At risk of losing eyesight
Having lost one eye due to a bizarre act of cruelty by her father, six-year-old Swapna Begum is facing the risk of total blindness for lack of proper treatment.
Swapna's father Shafiqul Islam, 30, poked her left eye with a pointed stick during a quarrel with her mother Sharifa Khatun, 25, at their house at Kazifarm village in Domar upazila of the district six months ago, Sharifa said.
The other eye is facing damage as a consequence, she said, referring to doctors.
In early September, Sharifa Khatun filed a case against her husband in a Nilphamari court seeking his punishment and realisation of the girl’s treatment cost from him.
“Sharifa, daughter of rickshaw-van puller Shariful Islam of Shimultoli village in my union, was married with Shafiqul, son of Moksed Ali of Kazifarm village in 2010,” said Tofayel Ahmed, chairman of Boragari Union Parishad.
“After one year, a daughter was born to them and she was named Swapna Begum. Shafiqul went to Dhaka for better earning by pulling rickshaw. He used to come to his village home every month.
“But two years ago, he took a second wife in Dhaka and stopped supporting Sharifa and her daughter,” he added.
Sharifa said, “Six months ago, my husband suddenly came to the village home. At one stage of our quarrel over his second marriage and negligence to family, he started beating me with a stick.”
“As my daughter Swapna embraced me to save me, her father poked her left eye with the pointed end of the stick. The eye started bleeding and he fled away,” said Sharifa in a chocked voice.
Afterwards, Sharifa's father-in-law drove her out of his house and she started living with her daughter in father's house.
She also took the work of a domestic help in a neighbour's house.
“A village doctor treated Swapna for a few weeks. But the affected eye gradually became redder, protruded from the socket and finally my daughter lost sight of the eye two months ago,” said a tearful Sharifa.
In last week, Sharifa took the girl to Dr Shariful Islam, recently retired upazila health and family planning officer of Domar, who suggested consulting an experienced ophthalmologist in Rangpur to remove the damaged eye through operation for saving the other eye from gradual blindness.
“I've no money to meet an ophthalmologist. I can only pray to Allah to give light to my daughter's eye,” said Sharifa.
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