Fire, Fury Follow Death of 8-Year-Old Rape Victim

An 8-year-old Bangladeshi rape victim died of her injuries Thursday, adding to nationwide protests calling for systemic change to address gender-based violence. The case has "sent shockwaves through the nation and raised pressing questions about the safety of women and children" in the country, writes Mohammad Al-Masum Molla at the Daily Star, Bangladesh's largest English-language newspaper. The girl was attacked sometime between March 5 and 6 while visiting her older sister in Magura. She suffered brain trauma from strangulation, multiple fractures, and severe internal injuries, per the Dhaka Tribune. Her 18-year-old brother-in-law has been arrested alongside his parents and brother, per the BBC.

Admitted to a Dhaka hospital on March 8, the girl spent six days in critical condition and suffered three cardiac arrests before dying Thursday, per the BBC. "The heart failed to restart after the third episode," according to a government statement. Thousands of people gathered in Magura, where the girl's body was returned Thursday, before a mob set fire to the home where the girl had been staying. Earlier in the week, protests erupted at major universities, with students waving signs reading "End Rape Culture" and "Justice for Ashia," per the Tribune. Claiming "the rapist has confessed to the crime," the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement called for "the formation of a special tribunal against rape and torture" that will "ensure the maximum punishment of death."

Child rape is punishable by death in Bangladesh under a 2020 law. A rape and murder trial is expected to begin within a week, per the BBC. But "it is not enough to simply bring the perpetrators to justice after such tragedies occur," writes Molla. "This death should serve as a catalyst for action, pushing Bangladesh to break the cycle of violence and build a society where women and children can live without fear." A 6-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two teenage boys on Sunday, per the Daily Star. At least two other child rape cases have been made public in recent days, per the BBC. It quotes the Magura victim's mother as saying, "If she had made it through, I would never have let her go anywhere alone again." (More Bangladesh stories.)