A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 40-year-old man at a village in Sadar upazila of Magura district.
The crime occurred on Thursday night, but an FIR was lodged a day later after the girl, a class V student, narrated her ordeal to her parents, prompting them to approach cops.
In the complainant, the girl’s family alleged that their neighbour Farid Molla lured their daughter to his house on the pretext of giving her some medicine and then violated her, said Manjurul Alam, officer-in-charge of Magura police station.
The accused had also threatened to kill her if she revealed her ordeal to anyone, the OC said, citing the complaint. “The minor girl is currently undergoing treatment at Magura Sadar Hospital,” he said.
“An FIR has been filed and efforts are on to nab the accused,” Manjurul added.
Bangladesh’s rape epidemic
Sexual assaults on women continue unabated in Bangladesh, despite the government introducing death penalty for rapes last year.
A police headquarters report, released recently, said that 26,695 rape cases were filed across the country in the past five years.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped last year alone, but only 683 police cases had been filed. Also, 116 survivors were six years old or below.
Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year and 53 of the women were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, as per the data.
However, ASK’s data is just the tip of the iceberg, according to aid agencies, who report that most women are too afraid to report rape.
In October 2020, the country was rocked by protests after a woman was allegedly attacked and raped in Noakhali.
In November last year, Bangladesh introduced capital punishment for rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women in several cities across the country.
But human rights organisations say the move will not solve the country’s rape crisis, as the survivors of the heinous crime are often stigmatised in the society.
Source: United News of Bangladesh