One held after girl found to be pregnant at Faridpur Govt Children’s Home

A 14-year-old girl has found to be pregnant in a government children's home (girl) under the Department of Social Services in Faridpur.

The police have arrested a person in a case filed in this connection. In addition, five officials and employees of the children's home have been temporarily suspended on charges of negligence of duty. Although the incident was kept secret for some times, the matter came to light on Thursday (July 9) night.

According to the case report, the victim girl is slightly mentally retarded and is a sixth-grade student of a school in Faridpur city. She used to commute to school regularly from the government children's home. On January 5, on the way back from school, local tailor Md. Wahid Sheikh, 54, raped her by tempting her with chocolates. Later, she was sexually assaulted several more times in the same way.

Recently, when the girl's physical changes were noticed, she was taken to a doctor on July 6. Tests revealed that she was 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Then Faridpur Social Services Department Assistant Director and Child Care Supervisor Mohammad Arif Hossain filed a case with Kotwali Police Station. After the case, the accused Wahid Sheikh was arrested last Wednesday and sent to jail through the court.

After the incident, the Social Services Department has temporarily suspended the Assistant Caretaker of the Government Child Care Home Md. Habibur Rahman, Computer Operator Abir Das, Matron-cum-Nurse Moni Akhter and staff members Shamsunnahar Akhter and Tania Tazreen on charges of negligence of duty. The matter was confirmed by the director (administration and finance) of the department Md. Saiful Islam.

Mohammad Ehiyatuzzaman, Deputy Director of the District Social Services Department, said that on the orders of the court, the victim girl has been transferred to the Women and Children Adolescents' Housing Center under the Social Services Department, where she is being provided with medical treatment and necessary services.

Locals said that such an incident has never happened before in the Faridpur government children's home in its nearly 50-year history. A former official of the Social Services Department said that many years ago, there were some incidents of harassment of residents due to the lack of a boundary wall, but after the construction of the wall, such problems were no longer seen. This recent incident has raised new questions about the security and supervision system of the children's home.