Two children raped by neighbour in Tangail

Two children, aged eight and nine, have been reportedly raped by their neighbour in Sakhipur Upazila of Tangail.

The father of one of the children filed a case against the neighbour -- Haider Ali, 48, a trader in Kachua Bazar—with Sakhipur police station on Monday night.

According to police, on January 22, Haider Ali lured the children to his house and violated them. He also threatened to not tell anyone. However, when he tried to rape them again later, the children informed their parents who then came to the station to file the case.

Sakhipur police station Officer-in-Charge Osman Gani confirmed the matter and said the children had undergone medical tests at Tangail General Hospital.

"We are trying to arrest the accused," he added. 

Child rape on rise

Every day, more and more children in Bangladesh, both male-female, are facing sexual abuse or becoming victims of rape.

In 2020, at least 974 child rape incidents were reported between January and November, according to the data of Ain o Salish Kendra. The highest number of child rapes (229) was recorded in October while the second highest (118) was recorded in November.

The total number of child rapes recorded in 2019 was 986, more than twice the numbers recorded in 2018 (444) and 2017 (470). The number was much lower in 2016 (280).

Meanwhile, a total of 1,451 incidents of violence against children were also reported between January and October while only 827 cases were filed. At least 324 victims were between the age of seven and 12 where 176 of them were aged below six, according to Ain o Salish Kendra.