Social media election campaigns in Bangladesh feature children spreading hate speech
A 22-second Facebook Reel shows multiple clips of women marching with banners and chanting slogans in support of BNP’s Dhaka-8 constituency and its candidate, Mirza Abbas. In the lower part of the screen, a child, perhaps seven or eight years old, is heard saying, “The workers of ‘Abashik’ have taken to the streets. Will they find peace by destroying society?” Here, ‘Abashik’ refers to an “abashik hotel” (a low-cost residential hotel or motel). While it is a common term in Bangladesh for budget lodging, the phrase “workers of Abashik” is used here as a slang reference to sex workers. In the comments, someone wrote, “How come this kid knows about ‘Abashik’?”
In a scripted video, a child is seen soliciting votes for Jamaat-e-Islami, saying its electoral symbol, ‘scales’, symbolises justice. The other person becomes enraged upon hearing the name of Jamaat, hurls a shoe at the child, calling him “rascal” and “son of a Razakar” (Razakars collaborated with the Pakistani army during Bangladesh’s Liberation War). At the end, the child says that the people will give their verdict on February 12. In the comments, a supporter of the Islami Andolan party commented, “Jamaat is a hypocrite, pure evil.”
Ahead of Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections, numerous campaign content using children have surfaced on social media, raising ethical, legal and safety concerns. In these, some children are seen shouting slogans, while others are verbally attacking their opponents. Often, parents use children to campaign for the party they support, insisting that it attracts more viewers, but they admit that doing so exposes their children to hateful comments.
This is a common trend among supporters of major parties. Children have appeared in virtual campaigns of parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and its ally National Citizen Party (NCP). Supporters of at least two parties have used children in field-level campaigns and shared their videos on Facebook. Across the various campaign videos, children use similar slogans, such as: “If we were voters… we would vote for … symbol” or “When we grow up… we will vote for … symbol.”
Although countries like India or Nepal have outlawed the use of children in election campaigns, Bangladesh’s law does not explicitly prohibit it. Legal experts believe using children in campaigns is illegal under the National Child Policy 2011, and the Election Commission can take administrative action against it if it wishes. However, if the matter is not limited to campaigning but involves hate speech or derogatory remarks against women, it is a punishable offence under the Representation of the People Order 1972 and the electoral Code of Conduct. For such offences, candidates can face disqualification or imprisonment.
Children Using Hate Speech
A research by Dismislab found disturbing videos on the ‘Sunamganji Amra‘ page (renamed Ziaur Rahman), which boasts more than 150,000 followers. A child aged 8 or 9 years regularly features in videos uploaded from this page. In addition to vlogs, the child is also used in content containing political speech, mostly hateful.
The video mentioned at the beginning of this report was uploaded from this page. It has received over 53,000 reactions and been shared more than 5,000 times. Hundreds of viewers are encouraging the child in the comment section.
In another video, the child is heard saying that critics of Delwar Hossain Sayedee and Mizanur Rahman Azhari ‘need to be beaten with shoes’. Sayedee, a Jamaat leader and former member of Parliament, was a scholar and popular orator. He was sentenced to imprisonment until death for war crimes during the Awami League regime and died on August 14, 2023. Azhari is another popular Islamic scholar and orator.
In a video showing women protesters, the child says, “When 95 percent of the country is Muslim, the law and administration aren’t worth 3 taka if scantily clad, free-spirited women yell, ‘There’s no place for Razakars in my golden Bengal.’ Barely dressed women protest fearlessly, while our administration cowers in silence.”
Many viewers flooded the comments section with abusive remarks targeting the child. One writes, “You precocious brat… you’re not even an adult and doing this… what’ll you do when you grow up!”
A person identifying himself as Ziaur Rahman runs this page. When contacted by phone, he claimed the child was his younger brother and aged 14. Zia claimed that the child wrote video scripts most of the time.
When asked why he used children in political and offensive videos, he said, “We mostly target our audiences based on their biases. Our content often lean towards politics as we chase trending topics.” He admitted to using indecent language in his videos and promised to be careful in the future.
Regarding such content, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Priya Ahsan Chowdhury told Dismislab, “Using children in obscene, derogatory, misogynistic or hateful political content on social media is a flagrant violation of child protection policies and in many cases, goes against electoral laws.”
Children Participating in Direct Election Campaigns
A page called ‘Raihan’s Kid’ with 98,000 followers regularly uses children to campaign for Jamaat. The page is run by a man identifying himself as Shahadat Kabir Raihan, who often appears in the videos with children.
One of their videos shows photos of Jamaat’s Dhaka-17 candidate S. M. Khaliduzzaman, Cox’s Bazar-1 candidate Abdullah Al Faruk, and Dhaka-8 NCP candidate Nasiruddin Patwary. A child is heard saying, “Give us these three seats, and we will gift the nation 300 seats, God willing.” The video has received over 200,000 reactions and has been shared more than 15,000 times.
Another video uses an AI-generated family atmosphere with Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman, as two children can be heard saying, “They will give you family cards and leave. But we will not issue family cards; we will stay by your side forever as family members.” Issuing family cards for 40 million households is among the BNP’s key campaign promises.
