Peace Means Ensuring the Safety of Our Girl Child — But How?

I am writing this story with a heavy heart. It is true that technology and facilities are developing rapidly, but sadly, human mentality is not changing at the same pace. Even in this modern age, people do not stop committing heinous acts of sexual assault against girls. Sometimes the victims are so young that they do not even understand these topics, do not know the meaning of these words, and do not know how they should react.

Very often, I cannot stop thinking about how difficult it is to raise a girl child safely in this world. Many girls silently endure brutality and trauma throughout their lives.

I have two daughters. My elder daughter is 11 years old, and my younger one is just 3. As a working mother, I have to leave home in the morning and stay away for a long time during the day. But even when I am at work, my mind is always with my daughters. I keep wondering: What are they doing? Where are they? Are they safe? With whom are they playing? Is anyone bullying them?

Although I keep a distant relative at home to look after them, I still cannot be completely free from worry. Whenever I receive a phone call from home, my heart immediately becomes anxious, thinking, “Is there any problem?”

There are so many incidents happening around us that make us feel very worried and tense. I want to share some of these stories with you.

One year ago, ​A young eight-year-old girl named Asia lived in our district, Magura. She came from a poor family. During her school vacation, she went to visit her elder sister at her in-laws' house. One night, at midnight, the sister found Asia lying on the floor. She was very sick and could hardly speak a word. Her sister did not understand what happened, so she and her in-laws took Asia to the hospital.

​Later, everyone was shocked to hear the truth: Asia had been raped, and the person then tried to kill her. As her condition got worse, she was sent to Dhaka Medical College for better treatment. After fighting for her life for a few days, Asia sadly passed away.

​Do you know who the culprit was? It was her sister's father-in-law. A man over fifty years old—a father figure—attacked an eight-year-old child. The whole nation protested against this terrible act. Her family filed a case against the in-laws' family, and the police arrested everyone in that house. People all over the country demanded the death sentence for the main culprit, but justice has still not been served. You can search for "Asia" and "Magura" on Google to find more about her story.

​In just one week this February, two similar tragedies occurred again. A fifteen-year-old girl was gang-raped by four or five men from her own locality. When her father complained to local community leaders, the criminals sought revenge; they abducted her again, raped her, killed her, and abandoned her body near their house. Initially, the police refused to file a case. It was only after intense pressure from the villagers that they finally acted. However, because a local political leader is among the accused, justice is being delayed.

​Then there is the story of a four-year-old girl, the same age as my younger daughter. At 3:00 PM, she told her sister she was going outside to play. As evening approached and she didn’t return, her family began a desperate search, but she was nowhere to be found. Two days later, she was discovered. But in what condition? She was found inside a septic tank, stuffed into a large bag.

​It was later revealed that her neighbor, a man she knew, would often meet her while she played. He would sometimes give her juice or chips. That day, he lured her with a packet of juice, then raped and killed her before hiding her body in the septic tank near the school.

​As I write this, I am literally crying. Is he even a human being? How can a human being do such things?

At the beginning of this murch, a girl named Era was found on Chittagong eco park by some workers. She is 7 years old. But!!!

Her clothes are wet by her blood. Someone cut her throat and left her in the jungle to die. But she was alive then and somehow managed to come out asking for help. Suddenly some workers saw her and took her to nearby hospital. Then her condition worsen and she was transferred to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. After two days of struggle and pain she just left us with sorrow and shame. In this case too, the culprit was her neighbour and he wanted to take revenge from her father by killing her.

A girl lived with her grandmother. Some people brutality killed her grandmother, took her away from the house, raped her and finally left her dead body at a mastered field near their house.

There are many incidents like these in our country and in other parts of the world. In 2025, reports showed that child rape cases increased by nearly 75% in Bangladesh, which is extremely alarming. So why should I not worry about my daughters? They are not safe with relatives, like the case I mentioned earlier. They are not always safe with neighbours either. Sometimes they are not even safe with cousins, uncles, or even some family members.

Because of this constant fear, I try to teach my elder daughter how to be alert and aware. I have explained to her the difference between good touch and bad touch. I try to guide her on what she should do if something unwanted or uncomfortable ever happens to her. That is why I also encourage her to practice Wushu and learn self-defence techniques.

But what can I do to protect my younger daughter? She is only three years old and has just learned to speak.

Still, I believe that if we take some steps together, we can reduce these incidents. As parents, we can provide our children with basic awareness and teach them how to stay cautious when they go outside. Most importantly, we should keep track of them and know where they are when they are away from home.

In our education system, we can introduce life-skills-based education and teach children basic self-defence techniques as part of their co-curricular activities. These measures may not save them every time, but they can increase their confidence and awareness. If such efforts can save even one girl, it will be a great success and one precious life protected.

I am a family oriented person. I just want a simple and happy life with my daughters. So, for me, peace means ensuring the safety of every girl child. It is a responsibility that belongs to all of us. If we work together, we can reduce these incidents and create a safer world where our daughters can shine brightly, laugh freely, and grow confidently.