The scars remain, but so does her smile: Kalpana's long walk to freedom
Rescued by the police and treated for extensive injuries, the 13-year-old former domestic worker is now on the path to recovery, dreaming of an education and a future as a doctor to help others in need
Just over 100 days ago, Kalpana's name became synonymous with terms such as 'domestic worker abuse,' 'abuse victim,' 'torture victim' and an image of her disfigured face — with her front teeth pulled out — became her only image online.
When news surfaced of her treatment, with a completely different picture circulating on social media, sheer curiosity overflowed. 'Remember Kalpana?', 'Is that really her in that pink kameez?' and 'Who are the heroes behind this wonderful job?' were questions people began to ask.
Visiting the hospital, where everyone seemed to know of "the girl," on 29 January, a woman greeted us and introduced herself as Kalpana's mother. She said Kalpana had gone to take a walk and would be back shortly.
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I want to be a doctor when I grow up so that I can help those in need, the way my doctors helped me when I needed it the most
When she walked in, Kalpana greeted us with a warm, radiating smile while petting a small month-old cat on her lap.
"I love animals. And so, someone brought me a fur baby just the day before, that I plan to raise when I go back home to my family in Habiganj," were some of the first soft-spoken words out of her mouth.
She wore a beautiful kameez with a yellow dupatta draped over her head, excited and counting the days till she would be released from the hospital.
Kalpana was nine years old when she began to earn for her family, never quite realising the responsibility she was taking on as a child, and the turmoil which would later unfold.
The photo people saw of her face which was circulated in the media was not the complete reflection of her overall condition. It was in fact, far worse. On major parts of her body, including her back, arms and legs, there were open wounds which had been left untreated, bleeding and filled with pus."
Now 13, she is embarking upon a long road ahead, finally welcoming life for all its graces.
"I want to be a doctor when I grow up so that I can help those in need, the way my doctors helped me when I needed it the most," she said.
She is now dreaming of a future that includes education, for she was never formally enrolled in a school, nor did she have a regular life as most kids she once shared a childhood with did.
The daughter of Shahid Mia and Afia Begum of Sujan village in Lakhai upazila, Habiganj. Kalpana is the fifth among five sisters and one younger brother.
About four years ago, her aunt convinced her mother of a job offer that awaited Kalpana at a house in Bashundhara Residential Area, where she could earn Tk10,000 as a house help. She was promised a home, a place where she would be taken care of, perhaps better than her parents could have offered at the time.
But as we all later got to know, that promise was decimated by what she experienced within a couple of months since moving there.
Kalpana was hired as a domestic worker by Dinat Jahan Ador, who used to study BBA at a private university, but dropped out and lived by herself. She has a brother and a sister, who alongside her parents, lived separately.
"I remember Ador being very affectionate with me at first. Everything was fine for a while. I felt at home there. Apu had a cat and a dog that I used to feed and take care of. The first year or so, Apu used to take me everywhere she went. We'd take the animals out for walks or to the vet," Kalpana recalled.
"She even took me to her sister's parlour once." That day, Ador hit her in front of her sister. "She did not defend me or try to help. But I never saw her after that. She even stopped coming over."
Kalpana soon realised that Ador would misbehave with her when she was in a bad mood. "She would slap me around whenever something went wrong in her life and she was unhappy. She would let all her frustrations out on me. She would hit me with whatever she could find, burn me with her hair straightener, hit me with a stick, hair brush, or shoes."
This child used to do all the house chores, including tending to the 21-year-old girl's every beck and call. "She would get irked if there was any mistake or delay in my work."
But Ador was not the only one who assaulted Kalpana. Her visiting brother would often put his hands on her. "Her brother used to beat me as well, the same ways she did. She would make him do it."
There were times when the physical torture reached such heights that, Kalpana bled. "Ador caused me to bleed often. She wouldn't help with bandages or in any way. I would bear through the pain all by myself. There was nothing to do under such circumstances."
Ador lived in a house with three bedrooms, a living and dining room, big enough to accommodate an entire family. Yet, she only allowed Kalpana to sleep on the floor with no pillow or blankets.
