A nationwide protest has erupted after an 8-year-old girl died from her injuries following a rape in Bangladesh on Thursday (March 13).
According to a complaint filed by her mother, the girl was raped while on her way to her elder sister’s house in Magura town between the night of March 5 and the next morning.
The elder sister’s 18-year-old husband, along with his parents and brother, have been arrested and remanded in custody.
On Thursday night, after hearing the news of the child’s death, an angry mob stormed the house where the crime allegedly took place and set it on fire.
The girl died at around 1:00 PM local time on Thursday after suffering three heart attacks, according to a statement from the Bangladesh government’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) department.
“Although doctors managed to stabilize her condition twice, her heart failed to beat after the third stage,” the statement said.
She was admitted to a military hospital in Dhaka on March 8, where she spent six days in critical condition.
“I thought my daughter would survive,” the girl’s mother told local media after her death. “If she could have been saved, I would never let her go anywhere alone again.”
Her body was flown back to Magura in a military helicopter, which landed at a local stadium amid heavy protests.
According to The Daily Star, Magura Sadar Police Station Superintendent Ayub Ali said authorities were struggling to control the situation as thousands gathered in Magura’s public square for the Islamic funeral prayer, Namaz-e-Janaza, before the girl was laid to rest at 7:30 PM.
A symbolic funeral was also held at Dhaka University, followed by a protest march and speeches by several female students.
Many protesters called on the government to speed up justice for rape victims and amend laws related to the protection of women and children.
The demonstrators demanded more clarity on the legal definition of rape in Bangladesh, arguing that it remains unclear under current laws.
Legal Investigation and DNA Analysis
According to legal counsel Asif Nazrul, the trial for the rape and murder case is expected to begin within the next seven days.
“The collection of DNA samples has been completed. We hope to get the report within the next five days,” Nazrul said at a press conference at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Thursday.
He also stated that statements have already been recorded from about 12 people.
“If the trial can start within seven days, our judges will be able to ensure justice at the maximum speed,” he added.
Under a law passed in 2020, sexual assault of minors is a capital offense in Bangladesh.
Rise in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
The law was introduced following a series of high-profile sexual violence cases, including the brutal gang rape of a 37-year-old woman, which was filmed and posted online.
Less than a week after the Magura girl was raped, media reports emerged of three more cases involving sexual assaults on children of the same age in different parts of Bangladesh.
In some cases, the accused were neighbors, while in others, they were close relatives.
According to statistics from the Law and Mediation Center, 3,438 cases of child sexual abuse have been filed in Bangladesh over the last eight years, with many more cases remaining unreported.
- 539 victims were under the age of 6
- 933 victims were between the ages of 7 and 12
Research has shown that in most cases, children are sexually assaulted by individuals they know.
