the Zero Missing Children Foundation are calling for the establishment of a specialized police unit to expedite the recovery of missing minors in Bangladesh.

During a press conference in Dhaka, advocates expressed concerns that police often refuse to file General Diaries (GD) until 24 hours have passed since a child's disappearance. They argued that immediate investigation is critical to preventing trafficking and other risks.

Data indicates a significant number of missing child reports: 17,808 GDs were filed in 2023, 16,414 in 2024, and 22,550 in 2025. Between January and July of the current year, 15,717 reports have been recorded, with 2,038 children still missing.

Following previous advocacy, a pilot program for a Missing Alert notification system and a toll-free helpline (13219) was launched on January 13, 2026, in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).