We approached her with patience and refrained from asking too many questions. While dressing her wounds, let's say, we would ask her how she got that scar and she would say it. We would engage in daily life conversations, like how she was feeling and if she had eaten and eventually, she felt comfortable opening up."
As part of Kalpana's daily meals, she would only get to eat rice, lentil and boiled potatoes with no other ingredients made available to her for cooking. Whenever she did fry or boil fish and meat, it was to feed the animals.
Ador would buy only rice, lentils and potatoes in groceries and would herself eat out or order in.
"Throughout the four years, I was provided with no medicines, clothes or basic care," Kalpana said, even though Ador would send her parents Tk5,000 a month and keep the rest with her and lie that she was using it for Kalpana's daily needs.
"I could never tell my parents what was happening to me. She would monitor my phone calls with my mother and would threaten to kill me if I spoke a word. I had no choice but to remain quiet and just engage in small talk. I was allowed to speak to them on Eid, but I was never allowed to visit them, nor were they allowed to visit me," Kalpana further said.
13-year-old domestic worker tortured for years, rescued with 4 teeth knocked out, numerous wounds
Whenever Kalpana's parents insisted on seeing their daughter, Ador would turn them away saying she was busy and that Kalpana was doing just fine. She would lie to them and say she was going to move abroad soon and Kalpana would return to them in no time.
After the first year, Kalpana mostly remained trapped in the house for the remaining three. She was not allowed to go out. Among those who bore witness to the abuse were some of Ador's visitors, which included her brother, sister and her friend, Kalpana said.
"But no one ever defended me. I once told the guard that I was getting beaten up. The guard and the neighbours knew what was going on as they could hear my cries. But the guard told Ador about it. Then she barred me from going out altogether. It was only the first year that I could move freely whenever Ador would take me places with her. Later on, she would lock me inside the house and go out by herself."
'I wanted to be set free'
Kalpana began to realise that no matter how hard she tried, she could not trust anyone and started devising a plan of her own. "I wanted to be set free."
She thought, if she lied and said the cat was sick, she could go outside and find a way. Ador agreed to let her out.
Upon reaching the vet, Kalpana dared to confide in him. She spoke to Ador's chauffeur and the doctor about what she was going through and asked for their help. "If you could help me in any way, it would be really good for me."
The doctor assured her he would contact a journalist and the police and find a way to get her out of there.
"When?" Kalpana asked him.
"Anytime you say," the vet replied.
"Today."
On 20 October 2024, Kalpana took the brave initiative toward her escape.
It was after Asr prayers in the late afternoon, Kalpana said people showed up at the door. She noticed a few men with the guard standing outside. "Should I open the door?" she asked Ador.
"No, stay where you are. I will," and then Ador answered the door. It was a journalist and a few policemen who barged in.
On that fateful day, Kalpana spoke out aloud and told the police what had been going on there. "I brought out all the things and showed them what she would beat me up with."
But Ador denied. "She said we were trying to frame her."
Ador and Kalpana were then taken to the Bhatara Police Station where families of both were contacted. Ador's sister arrived and so did Kalpana's mother Afia and relatives. Afia Begum then filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Ador was placed under arrest and later, the court granted police a one-day remand for Ador.
A week later, her brother Anan was also arrested in a case filed over attempted rape. The siblings are currently in the Keraniganj jail, awaiting sentencing.
The heroes who brought her smile back
Kalpana was taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where she would undergo rigorous treatment for the next three months.
"I was scared something bad would happen to me or that I wouldn't get better. I couldn't understand the extent of my wounds or that I needed surgery. But when I asked the doctors if I would get better, they assured me I would be just fine," she said.
Domestic worker abuse: 13-yr-old Kalpana smiles again, set to return home after surgery
Upon primary assessment, the doctors decided she needed immediate hospitalisation. After further examination, as suspected, her physical condition was extremely weak. They discovered she had multiple wounds on various parts of her body.
After passing through the One Stop Crisis Centre, she was referred to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department for intensive care. An eight-member medical board was formed including the department's physicians, the oral and maxillofacial department, the dental department as well as psychologists.
A multi-disciplinary approach was adopted to treat the child, according to the doctors.
We spoke to two of the physicians, Dr Nashir Uddin, who led the treatment as well as Dr Mahima Sultana.
