Why have so many people in Bangladesh disappeared?

''My son, who is nearly six years old now, has never seen his father’s face.''

Farzeena Akhter is one of hundreds of people in Bangladesh who are bereft as they await news of loved ones who went missing in mysterious circumstances. Mothers, fathers, siblings and children represented by Mayer Daak (Mothers' Call) have long sought answers from Bangladesh’s government on the whereabouts of those who are missing, but in most cases find they are screaming into a void as days turn to months and years.

Most families blame state agencies for the enforced disappearance of their relatives. Members of the political opposition and activists make up the majority of those missing.

A report released in April by the International Federation for Human Rights says civil society groups have documented 507 cases of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh from the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2018, during which time the Awami League of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's has held continuous office.

We'll consider the impact of these disappearances on loved ones left behind and what the apparent targeting of the political opposition means for democracy in Bangladesh.