hotline every day. Numerous civil society organizations cited cause-and-effect relationships between the extended school closures due to the pandemic and an increased risk of school dropouts and child marriage. In August the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs celebrated more than one million signatures collected in partnership with international and local partners during its “Actions to Prevent Child Marriage in Bangladesh” campaign that started in July 2021. The pledge drive focused on community engagement, capacity development, mass media mobilization, and advocacy. The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs website hosts a digital library to provide information on existing laws and other resources to prevent child marriage. Sexual Exploitation of Children: The penalty for conviction of sexual exploitation of children is 10 years to life imprisonment. Child pornography and selling or distributing such material is prohibited. The government, through the help of several organizations, worked to improve the quality of life of the country’s estimated 1.5 million street children and provide them access to education, health care, shelter, and safe employment opportunities. Underage girls trafficked in brothels were able to produce notarized certificates stating they were older than age 18, and some NGOs claimed corrupt government and law enforcement officials condoned or facilitated these practices. In addition to cross-border trafficking, traffickers lured girls from around the country into domestic commercial sexual exploitation in legal and illegal brothels and hotels. Displaced Children: See section 2.f. Antisemitism There was no Jewish community in the country. Politicians and imams made antisemitic statements, reportedly to gain support from their constituencies. Trafficking in Persons See the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report at https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. Page 45