Bangladesh factory official arrested over boy's brutal death

Ten-year-old dies in hospital after fellow textile workers insert a high-pressure nozzle into his rectum

A child working at a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Police in Bangladesh have arrested a textile factory official in connection with the murder of a ten-year-old boy, who was killed while working at the site.

Sagar Barman died in hospital in Narayanganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka, after workers inserted a high-pressure nozzle into his rectum and activated it, the Dhaka Tribune reports.

His father, who also works at the factory, found the boy "lying beside a compressor machine with his abdomen swollen", police told Reuters.

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One official at the spinning mill has been arrested. Workers are still being questioned about the brutal attack, officers told the BBC. No motive has been given.

Thirteen-year-old Rakib Hawlader was killed in the same way at a vehicle workshop in Bangladesh last year in retaliation for leaving his job. Two men were sentenced to death for the murder.

Child labour remains common in Bangladesh and poses serious dangers and risks, says Unicef. Although the legal age of employment is 14, the vast majority of children work informally, making the enforcement of labour laws "virtually impossible", the charity says.

"Long hours, low or no wages, poor food, isolation and hazards in the working environment can severely affect children's physical and mental health," Unicef warns. "Child labourers are also vulnerable to other abuses such as racial discrimination, mistreatment and sexual abuse."

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