DHAKA, Sept 8, 2026 (BSS) - BanglaFact, the fact-checking and media research team of the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB), has identified as incorrect a claim by the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad that more than 31,000 children went missing in different parts of the country during the first seven months of this year.

BanglaFact said the Mahila Parishad’s claim that “31,000 children went missing” was incorrect.

According to a statement, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad expressed concern over incidents of missing children in Dhaka and different parts of the country between January and July this year.

It said, more than 31,000 general diaries (GDs) were filed at police stations over incidents of missing children in the capital and different regions of the country in the first seven months of the year. More than 4,000 children are still missing.

In its statement, the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad said that 15,717 GDs had been filed concerning children aged zero to nine years who went missing between January and July this year. It claimed that 2,038 children were still missing.

It further said that 15,243 GDs had been filed during the same period over missing children aged 10 to 17 years. Of them, 13,273 children had been rescued, while 1,970 had not yet been rescued.

However, BanglaFact found that the claim of 31,000 missing children between January and July this year is not correct.

According to BanglaFact, the total number of missing children covered by the figures was 15,717, not 31,000. It also found that the claim that more than 4,000 children are still missing was incorrect; the number of missing children is 2,038.

On September 3, Bangladesh Police provided information after verifying the figures through the relevant police stations at the local level.

According to the police, between January and July 2026, 474 GDs were filed concerning missing children aged zero to nine years. Of them, 406 children were rescued, while 68 remained untraced.

During the same period, 15,243 children aged 10 to 17 years were reported missing. Of them, 13,273 were rescued, while 1,970 remained untraced.

Thus, the total number of missing children across the two age groups during the period was 15,717, of whom 2,038 had not been rescued. This represents about 13 percent of the total.

How the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad got the figures wrong

BanglaFact said the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad incorrectly stated that “15,717 GDs were filed over children aged zero to nine years going missing, of whom 2,038 children were still missing.”

In reality, the figure of 15,717 represents the combined number of missing children aged zero to nine and 10 to 17 years.

The organisation presented the combined figure as if it referred only to children aged zero to nine years.

According to the verified police data, only 474 GDs were filed concerning missing children aged zero to nine years, of whom 406 were rescued.

The Bangladesh Mahila Parishad separately stated that 15,243 GDs had been filed concerning missing children aged 10 to 17 years, of whom 13,273 were rescued and 1,970 remained untraced.

BanglaFact said this figure correctly represented the data for children aged 10 to 17 years. However, the organisation then added this figure to the already combined total of 15,717, resulting in the incorrect claim that 31,000 children had gone missing.

Fact-checking organisations have said that, in the post-July uprising period, the spread of misinformation has increased through various social media accounts and Facebook pages operated from both Bangladesh and abroad.

Such misinformation has particularly targeted the interim government, political parties and organisations that participated in the July movement. Fact-checkers have also identified attempts to create confusion by spreading rumours and false information about the BNP and the BNP government on various recent issues.

BanglaFact has identified hundreds of pieces of false information circulating on the internet. It works to counter rumours, fake news and misinformation in Bangladesh and to provide accurate information to the public.