Dr Nashir Uddin, plastic surgeon, associate professor at the DMCH Burn and Plastic Surgery Department and chief of the Red Unit, said, "The photo people saw of her face which was circulated in the media was not the complete reflection of her overall condition. It was, in fact, far worse. On major parts of her body, including her back, arms and legs, there were open wounds which had been left untreated, bleeding and filled with pus."
When doctors managed to conduct primary tests and gave her fluid to stabilise her, they learned her haemoglobin was too low and she had to be given blood.
"When prepared for the initial phase of the surgery, our job was also to clean up the 'dirty wounds'. In the process, half a kilogram of pus was taken out from behind one of her legs. Her wounds had to be surgically cleaned. If that step was delayed, she was at high risk of catching a severe infection, which we call septicemia — a condition too dangerous to bring a patient back from."
Further assessment revealed nutritional deficiencies. Given the sensitivity of her case, an examination of her mental state was mandatory, which revealed, that she was scared, traumatised and worried if she would experience torture once again. Upon inspecting her wounds, doctors found burn injuries, wounds caused by sharp and heated objects.
Asked how she was responding, the doctor mentioned that initially she was unable to speak properly at first, given the extent of her trauma. Little by little, she opened up. She started sharing the incidents, including the issue of attempted rape, which she had resisted and then faced more torture for.
"Eventually, Kalpana responded very well to her treatment. Especially when she was being given proper nutrition and becoming healthier, she actively began taking her treatment," Dr Nashir Uddin said.
Asked how long her wounds suggested her torture continued prior to identification, the doctor said approximately, more than six months.
"Some of her wounds were old, others fresh. Her face was disfigured. All signs of injury were present when we found her. Once the patient's condition had been optimised, the advance surgery was performed. The plastic surgeries were conducted in three phases. Much had to be done in each step. Such as flap surgery, which is taking skin from good parts of the body and attaching to areas in need," the plastic surgeon further explained.
The treatment, although rigorous, was possible through the collective efforts of the team of doctors, the psychologists, the rescuers, the social services as well as Kalpana's unwavering commitment to getting better, said the doctor.
Recalling the day after Kalpana's admission to the hospital, he mentioned that Sharmeen Murshid, adviser for Women and Children Affairs, had paid a visit to Kalpana and offered her support.
Kalpana's treatment, though almost complete, will be carried out further with a permanent dental procedure. The slight deformity that remains along her lips will be taken care of after dental treatment, which includes installing new front teeth, Dr Nashir Uddin added.
Dr Mahima Sultana, Phase B Resident at the DMCH Burn and Plastic Surgery Department, said, "Kalpana was brought to us as an assault victim. She had multiple contact burns. As per the victim's account, a hair straightener was used to inflict the burn wounds and she used to get hit with a stick. In her upper jawline's dental arch, there were no teeth. She had a hematoma behind the leg which was an infected blood clot.
"We approached her with patience and refrained from asking too many questions. While dressing her wounds, let's say, we would ask her how she got that scar and she would say it. We would engage in daily life conversations, like how she was feeling and if she had eaten and eventually, she felt comfortable opening up," she further explained.
The doctors found no evidence of rape but according to the child, the abuse intensified after she resisted the attempt.
"At this stage, with her release from the hospital by next week, Kalpana seems quite confident. She is ready to dive into her daily life activities in a normal living environment. She has also learned that she should no longer have to hold back on speaking up and can approach anyone if ever in need of help," the physician added.
Nowhere but up
Kalpana's parents also shared their hardships upon finding out their daughter had been subjected to such inhumane conditions in the name of domestic service.
"When I reached the police station, I questioned Ador why she destroyed my daughter's life. Ador, without an ounce of remorse, told me, 'You should be grateful I didn't end her life and she's still in one piece'."
Kalpana's father, regretful and lamenting, said no parent should ever have to experience the pain of watching their child suffer. "Even if someone has no other choice but to beg on the streets, they must never send their children off for domestic work."
After finding herself crawling out of rock bottom and realising there is nowhere but up, Kalpana is now more determined than ever to turn her life around.
"I will never again work as a house help. If there is anyone experiencing the same pain as I have, they must find a way out… to survive," said Kalpana.
