A few days ago, as I was writing down my cell phone number on a piece of paper at a shop close to my house for recharging, I noticed a young girl, aged about 10/12 years, talking over the mobile phone of the shop. She was crying and requesting someone to please come over and take her away from her present employers who were very rude and regularly beat her and even sometimes hit her on the head. I could understand that she was a house help working in a nearby house and secretly came to the shop to talk to her parents. She was occasionally glancing at me and the shopkeeper out of fear and embarrassment. As far as I was concerned, I did not need to hear the full story. I could understand the helplessness in her as I overheard a part of her tale of woes. The incident upset me and I could not forget her innocent and distressed face for a number of days. The young children like her deserved better treatment and love and care from their employers. This should not be allowed to happen in our society. Cruelty against children must stop.
Javed
Progoti Soroni, Dhaka