Govt.-run Children’s Home discovers teen pregnant 27 weeks after alleged rape
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
A 14-year-old girl living at a government-run children’s home in Faridpur was found to be 27 weeks pregnant, months after she was allegedly repeatedly raped by a local man who reportedly lured her with chocolates and money while she was traveling to and from school.
The girl, a sixth-grade student, had allegedly been abused multiple times by 54-year-old Wahid Sheikh. The incidents remained undisclosed until July 6, when she complained of abdominal pain and other physical discomforts. The alleged abuse had occurred without the knowledge of the authorities responsible for the children’s home.
Following the discovery, the institution filed a case with Kotwali Police Station. Five employees of the children’s home have been temporarily suspended for negligence and attached to the Department of Social Services headquarters in Agargaon.
According to the case statement, the victim’s home district is Madaripur, while the accused is from Adampur village in Faridpur Sadar upazila.
Investigators said the accused owns a tailoring shop named 'Memory Tailors' in the Tepakhola Kanchabazar area of Faridpur town. The girl was allegedly first lured there and later intimidated and raped repeatedly. The abuse reportedly began on January 5, but came to light only on July 6.
After the girl fell ill, the matter was reported to Tania Tajrin, a caregiver at the children’s home, who immediately informed the institution’s superintendent.
The girl was taken to a diagnostic center the same day, where an ultrasound examination revealed that she was 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Mahmudul Hasan said police arrested the accused after receiving the complaint. “The accused has confessed to the rape,” he said.
Five social service employees suspended
In an office order issued on Monday, the Department of Social Services’ Administration and Finance Branch announced the temporary suspension of five employees. The order said disciplinary action was taken based on investigation reports from the Divisional Social Services Office in Dhaka and the District Social Services Office in Faridpur.
The order cited negligence in handling a sensitive incident and failure to ensure security and discipline within the institution.
The suspended employees are: Assistant Superintendent Md. Habibur Rahman, caregivers (Khalamma) Shamsunnahar Akter and Taslima Tasrin, Main Care Nurse Moni Akter, and Compounder Abir Das.
Mohammad Ehiyatuzzaman, Assistant Director of the Faridpur District Social Services Office, said the department became aware of the alleged rape on July 6 and immediately initiated legal action through the superintendent of the children's home.
"We learned about the rape on July 6. Legal action was taken immediately through the superintendent," he said, adding that he could not comment further as the matter is now before the court.
However, Arif Hossain, superintendent of the Government Children's Home in Faridpur, told Agamir Shomoy that the abuse had occurred much earlier and only came to light after it was discovered that the girl was pregnant.
"Because of her physical build, we did not initially realize she was pregnant. When she fell ill, her classmates informed us about the situation. I then took her to the hospital to confirm it. After that, I filed the case, and the accused was arrested immediately," he said.
Regarding the suspension of the five employees, Arif Hossain said they had been responsible for supervising and caring for the children. The higher authorities concluded that they had failed in their duties.
This report was prepared with contributions from Faridpur correspondent Sanjib Das.
