The incident of violence against women and children has increased manifold in the country over four-year period of the current government surpassing the previous records. School and college going female students and tender children is falling victim to brutality. The heinous event of rape has become a common incident to take place somewhere in the country on regular basis. Rapists are killing and hiding the victims after rape. Even they are burning the women alive. These human brutes are also taking obscene snapshots and video scenes of the victims forcibly and forcing the victims to sign their names on a blank sheet paper so that they cannot unleash the truth even if they want to.
Complaining to the law enforcers does not make any change. The offenders remain untouched even after logging of cases against them. No notable progress towards legal proceedings against the offenders, even if arrested any, is seen to happen. The indigent victims get bound to mediate the case and withdraw the same as a result of undue influence, threat or inducement of the well-heeled and influential people who patronize the culprits.
Nobody dares to bear witness to the oppression of women due to lack sufficient security of his/her life. Thus the heinous acts of stalking and killing are on the rise day by day.
Having raped the victims, the obscene video scenes are being aired and uploaded via mobile phones and internet with intent to humiliate victims’ families. There is a strong allegation of close nexus between the policemen and the culprits in the society in this matter.
Eve-teasing and sexual harassment of women has indeed increased but there is none to care. Many of the victims are committing suicide due to their irresistible sense of shame and insult.
Of late, a teen-aged girl at Modhupur in Tangail was secretly confined and raped by a gang of rapists. This incident received strong media sensation and public gaze across the country and many human rights watchdogs as well as social activists voiced their deep concern over the happening.
Meanwhile on last 5th January, another 11-year old schoolgirl in Shah Ali area of the capital was raped to death by a gang of rapists. The rapists hung her corpse with the ceiling fan after killing. The people of her locality marched in protest with her corpse and seized the police station, but the situation has not been improved. On 6th January 2013, another girl in Muhseniapara area of Cox’s Bazar was brutally killed and hung with a branch of a tree after barbaric gang rape.
Eve-teasing and sexual harassment of women are happening under different types of genres.
Cops have nabbed 20 women in hijab on December 17th 2012
The women in hijab are also being tortured in various ways. The law enforcers are incessantly torturing the women wearing hijab by unjustly arresting them and taking them on remand for days. Cops have nabbed 20 women in hijab on December 17th 2012 including a pregnant one in the capital. Another 13 women were arrested when they came to attend in a seminar in the National Press Club in protest against the unjust arrest of 20 hijab wearing women organized by a women rights watchdog. All are in police custody without any charge laid against them.
Statistics show that oppression of women increased to severe extent over last four years. The victims are not getting justice. According to the statistics of the Police Headquarter, the number of incidents of women oppression including those of rape, killing, abduction and sexual harassment reached 12904 in 2009 and 16212 in 2010.
According to Odhikar, 389 women fell prey to sexual harassment in the period of January to September of 2012 among them 14 committed suicide, 2 were killed, 21 were injured, 12 were humiliated, 4 were abducted and 57 were attempted to rape.
By daring to protest sexual harassment, 6 men were killed, 45 men and 9 women were injured as well as 35 men and 4 women were insulted.
A grade ten schoolgirl Marzana, the niece of Officer in-chage Bahubal Model Police station (thana), was raped by the son of a constable of police of same police station. The girl later on committed suicide.
Moreover, 648 married women underwent violence over dowry claims of whom 217 were killed and 12 committed suicide. By protesting against dowry violence, one man was killed and 10 men were injured.
On last 14th September, a pregnant wife named Noyon Begum was burned alive over dowry dispute in Jessore by her husband Abu Kalam. Another pregnant wife named Salma was killed by her husband as well as father-in-law in Sultanpur village of Jessore on last 8th July.
On last 11th September, a college girl (20) was unjustly nabbed, detained and tortured by the cops for long 6 days but no punishment was served against the cullprits.
Some brutal incidents of violence alone in the month of October and November 2012 are enough to picture the horrible situation of safety and violation of rights of women in Bangladesh.
A significant number of women were the victims of dowry related violence, rape, sexual harassment and acid violence during this period.
October 2012
Rape
A total of 34 females were reportedly raped in October 2012. Among them, 13 were women, 21 were children below the age of 16. Of the women, two were killed after being raped; five were victims of gang rape. Of the 21 child victims, one child was killed after being raped and five were victims of gang rape. It is to be mentioned that the incidents of rape of children have been increasing.
On October 7, 2012 a school girl of class II was raped by two criminals at West Merul Badda in Dhaka. The girl was admitted to the One Stop Crisis Centre at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.
Dowry-related violence
During the month of October 2012, 37 women including an under aged bride were subjected to dowry related violence. Of these women, it has been alleged that 18 women were killed because of dowry and 18 women including the underage bride were ill-treated in various other ways for dowry demands. During the period one woman committed suicide as she could not tolerate further violence.
On October 11, 2012, a housewife, Sabina (24) was seriously beaten by her husband Shamsul Mia over dowry demands in Sadullapur under Gaibandha district. She died on way to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
Acid violence
According to information gathered by Odhikar, during the month of October 2012, it was reported that ten persons became victims of acid violence. Of these affected persons, five were women, one a man, three girls and a boy.
On October 6, 2012 a college student, Ruma Begum was burnt with acid by her distant relative, Abu Kalam in Daulatkhan under Bhola district. Abu Kalam was harassing Ruma Begum for a long time. When Ruma protested she was given threats of acid burn by Abu Kalam.
November 2012
Rape
A total of 46 females were reportedly raped in November 2012. Among them, 17 were women, 26 were children below the age of 16 and the ages were not reported in three cases. Of the women, two were killed after being raped; five were victims of gang rape. Of the 26 child victims, two children were killed after being raped and three were victims of gang rape.
On November 6, 2012 a housewife in Bogra was taken to a hotel under a misconception created by Assistant Inspection of Phulbari Police Outpost, Abdul Malek, where he raped her. On the allegation of the victim, Assistant Town Inspection Abdul Malek had been arrested after suspension.
On November 3, 2012 a housewife named Radha Rani (25) was raped by her brother-in-law Tapan Sana in Bolabaria village under Ashashuni Upazila of Satkhira district. Radha Rani was beaten and strangled to death by some criminals including her mother-in-law, