Six-year-old girl raped in Panchagarh

Panchagarh, Dec 23 – A six-year-old girl has reportedly been raped by a youth at Hatrapara village in Sadar Upazila on Sunday.
The accused was identified as Ashraful Islam, 23, son of Rafiqul Islam of the village. Police have detained Rafiqul for interrogation. According to the case statement, the incident took place in the afternoon when the minor girl was playing in a nearby field. Ashraful took her to a nearby bamboo grove and raped her.
He fled the scene as the victim started bleeding.
After a while, she returned home and disclosed the matter to her parents who later took her to the Sadar Hospital.
Dr Ummey Humaira, an assistant surgeon at the hospital, said the victim was given first-aid and shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital as her condition deteriorated.
Md Jamal Hossain Jaman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said the victim’s mother filed a case. “We’ve taken Ashraful’s father into custody for interrogation. We are trying to arrest the accused,” he said.
Md Yusuf Ali, superintendent of Panchgarh Police, said arrangements have been made to ensure proper treatment of the girl.
“We’re trying to arrest the accused,” he said.
Bangladesh has seen an alarming rise in the number of child rape incidents over the months. Between January 1 and July 20, 826 children were raped and abused, according to a report by the Child Rights Advocacy Coalition.
The report said 471 children, including 15 boys, were raped during this period, while 104 children faced rape attempts. Children, aged between 7 and 18, are the main victims of rape and 90 percent of them are girls. – UNB