FLASH NEWS
8-year-old girl dies of sexual abuse, sparks violent protests in Bangladesh
2025-03-14 12:51:49 / BOTA
An eight-year-old child who was raped in Bangladesh died from his injuries on Thursday, sparking fierce protests across the country.
The girl was raped while visiting her older sister's house in the town of Magura sometime between the night of March 5 and the morning of the following day, according to a case filed by her mother. The older sister's 18-year-old husband, along with his parents and brother, were arrested and taken into custody.
On Thursday evening, after hearing the news of the child's death, an angry mob descended on the house where the incident is suspected to have taken place, setting it on fire. The girl died around 1:00 pm on Thursday after suffering three cardiac arrests, according to a statement from the government's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
" Although doctors managed to stabilize his condition twice, his heart failed to restart after the third episode ," the statement said.
She had spent six days in a critical condition at the Combined Military Hospital in the capital Dhaka, after being admitted on March 8.
“I thought my daughter would survive ,” her mother said after her daughter’s death, according to local media. “ If she had made it, I would never let her go anywhere alone again. ”
The girl's body was flown back to Magura by an army helicopter, which landed at the local stadium around 6pm where violent protests were held. Aiyub Ali, officer-in-charge of Magura Sadar police station, said authorities struggled to bring the situation under control, according to local news outlet The Daily Star. Thousands of people gathered at the public square in Magura for the girl's namaz-e-janaza, the Islamic funeral prayer, before she was buried at 7.30pm.
Many protesters demanded that the government speed up justice for rape victims and reform laws related to the safety of women and children.
Protesters also demanded greater clarity around legal definitions of what constitutes rape in Bangladesh, which they said were currently unclear.
The trial in the rape and murder case is expected to begin within the next seven days, according to legal advisor Asif Nazrul.
“ The DNA sample collection has been completed, we hope to get the report within the next five days, ” Mr Nazrul said at a press conference at the Secretariat on Thursday – adding that statements had already been taken from 12 to 13 people.
“ If we can start the trial within seven days, our judges will be able to deliver justice at maximum speed ,” he added.
Rape of minors is punishable by death in Bangladesh, under a law that was passed in 2020.
The introduction of this law followed a series of high-profile cases of sexual violence, including the brutal gang attack on a 37-year-old woman that was filmed and shared on social media. Less than a week after the rape of the young girl in Magura, at least three other rapes of children of the same age were reported in the media in different parts of Bangladesh.
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