2024-02-19 13:01:25
Every day, when you open the pages of newspapers and television, you see the news of rape of women and children, organized rape or murder after rape. Even though the law has been amended to provide the death penalty as the maximum punishment for rape in Bangladesh, the heinous crime like rape is not decreasing in any way. Experts say that it is not possible to eliminate crimes like rape by increasing the sentence. Social awareness can reduce rape.
574 rapes were reported in Bangladesh last year, of which 138 were gang rapes. 33 people were killed after rape. Among them, 9 people were killed after gang rape.
Analyzing the news from January to December 2023, the non-governmental human rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra (ASAK) reported this information.
According to the ASK report, 5 people committed suicide due to rape, 3 people were murdered after attempted rape and 3 people committed suicide after attempted rape. 129 people were victims of rape attempt.
There have been 433 rape-related cases. Among them, 327 cases of rape, 106 cases of organized rape, 74 cases of attempted rape. Analyzing the ASK report, it can be seen that girls between the ages of 13 and 18 have become more victims of rape in 2023.
Sexual harassment by bullies
Apart from rape, gang rape, sexual harassment by miscreants is increasing day by day. From January to December 2023, 12 people committed suicide due to sexual harassment by crooks, 2 people attempted suicide. 5 people were killed for protesting against sexual harassment. Among them 4 men and 1 woman.
3 people were killed after sexual harassment. 117 people were assaulted by miscreants. Among them 109 women and 8 men. 131 people were injured in the attack by the scoundrels. Among them 122 men and 9 women.
Violence against women for demand of dowry
Violence against women for dowry demand is increasing day by day in Bangladesh. 67 people were subjected to physical abuse from January to December 2023. Among them, 52 people have filed a case. 5 people ran away from husband’s house. 4 cases have been filed in these incidents. 6 people committed suicide after physical torture, two cases were registered. 64 women were killed after physical abuse. Cases have been registered in 35 of these incidents. Women between the ages of 19 and 24 are the victims of these incidents.
When asked about this, Dhaka University student Sanjana Zebin told RisingBD, “If we women students do not feel safe even with teachers equal to our fathers, then where is our security?” In fact, our social system has become very bad now. Currently, rape never ends in the life of a rape victim in our country. In various processes, she became a victim of indirect rape. Women are victims of indirect rape at every stage of the case, investigation, testimony, trial.
Chittagong Judge Court lawyer Dr. SM Ayesha Akhter told Beauty RisingBD that cases of rape of women and children and organized rape should be prosecuted very quickly in our country. Many people lose interest in filing the case due to the long process. Our legislators can play a role in this.
Human rights activist Jannatul Ferdous Ivy said that the role of family moral education is most needed in this regard. Lack of quality education is a major reason for increasing social degradation.
On the other hand, the mindset of marrying off girls in return for dowry without giving them the opportunity to develop into competent people, considers them as a way to enjoy or acquire property. This results in a tendency to harm women as a way of retaliating against any quarrel. Every family needs to create an environment of good education for both girls and boys.
President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Dr. Fawzia Muslim told RisingBD that recently violence against women, rape is increasing in our country. We need to establish good governance to prevent the most heinous crimes like rape. The victims should get justice. The trial should not be long. Criminals should not in any way be favored by powerful parties or the powerful. Heinous crimes like rape must be prevented through social and cultural movements.
Farooq Faisal, executive director of the Law and Arbitration Center (ASC), told RisingBD that lack of justice is one of the reasons for the rise in rape and gang rape. In most of the cases of rape, the powerful are involved. They think they are above judgment. If the justice system here was tough, such incidents would not have happened. If you look at the incident of rape in Jahangirnagar University, then whose name will come? The government’s responsibility here is to prove that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law, irrespective of the group of criminals. Every man should protest from his own place, so that no one dares to do such a thing.