The members of the civil society have demanded a fair, impartial and transparent investigation and justice in the death of Preeti Urang, the minor domestic help of former executive editor of Daily Star Syed Ashfaqul Haque.
They made the demand under the banner of conscious civil society at Moulvibazar Press Club on Tuesday. At this time, they also raised several demands to protect the rights of teenage domestic helps.
At the press briefing, the civil society members said they visited tea gardens in Moulvibazar, where Preeti’s family resided. They spoke to Khushi Urang and Durgamani Bauri, other child domestic helps who worked at Syed Ashfaqul Haque's house.
The delegation members also spoke to Preeti Urang's parents and other children's families. Besides, they met the superintendent of police of Moulvibazar, and the Kamalganj upazila nirbahi officer.
In a written statement at the press conference, Islamic University Assistant Professor Farha Tanzim Titil said that they got a lot of information by talking to the victims and family members.
She said: “On February 6, Preeti died in an unusual situation at Syed Ashfaqul’s house in Mohammadpur. A delegation of 12 people has worked for on-the-spot monitoring in that regard.”
Dhaka University Professor Zobaida Nasreen said in the press conference: "Firstly, two children jumped from Syed Ashfaqul’s Mohammadpur flat within six months - this information is surprising. Two similar events occurring in succession concern us.
“Talking to Preeti's parents, we felt that they are in living in fear. Besides, Preeti's puberty did not start before her death. So, there was no way she turned 15. The case statement may have mentioned an older age," she added.
The professor said: "It is clear from Durgamani’s statement that they were subjected to physical abuse regularly."
During the press conference, several demands were raised on behalf of the conscious civil society.
These demands included providing wages, medical expenses, and education costs for children who worked at Syed Ashfaqul’s residence.
Additionally, a fair, impartial, and speedy investigation into what happened to Preeti Urang and other children was called for to ensure justice.
The civil society members also call for an appropriate financial compensation for the families of Preeti Urang and Durgamani, and measures should be taken to ensure their families' safety.
Moreover, it was urged that the child labor policy be turned into law, raising the minimum employment age from 14 to 18 years, with the same rule applied to the domestic worker protection and welfare policy.
Furthermore, in accordance with the 2017 court instructions, it was demanded that a monitoring cell be formed nationwide to protect the rights of domestic workers, involving the Ministry of Labour, deputy commissioner, and upazila nirbahi officer.
Finally, the system of inspecting every household should be implemented to safeguard the rights of domestic helps.
On February 6, Preeti Urang, daughter of a tea worker in Moulvibazar, fell to her death from the house of Syed Ashfaqul Haque in Mohammadpur of the capital.
The next day, Preeti’s father Lokesh Urang filed a case under 304(A) of Penal Code after her death. On April 22, the High Court granted bail to Syed Ashfaqul Haque's wife Tania Khandaker. Syed Ashfaqul is currently in jail.