“He would wake up at the middle of the night screaming out for me and then plead for me to not leave his side. He would whisper that he felt like he would die,” Nasima Khatun (pseudonym), mother of 11 years old Naseeb (pseudonym) whispers while tears are running down her cheeks.
Naseeb looks sharp in his brown button-downs and khaki pants, his legs busy swinging under the table, while he enthusiastically looks around the room. This wide-eyed boy joined fourth grade of the Madrasa (Islamic Line of Education System) in Chattogram.
On 18 March 2019, Nasima went to see Naseeb, but was refused entrance by the Madrasa Hujur (Teacher), who explained that Naseeb was “asleep” after an injury to his head.
“When they finally let me in, I found Naseeb crying on his bed, his wrists hanging as if they were broken. The floor staff informed me that he seemed to be coming down with a fever, which I found unusual considering he was just hit with a ball in his head. Things turned even more suspicious when the other children of the Madrasa simply repeated the Hujur’s words but did not tell who actually threw the ball,” describes Nasima as her voice breaks.
Nasima took Naseeb to the Health Complex where the doctor confirmed that Naseeb was raped. He did not have any injury to his head. Naseeb was then shifted to the Nari o Shishu Nirjaton (Violence against Women and Children) Ward of the hospital for further medical treatment.
Nasima approached the One-stop Crisis Centre and met with representatives of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). With the help of the ASK’s staff lawyer, she filed a case against the Madrasa Hujur, naming herself the ‘Applicant’ through One-stop Crisis Centre. Both Nasima and Naseeb have been under the care of ASK’s Shelter Home since the initiation of the case.
The case is still pending before the Court while ASK continues to provide them with legal and mediation assistance.
Nasima, a domestic helper, and her husband, a mechanic, have two daughters and two sons. After the incident, the family has been facing harassment from the locals and receiving threats from relatives of the Madrasa Hujur. This taboo culture engrained in the villagers has led to even Naseeb’s sister not being able to attend school anymore for fear of harassment.
According to ASK’s Documentation Unit, a total of 767 children were raped between January and September 2019. The rate of sexual violence against children has increased to nearly twice the number of incidents in 2018 (a total of 444 children). The rate of boys being the victims of such violence has increased as well.
Naseeb is receiving physical and psychological counselling to overcome his trauma. Counselling, Shelter Home and Rapid Response Programme, under Legal Aid and other Supported Services, are partially supported by Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).