Thirteen-year-old Kolpona’s life took a dark turn when she was sent to Dhaka to work as a domestic worker.
Instead of finding better opportunities, she endured years of physical abuse and deprivation.
On October 19, she was finally rescued from the household of Dinat Jahan Ador in Basundhara Residential Area, where her tragic story of extreme cruelty unfolded.
From Habiganj to Dhaka: How it began
Kolpona grew up in Lakhai Upazila of Habiganj with her five siblings.
Her father, Shahid Mia, a carpenter, struggled to support the family, so he agreed to send Kolpona to Dhaka for work.
He hoped she would have a chance at a better life, with good meals and the promise of an education.
Five years ago, Kolpona’s maternal aunt, who worked for a friend of Dinat, convinced her mother, Afia Begum, to let Kolpona go.
They arranged for her to work for Tk10,000 per month, with half sent to the family and the other half supposedly saved for Kolpona’s future. However, the family never received these savings.
A cycle of abuse and control
According to Kolpona, the abuse began within two months of starting work at Dinat’s household.
Dinat started assaulting Kolpona when Kolpona’s work did not meet Dinat’s requirements. The trend continued for five years.
Dinat’s physical assaults intensified over time, often involving sticks, brooms, metal baseball bats or anything else within reach.
Police later found broken sticks among other evidence in the household.
Other family members participated in the torture as well. Dinat’s brother, Anwar, also reportedly assaulted Kolpona.
According to Kolpona, Dinat had multiple boyfriends. Among them, one boyfriend named Iftekhar kicked her in the chest.
Kolpona told Dhaka Tribune: “I do not know anything else except the name. I told that to the police.”
Dinat’s cruelty knew no bounds—she even burned Kolpona’s skin with a hot hair straightener and broke her front teeth with a wooden hairbrush.
Kolpona recounted how she endured long stretches with only one evening meal, as Dinat frequently ate outside.
Under constant surveillance, she was rarely allowed to speak with her family, and when she did, Dinat closely monitored the conversations.
The rescue
Eventually Kolpona’s plight came to light when someone, who chose to remain anonymous, noticed burn marks on her body and asked her what had happened.
This person then alerted Eshtiak Emon, a journalist for Ekattor TV, who contacted the police and shared video evidence of her injuries.
On October 19, police raided Dinat’s home and rescued Kolpona.
She was immediately taken to the burn unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where Dr Md Nasir Uddin commented on the severity of her injuries: “The burn injuries were not inflicted in one day. There are deep wounds in many parts of the body, many of which are now infected.”
Despite her years of suffering, Kolpona displayed remarkable resilience. When visited by the Dhaka Tribune correspondent, she managed a smile, expressing relief at no longer enduring torture.
Path to recovery
While her physical wounds are gradually healing, her mental trauma remains.
She told Dhaka Tribune: “I am feeling better now, as I am not going through the torture anymore.”
Dr Md Nasir Uddin said that Kolpona would likely carry lasting emotional scars.
She has shown a determination to recover, even looking forward to a dental assessment next week to begin the process of fixing her broken teeth.
For now, Kolpona is focused on healing. Her family, buoyed by support from well-wishers, is hopeful she can soon resume a life free of fear and filled with the opportunities she was once promised.
Legal battle
On October 20, Kolpona’s mother filed a case against Dinat under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at Bhatara Police Station.
Dinat was placed on a one-day remand. Kolpona, who courageously endured years of abuse, now demands justice, saying: “I want everyone involved to be punished for what they did to me.”
Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said that there are approximately 500,000 child laborers and domestic workers across the country.
“Kolpona has been working for a family for five years and was tortured for four and a half years, but no one knew. We do not know how many more children are being tortured,” he said.
The commission has drafted a Domestic Workers’ Safety Act and submitted it to the relevant ministry.
Md Omar Faruq (Faruqi), public prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan, told Dhaka Tribune: “Cases of assaulting domestic workers are happening over and over. We need to know why these things are being repeated. I believe the state should take up the cases as the plaintiff because sometimes cases like these halt through out-of-court monetary settlements. If exemplary punishment happens, they will not be repeated.”