UNB :
The police Friday arrested two teenagers on charges of raping a seven-year-old girl in Chitalmari area.
Mir Shariful Haque officer-in-charge of Chitalmari police station, said, ‘On Thursday, the duo approached the girl and lured her on the pretext of playing a game. The teenagers took the seven-year-old to a nearby sugarcane field where they sexually assaulted her.’
Later, the victim’s father rushed to the spot hearing her scream and caught the teenagers in the act. Next, he filed a case against them at night, the OC said.
The girl was sent to Bagerhat Sadar Hospital for a medical examination, he added.
Bangladesh government approved death penalty for committing rape.
In March, a police headquarters report said 26,695 rape cases had been filed across the country in the past five years.
Ain o Salish Kendra data shows that 1,018 children were raped in 2020, but only 683 police cases were filed. Also, 116 victims were 6 years old or below.
Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year and 53 of the victims were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, the data showed.
However, ASK’s data was likely 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 attacked and raped in Noakhali.
In November 2020, Bangladesh introduced the death penalty for committing rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women in several cities across Bangladesh.
But human rights organisations say the move will not solve the country’s rape crisis, as victims of sexual assault are often stigmatised in society.
