Here,problem is not some unknown person outside only,but people already known to children .
Two recent cases have shaken everyone badly . In Dhaka’s Pallabi area,an eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered,and her decapitated body was found in neighbor's home on May 19 . Then in Netrokona district,an 11-year-old was sexually assaulted and is now seven months pregnant. This is not small thing ah,this is nightmare level.
Report by Shishurai Shob,a child rights organization,says 90% of offenders are from victim's own circle . That number itself is enough to make any parent uncomfortable because it means danger is often standing very close to home.
And tbh,this is where whole discussion becomes even more disturbing .
- Immediate neighbors were linked to 40.58% of reported rape cases .
- 70% of rape victims were children aged 0-12.
- From January to April this year,Ain o Salish Kendra recorded 56 out of 81 rape cases involving children aged 0-12.
What stands out most is how many incidents are happening inside familiar spaces,even inside home environment . Children are supposed to feel safest there,but report is showing opposite picture in many cases .
Laila Khondkar,convener of Shishurai Shob,has stressed need for research to understand why such violence happens and how predators think . She pointed out that children are often abused by trusted figures who use their access during unsupervised moments.
Sumaiya Iqbal,a criminology professor at Dhaka University,also raised another chilling point . Many perpetrators reportedly murder victims to remove witnesses,and this is called “witness elimination” . Nearly 10% of child rape cases resulted in victim's death,which shows how brutal these crimes are becoming.
But beyond police cases and statistics,there is also ugly social mindset behind this . When women and children are objectified or treated like weak targets,such violence gets space to grow silently.
And now question is what government,society,families and communities actually do after reading numbers like 90%,40.58% and 10% . Because if trusted people are becoming biggest threat,then where exactly is child supposed to feel safe…
