TDS Desk

It has been four months since then, but her eight-year-old daughter has not had a proper night’s sleep even once, Nadia’s (pseudonym) voice chokes with emotion as she utters these words.

“She trembles and wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. My little girl has been through so much, and I cannot do anything to help her. Her entire life has been ruined,” she recently told this correspondent.

Composing herself, she said her daughter’s urinary tract had been torn, and her urinary and faecal passages had become one. “They had to create a new passage through her abdomen for waste. If she eats even a little more than usual, she suffers from stomach pain and vomiting.”

The wound inside had not healed yet, so the doctors had given her a break from medical procedures, she said, adding that the child would need two more surgeries.

“Such a small body is going through so many cuts and stitches. She was born after 12 years of marriage, and I raised her like a delicate flower, never letting a scratch touch her.

“Now, I do not know whether to grieve or figure out how to cover the expenses. My husband’s rickshaw income cannot manage all these costs, and I cannot work either because I have a five-month-old son. I’ll continue as long as I can.”

FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT

The little girl, frail and exhausted, sat leaning against her mother. When asked how she was, she said she could not sleep at night.

“It hurts, and whenever I close my eyes, I see his face.”

She narrated: “That day, I was playing with my friends in front of the neighbourhood [puja] mandap. In the evening, a man with a beard wearing a panjabi came with some bags and said he would give me Tk200 if I watched over the bags.

“After some time, he returned and told me to follow him to the Mohakhali bus stand, where he would pay me. When he tried to put me in a CNG-run autorickshaw, I tried to scream, but he threatened to kill me.

“I was scared and got into the autorickshaw. We got off in front of a building, and he took me to the first floor, into a big room with lots of cupboards and clothes. Another room had lots of makeup items.”

Suddenly, he had locked the door and told her to sleep, the girl said.

“When I cried and begged to go home, he slapped me and said he would kill me if I screamed. Then he started touching my body. I was in so much pain, but I could not scream because I was scared. Later, when I started bleeding, he let me go. In the morning, he dressed me in new clothes, put me on a rickshaw and sent me home.”

‘LIVING WITH PAIN FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE’

Her mother said when she came home that day, she noticed something was wrong with the way her daughter was walking.

“After I asked her to take a bath, I saw blood coming from between her legs. Eventually, she told us everything. We went to the local police station with a few people from the neighbourhood; they sent us to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.”

Nadia said she had filed a case at Banani police station in this connection.

“In the CCTV footage, the man appears to be over 60 years old. His face and attire suggest he comes from a respectable family… When such a man could do this to my daughter, how could her life remain intact?”

She said it was a miracle her daughter was even alive. “If she had died, where would I find my child?”

Fearing for her daughter’s future, she said the child did not even understand what had happened to her.

“Her body has been permanently damaged. She will carry this physical and mental pain for her entire life. Even if she never marries, how will she work to support herself? I will not live forever to take care of her.”

LONG-TERM TREATMENT

Dr Sabina Yasmin, a gynaecologist and coordinator of the one-stop crisis centre at DMCH, said: “When the girl was admitted, we saw she was bleeding continuously from her genital area, and faeces were coming out from the same passage. Surgery was performed to create an artificial outlet for waste through her abdomen.

“Three months later, efforts are underway to restore her ability to pass waste normally. It is difficult to predict the future complications she might face, but long-term medical treatment will be necessary for her full recovery.”

SURVIVORS RARELY FULLY RECOVER PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY

Dr Bilkis Begum, former coordinator of the crisis centre, said rape survivors could recover to some extent through counselling and a supportive environment, but the trauma lingered, much like a scar left after a wound healed. “This is especially true for children.”

Referring to the physical toll, she recalled the rape of a five-year-old in Dinjapur in 2016 who had injuries on her reproductive organs, head, neck, arms and legs.

Bilkis told this correspondent  that despite extensive treatment, she still suffered from incontinence and had to wear diapers all the time. “She cannot even attend school.”

Many survivors carried physical disabilities for life, she added.

The gynaecologist highlighted that Bangladesh lacked sufficient professional counsellors to address the needs of rape survivors.

“Most do not receive proper counselling or treatment – only those who can reach us get help. Many incidents go unreported, especially in areas outside Dhaka.”

STATISTICS ON CHILD RAPE

Data from the “Human Rights Situation Monitoring Report 2024,” provided by the human rights organization Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF), reveals that in 2024, there were 1,151 incidents of violence against women and children.

Among these, 281 and 331 were the rape of women and children and adolescents, respectively.

Additionally, there were 185 attempts to commit rape and 236 cases of sexual harassment.

Furthermore, 36 women and children with disabilities were victims of various forms of violence.

Meanwhile, according to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), from January to November 2024, 217 children were raped. Fifteen children were murdered after being raped, while 61 children were victims of attempted rape.

Data from Police Headquarters, hospitals and several human rights organizations indicate that 254 girls were raped. There were 39 attempts to rape girls, among which 42 were gang-raped. Eleven of the victims were girls with disabilities.