The shocking case of 8-yr-old who died after rape by sister's in-law in Bangladesh

The rape and death of a eight-year-old child has shocked Bangladesh. The minor who was allegedly raped by her sister’s in-law last week died of her injuries on Thursday (March 13).

The incident has sparked widespread outrage in the South Asian country. Protests have erupted across Bangladesh, with many demanding the death penalty for the accused. It has also brought violence against girls and women to the spotlight.

Let’s take a closer look.

8-year-old girl’s rape stuns Bangladesh

An eight-year-old girl was raped while she was visiting her elder sister’s house in the city of Magura in western Bangladesh on March 5.

She was allegedly raped by her sister’s father-in-law, The Daily Star reported citing the police. Her sister’s husband has been accused of abetting the crime, of which his brother and mother were also aware. They also reportedly tried to kill the child later to cover up the rape.

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Police have arrested the four accused – the father-in-law, husband, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law of the victim’s sister.

“Primarily, we have learned that the victim’s sister’s father-in-law raped the girl, and the victim’s brother-in-law assisted the father. We’ll be able to give more details after further investigation,” Belayet Hossain, additional deputy inspector general of Khulna Range, told The Daily Star last week.

The child was first admitted in an unconscious state at a hospital in Magura and later shifted to Dhaka’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

A doctor in the emergency unit of Magura Sadar Hospital had said the girl had injury marks on her neck, scratches on her body and was bleeding “extensively” from her private parts.

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Protests over rape of child in Bangladesh

The minor rape victim died earlier this week at CMH after suffering three cardiac arrests.

“Although doctors managed to stabilise the condition twice, the heart failed to restart after the third episode,” a statement by the government’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) department said. The girl was in a critical condition since being admitted to the hospital in Dhaka on March 8.

“I thought my daughter would survive,” her mother told local media after the minor’s death. “If she had made it through, I would never have let her go anywhere alone again.”

As per a BBC report, the child’s body was taken to Magura in an army helicopter, which landed at a local stadium amid protests.

Her death triggered fierce demonstrations and condemnation in Bangladesh. Angry locals set fire to the house of the main accused.

Thousands of people assembled at the public square in Magur for the girl’s namaz-e-janaza, the Islamic funeral prayer. She was later buried near her home.

An absentee funeral was organised for the minor rape victim at Dhaka University, followed by protest march and speech by female students. Many protesters have called for the government to speed up justice for rape victims and reform laws related to women and children’s safety, reported BBC.

Last week, some 300 protesters, mostly women, had gathered around the varsity in the capital, holding signs and long sticks while chanting “liberty from rape and oppression”.

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has expressed shock over the child’s death and ordered authorities for a swift trial in the case. The police Thursday reportedly banned protests around the official residence of Yunus, the secretariat and nearby locations.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits.

According to Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul, the trial of the rape and murder case is likely to begin within a week. “DNA sample collection has been completed, we hope to get the report within the next five days,” he said at a media briefing Thursday.

“If we can start the trial within seven days, our judges will be able to ensure justice with the utmost speed,” he added.

Bangladesh’s violence against girls

Since the Magura rape case, several other rape cases have come to light across Bangladesh.

At least three rape cases involving girls aged seven, eight and nine have been reported in the country.

Bangladesh punishes rape of minors by death. The law mandates that the trial of rape cases has to be finished within 180 days.

According to the Law and Arbitration Center’s data, 3,438 child rape cases have been registered in Bangladesh in the last eight years. At least 539 of the rape victims are under the age of six, and 933 are between the ages of seven and twelve.

Nazrul has said that the Violence Against Women and Children Act will be amended to allow for the setting up of special tribunals for swift trials of child rape and assault cases.

With inputs from agencies