BBC:
At least 32 children have died during student protests that engulfed Bangladesh last month, the UN’s children’s agency has said.
The youngest child killed had yet to turn five years old, a Unicef spokesperson said, adding that most of those who died were bystanders.
They were among more than 200 people who were killed during demonstrations against job quotas in the civil service, according to figures verified by BBC Bangla.
The quota system has now been scaled back by the government following a Supreme Court ruling, but students have continued protesting – now demanding justice for those who died or have been injured or detained.
While the protests are now smaller in scale, the government is struggling to control the rising tide of anger over how it initially responded to the demonstrations.
“Why are our brothers in graves and the killers outside?” asked a crowd which had gathered outside the largest mosque in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, following Friday prayers, according to the AFP news agency.
Security forces responded to the thousands who filled the streets with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to Reuters news agency. It reported that at least 20 people were injured.
Sanjay Wijesekera, Unicef’s regional director for south Asia, said he had been made aware of reports of children being detained during a visit to Bangladesh this week.
He added that the 32 deaths the organisation had confirmed were “a terrible loss”.
