A Dhaka court has sentenced Parveen Chowdhury to five years in prison for torturing a 14-year-old domestic worker at her home in Sheorapara fifteen years ago. The verdict was delivered on Monday by Judge Golam Kabir of the Dhaka Third Women and Child Abuse Prevention Tribunal, marking the end of a long-delayed trial.
According to the case details, the teenager worked as a domestic worker at Parveen’s residence, where she was routinely beaten, denied food and communication with her family, and even forced to drink hot water. The torture reportedly took place on September 15 and 16, 2010, after which the girl was thrown out of the house on October 23. She was later found crying on the street by A. Rashid, a neighbor of her mother, who rescued her and filed a case at Mirpur Police Station the same day.
Following investigation, SI Abu Bakar Mia of Mirpur Model Police submitted a charge sheet against Parveen Chowdhury, while her daughter Ismat Jahan Joni was released from charges due to lack of evidence. During the trial, six out of eleven witnesses testified before the tribunal.
The court also fined Parveen Tk 50,000, with an additional four months of rigorous imprisonment in default of payment. She was present in court when the verdict was announced and was sent to prison immediately with a warrant.
The case, rooted in the long-standing issue of violence and exploitation faced by domestic workers in Bangladesh, has reignited discussions on the urgent need for legal protection, accountability, and recognition for domestic laborers—most of whom are women and girls from poor, rural backgrounds.
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