Child Abuse At School: ‘Teacher threatened to crush me and tear me apart’
Staff Reporter :
The child broke down in tears as soon as he reached home, collapsing into his mother’s lap. “Miss said she would crush me under her feet and tear me apart if I told anything at home,” he sobbed.
The boy, who had been admitted to Sharmin Academy in Dhaka just a week earlier, recounted the incident to his parents. His mother said the experience has left her child deeply traumatised.
“Even while sleeping, he wakes up crying and pleading, ‘Please don’t sew my mouth shut. I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t want to stay there, Mum,’” she told the media, visibly shaken.
The child’s father said his son had been subjected to intense fear, mental torture and physical abuse in the name of discipline at school.
Alarmed by his condition, the parents admitted him to hospital, where doctors confirmed he had suffered severe psychological trauma.
The parents later filed a case under the Children Act, 2013, demanding maximum punishment for those responsible.
Meanwhile, a video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The footage, shared on Facebook on Tuesday by Advocate Saleh Uddin, shows a woman—believed to be a teacher—wearing a pink saree, dragging a 4–5-year-old boy in school uniform into an office room.
The child is then seen brought before a man sitting behind a desk, also reportedly a teacher.
CCTV footage dated January 18 at 12:51pm shows the woman repeatedly slapping and verbally abusing the frightened child as he sits helplessly on a sofa.
At one point, the man approaches holding a stapler and threatens to staple the child’s mouth shut, further escalating the atmosphere of terror.
The abusive behaviour continues for several minutes, with the boy visibly trembling in fear, while the woman appears to smirk—sparking widespread outrage online.
Parents have strongly criticised the school authorities for failing to ensure the safety and mental wellbeing of children.
One parent, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The female teacher treated children brutally in the name of discipline. Her behaviour towards both students and parents was completely unacceptable.”
Child rights organisations have also condemned the incident, warning that such punishment is illegal and can leave long-lasting psychological scars.
Umme Salma Akter Urmi, organiser of the non-profit Pother Ishkul and a child rights activist, said, “Children rely on adults for protection. Treating them this way destroys their mental health.
Those responsible should first be given counselling, and if that fails, strict legal action must follow.”
Sharmin Academy has yet to issue any official statement. A visit to the school on Thursday found the premises closed, with the main gate locked and security personnel unaware of any ongoing activities, suggesting the institution has temporarily shut down.
Attempts to contact the school were unsuccessful, as no one answered calls to the phone number listed on the Facebook page titled “Sharmin Academy.”
Hossain Muhammad Farabi, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel Zone, confirmed that a case has been filed under Section 70 of the Children Act, naming Pabitra Barua and Sharmin Zaman as the accused.