the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012,128 the Domestic
Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010,129 that provide for measures to be taken
for Physical and Psychological Recovery and for Rehabilitation & Social Reintegration
of Child Victims.
92. The BNHRC is of the view that the management of the rehabilitation or correction
centres should be improved, closely monitored and made accountable. The BNHRC
would like to draw attention to a report of an incident that took place on 11 February
2014 at the Tongi Juvenile Development Centre in Gazipur. Twenty boys aged between
14-18 injured their foreheads, arms and wrists in a purported protest against torture
inflicted upon them by Supervisor-in-Charge. In the aftermath of this incident, the
Supreme Court sought reports from the government on measures taken to remove
mismanagement at Tongi Juvenile Development Centre.130 A committee formed by the
Government in this regard according to a High Court order, interviewed all 20 juveniles
involved in the incident. The committee concluded that all these teenagers were
addicted to drugs, and that they had staged the protest when the Superintendent had
tried to prevent their access to drugs. A couple of days later, the BNHRC officials
conducted an investigation and talked to the victims and other inmates at the centre.
They found that some allegations of abuses were true. The juvenile centre has only one
psychiatrist for 308 inmates. If the psychiatrist works eight hours a day and gives an
hour to each of them, one inmate cannot meet him more for than once a month. But the
report prepared by the Government committee did not mention this issue. The report
also did not recommend installing a drug rehabilitation unit at the centre. It only urged
the authorities to warn the inmates about drug abuse although there was no facility
inside the correction centre for drug rehabilitation.131 Three hundred and eight children,
including convicts, were living at a centre that could house only 200. Juveniles whose
cases were on trial were being kept there with other convicts for 22 hours a day. The
process of obtaining food and other resources often took a long time as it was hindered
by bureaucratic tangles. It was also reported that children did not get enough soap for
proper hygiene, that the toilets were often overflowing and that, often, there was very
little food.132
128
Supra 15, Sections 35 and 38.
The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010, Section 17.
130
Available at
<http://www.thedailystar.net/hc-seeks-info-on-steps-against-tongi-juvenile-centre-mismanagement-194
42>, last visited on 20.10.2014.
131
Available at <http://bd.thedailystar.net/kids-blamed-for-all-that-happened-17832>, last visited on
20.10.2014.
132
Available at <http://www.thedailystar.net/print_post/centre-correct-none-11985>, last visited on
20.10.2014.
129
32