<i>Over 200 kids languish in jails</i>

21 March 2009, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Bogra

More than two hundred children have been detained in several jails in the country as prisoners for alleged involvement in different crimes as of March 20 this year. Rafiqul Islam, a retired superintendent of police (SP) and general secretary of Retired Police Officers' Welfare Association Bangladesh (RPOWAB), revealed the information in a seminar on 'How to Release Children from Jail'. RPOWAB and NGO Human Development Foundation (HDF) arranged the daylong seminar in Bogra Police Lines Auditorium yesterday. Retired inspector general of police Dr M Enamul Haque, who attended the seminar as chief guest, presented the keynote paper at the seminar. At least 4,594 children were arrested in the capital from 2000 to 2008 for their alleged involvement with crimes including murder, retired Inspector General of Police Dr M Enamul Haque said in his address as chief guest at the seminar. During the period, police arrested at least 142 children in connection with murder cases and 594 children in cases involving arms and explosives, he said. Speakers at the seminar suggested the organisers to arrange more awareness programme with the housewives and guardians of the children to check children's involvement in criminal activities. Md Ziaur Rahman, senior judicial magistrate in Bogra, and Md Anwar Hussain, additional district magistrate, attended as special guests at the seminar presided over by Md Akram Hosain, superintendent of police in Bogra. About 100 people including officials of police and civil administration and members of the civil society participated in the seminar.