AN ANALYSIS OF REGULATORY FRAMEWORK OF CHILD PROTECTION IN BANGLADESH

Legally, a child is a person between birth and puberty who is generally a minor, also known as an individual younger than a major. Accordingly, based on the recent statistics, Bangladesh is home to over 160 million people, where more than 64 million children make up around 40 percent of the population. Many of these children continue to live below the global poverty line. Though children should have basic rights including food, education, well-being and nutrition, security, upbringing, entertainment, safe drinking, disinfection, and cleaning, these fundamental rights have been deprived of the rights of most descendants in Bangladesh. Hence, this study aims to examine firstly, the regulatory framework protecting children in Bangladesh that includes: international standards of child protection, international commitments of Bangladesh government, critical analysis of Children Act 1974, Children Rules 1976, and Children Act 2013 of Bangladesh, and National Policies and Action Plans on children protection and their shortcomings. Secondly, this study outlines a critical evaluation of domestic standards to protect children in the current Bangladeshi practices. It is a qualitative research. Secondary sources textbook, journal articles and case commentaries are used to examine the guarantee of children rights and to evaluate the applicability of laws within the country. The results of the study show that although there are several laws and policies to protect children in Bangladesh, children are still being exploited and ill-treated. Therefore, legal reforms should be introduced to combat the situation.