Girls beaten cruelly at Barisal orphanage (video)

- Two orphanage girls beaten up cruelly, video leaked on social media

- Orphanage staff suspended following public outrage

- 5-member probe committee formed to investigate

Amid countrywide outrage over child abuse concerning the death of 13-year-old boy Rajon, two Barisal orphanage girls have been subjected to cruel corporal punishment.

The incident took place on July 4 in Babuganj upazila, but came into public attention after the video went viral in social sharing platform Facebook.

The victims are Akhi, daughter of Taslima Begum from Barisal Sadar, and Dalia, daughter of Bilkis Begum from Babuganj upazila, both around eight/nine years of age and students of class three at a local school, our Barisal correspondent reports.

Both victims were taken in by the orphanage a few months ago.

According to locals and witnesses, they were caught wandering off from the orphanage premises last Saturday. They were then beat up by Md Dulal, health assistant of the girl-orphanage.

The 18-minute long video showed the orphanage staff beating up the two children all the while long with the two minors begging for them to be spared.

“We felt homesick. We tried to flee home,” Akhi later told reporters.

Seeking anonymity, many of the girls sheltered at the orphanage told The Daily Star they were often victims of corporal punishment, tortures and assaults.

Barisal deputy commissioner speaking to the two victim girls Akhi and Dalia, both of whom faced cruel corporal punishment from an orphanage staff, on July 14, 2015. Photo: Star

Corporal punishment has been deemed illegal in Bangladesh by the High Court in 2011.

Dulal, the health assistant, acknowledged beating up the girls as punishments under instructions from the orphanage in-charge as they were wandering off the premises.

Ismat Ara, deputy superintendent and in charge of the girl-orphanage, expressed indifference in the matter and said the girls were subjected to “disciplinary actions”.

Dr Gazi Md Saifuzzaman, deputy commissioner Barisal, after hearing about the incident rushed to the spot and talked to the victims, staffs and officials of the institution.

Meanwhile, a five-member probe committee, headed by acting ADC General Abul Kalam Azad, was formed this morning over the incident, the DC told The Daily Star.

In an emergency order from the director general of social welfare department last night, Md Dulal was suspended for his actions, he said.