Little Khatun Escaped Rape in Myanmar, Couldn’t in Bangladesh

Little Khatun perhaps escaped rape in Myanmar, but she could not in Bangladesh.

Teknaf – A Rohingya refugee minor girl fell prey to sexual assault of Bangladeshi army members on Sunday at around 7:30 pm in Camp No. 1, Nayapara of Teknaf.

The victim is identified to be __________ Khatun, 13, daughter of __________ Alom living in Room No. ____, Shed No. _____, Block ___, Camp No. 1. (Identity hidden for confidentiality)

While Khatun was playing at her home with another girl, two army members broke in and allegedly gang-raped her, according to a neighbor’s statement.

The neighbors noticed the incident happening and rushed into the crime scene once the perpetrators left. They found the victim bleeding and moaning in torn dress half-clothed.

Khatun was dragged into the kitchen by one of the perpetrators to prey on her virginity while another was forcing her friend to silence, who later exchanged the tasks.

Khatun was admitted to the local clinic for first aid and emergency medical checkup and subsequently transferred to the Sadar Hospital in Cox’s Bazar for proper treatment, according to sources.

Under the pretext of searching miscreants, a group of about ten members of army on Sunday raided the Bock E attacking whomever they meet and finally reached to the room of Mohmmad Ali. The couple was sitting in the shop in front while the two perpetrators break in the home where Khatun was playing.

The source mentioned that Khatun’s brother is arrested and her parents are being threatened so as not to take any action against the perpetrators.

Refugees complain that raids, harassments and assaults are daily routine of army members and even the sexual assaults  by some camp authorities and NGO workers are very common, but the victims dare not report their sufferings, because some of them consider this as cost of living in the land of Bangladesh, whereas some other choose silence due to either helplessness, fear of worse reactions or defamation in the society.

Little Khatun perhaps escaped rape in Myanmar, but she could not escape that in Bangladesh.