A total of 279 children were raped in the last four months since January this year, said Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF).

With the latest figure, the rape of children rose around 20 per cent in the country compared to that of the previous year as 234 children were raped in the first four months of 2018, BSAF Director Abdus Shahid Mahmood told The Daily Star.

On an average 70 children were raped each month in Bangladesh, which is higher than ever. Also, a staggering number of 115 children were raped in this month alone, he said.

He came up with the information as per its study on the news reports on child rape published in 15 leading dailies of the country.

However, the actual number of rapes could be much higher as many such incidents remain unreported, he said.

Impunity, weak charge sheet, delay in the trial proceedings, lack of witness, pressure from powerful people are responsible for the rise of such crimes, he added.

“It is important that such offences become non-bailable,” he said.

Most of all, our society is suffering from moral decay which has made such incidents of violence rampant, the director said.