5-year-old girl killed after ‘rape’ in Noakhali

The body of a five-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and killed by her cousin 10 days ago, was recovered from a septic tank at Megha village in Chatkhil upazila of Noakhali district on Saturday.

Police arrested Shahadat Hossain, 22, son of Babul for his alleged involvement in the crime, said police on Sunday.

Asma Akter, daughter of Shahjahan, went missing on March 24 while playing outside her house.

Shahjahan lodged a general diary with Chatkhil police station the following day. 

Police on Friday arrested Shahadat and following his confessional statement, police recovered the body of Asma, wrapped in a polythene, from the septic tank on Saturday night, said Gias Uddin, officer-in-charge of Chatkhil Police Station.

The body was taken to 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital on Sunday.

During interrogation, Shahadat confessed that he raped the child several times before strangulating her to death. Later he dumped the body in the septic tank.

Bangladesh's rape epidemic

There has been no let up in the number of sexual crimes against women despite the introduction of stricter laws in Bangladesh in November 2020.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped in 2020 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 in 2020 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, 2020, 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.