Bangladesh recorded a sharp surge in violence against women, children, and minority communities between July and September 2026, with 783 women subjected to various forms of violence and 733 children suffering abuse during the quarter, according to a report by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS). The findings, released on Monday, 13 October, paint a deeply troubling picture of deteriorating law and order in the country.

Violence Against Women and Girls

The HRSS quarterly report documented at least 253 rapes during the three-month period, of which 154 victims were minors. Among those cases, 42 were gang-rapes, 12 women were killed after being raped, and one died by suicide. A further 220 individuals — including 103 children — were affected by sexual harassment, according to the report.

Dowry-related violence proved lethal as well, claiming 13 lives and injuring 17 women, while two others died by suicide in dowry-linked incidents. Domestic violence was responsible for the deaths of 137 women, injuries to 68, and 72 suicides, as reported by Bangladesh's The Daily Star.

Children and Mob Violence

Of the 733 children documented as abuse victims, 189 died and 544 endured physical or psychological abuse. The HRSS report did not specify the precise circumstances surrounding the children's deaths.

Separately, the report recorded 137 incidents of mob violence and lynching — triggered by allegations of theft, robbery, religious insult, rape, attempted rape, and other disputes — which claimed 54 lives and left 145 people injured.

Minority Attacks, Custodial Deaths, and Press Freedom

The HRSS documented six incidents of violence against minority communities, resulting in six injuries, attacks on two temples, vandalism of five idols, and damage to four homes. This comes amid longstanding concerns over the protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Custodial deaths also rose sharply: at least 37 people died in prisons, including 14 convicted prisoners and 23 undertrial detainees. Another six people reportedly died in law enforcement custody or allegedly as a result of torture.

The report further flagged an escalating assault on press freedom, documenting 88 incidents targeting 135 journalists. Of these, 63 were injured, 27 were humiliated, 18 were threatened, and nine were detained.

Political Violence and BNP Factional Clashes

Political violence claimed 17 lives and injured 1,227 people across 183 incidents during the quarter. Of these, 161 involved internal feuds within the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) or clashes with other political groups, according to the HRSS findings.

Internal BNP disputes alone accounted for 69 incidents, leaving nine dead and at least 540 injured. Separately, 31 clashes between the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami resulted in one death and 338 injuries, The Daily Star reported. The rights body attributed the violence to political rivalries, factional disputes, land and business control conflicts, and extortion.

HRSS Calls for Coordinated Government Action

HRSS Executive Director Izazul Islam called for coordinated action by the state and civil society to strengthen the rule of law. Islam urged the government to take effective measures to address violence against women and children, political and mob attacks, assaults on journalists and minorities, workplace safety concerns, and deaths in custody and prisons.

Notably, this quarterly report arrives as Bangladesh continues to grapple with a fragile political transition, raising serious questions about institutional capacity to enforce accountability. Whether the government acts on these findings — or allows them to languish in policy limbo — will be closely watched by rights groups and international observers alike.