The page shared another video showing children excited about the prospect of meeting the Jamaat chief at the ‘Content Creator Carnival 2026’. “We are very likely to meet the Ameer of Jamaat. We got an invitation to the Content Creator Carnival 2026. Everything is thanks to Allah’s blessings and your love,” the children say.
Dismislab reached out to Raihan, who writes the video scripts and appears in them with his four children—the eldest three are students in the ninth, sixth, and first grades. When asked why he is using children in political campaigns, he said: “People may not pay much attention when we (adults) speak, but they are more attentive when children talk. So, we use [children] to make people listen for the party’s sake.” He claims that his children are becoming politically aware as they grow up and see others in the family.
Dismislab reached out to Raihan, who writes the video scripts and appears in them with his four children—the eldest three are students in the ninth, sixth, and first grades. When asked why he is using children in political campaigns, he said: “People may not pay much attention when we (adults) speak, but they are more attentive when children talk. So, we use [children] to make people listen for the party’s sake.” He claims that his children are becoming politically aware as they grow up and see others in the family.
The videos also draw hostile, aggressive comments targeting the children. One user derided them as “descendants of Pakistani Pharaohs.” Another sneered, “All the crookery on Facebook.” A third mocked, “You have been begging all your life. What will you do now?” Raihan called such attacks on his children deeply troubling.
Meanwhile, a child is regularly seen campaigning for NCP’s Cumilla-4 candidate Hasnat Abdullah in videos posted from the page ‘Jahidul Islam’ with more than 157,000 followers. In one of the videos, the child declares, “I will not vote for anyone from the BNP, Awami League, or Jamaat. I will vote for Hasnat Abdullah. Because I will win if Hasnat Bhai (brother) wins.”
In another video, the child holds a poster of Abdullah’s ‘Shapla Koli’ (waterlily bud) symbol and says, “I have been making videos so far. Now, I’ll start a door-to-door campaign for ‘Shapla Koli’. Everyone, please reach out to voters and campaign for ‘Shapla Koli’.”
Children have also been used in election campaigns for BNP candidates. A particular slogan used by the children has spread widely on social media. An analysis of several videos (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) shows children participating in processions and shouting slogans in unison, “We will vote for [BNP’s electoral symbol] ‘sheaf of paddy’ when we grow up.”
Children are also seen campaigning using similar slogans for Jamaat. In several videos (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), children are heard saying, “If we were voters, we would have voted for [Jamaat’s electoral symbol] ‘scales’.”
In one video, a man is seen holding a young girl in his lap and asking her to say ‘scales’. After saying it several times in a playful manner, the child refuses to comply and demands resuming recording. Later, the child is cajoled into saying ‘scales’.
Children in Election Campaigns: Bangladesh vs Other Countries
Article 6.7.4 of the National Child Policy of Bangladesh 2011 prohibits using children in political activities or luring or forcing them to take part in them. However, the Children Act 2013 and the electoral Code of Conduct lack specific directives, particularly on using children for political campaigns on social media. The use of children in hateful political campaigns has received far less scrutiny than child safety, which is widely highlighted in the community policies of major social media platforms.
Asked whether children can be used in political activities under Bangladesh’s existing laws, Barrister Priya Ahsan Chowdhury said,
“The absence of specific penal provisions in the election law does not legitimize the use of children in political campaigns. But, using children in election campaigns is not directly considered a criminal offense under the Representation of the People Order, the Election Rules or the Election Commission’s Code of Conduct.”
However, she believes the National Child Policy 2011 will also apply to elections. She said, “As per Article 6.7.4 of the National Child Policy, it is prohibited to use, lure or force children in participating in political activities. Election campaigns are inherently a political activity, and there is no legal basis to exclude elections from the ambit of this policy.”
Some countries, including India and Nepal, have introduced rules or enforcement measures to prevent the use of children in political campaigns and election activities. In Nepal, the code of conduct for the March 5 general elections prohibits involving children in any form of election campaigning.
In a directive on February 5, 2024, India’s Election Commission said the use of children in campaign activities would be treated as a violation of election law and the Child Labour Act. It prohibited involving minors in distributing posters or pamphlets, raising slogans, riding in campaign vehicles, or appearing with leaders during events. It said parties cannot use children in any form of symbolic campaigning and may face legal action for breaches.
Barrister Priya Ahsan Chowdhury told Dismislab, “Unlike India and Nepal, Bangladesh has no specific election restrictions prohibiting the participation of children in direct campaigning. Here, children are protected indirectly through content-based and behavior-based restrictions, rather than any blanket ban under the Election Commission’s code of conduct.” She believes that Bangladesh lags behind in specific electoral directives, not in terms of policy, leaving the court and the Election Commission to rely solely on ethical and constitutional principles in implementing the law.
A report by the Hintalovon Foundation, an organization working on children’s rights, says that children should not be influenced in election campaigns. It is important to educate children about politics and elections, but they should not be used for political purposes.
The report says that when children get involved in political activities without understanding and without the opportunity to make their own responsible decisions, they are treated as objects. It says that children are not public figures and that using children’s information or image for campaigning is a violation of their rights, even with the consent of their guardians.
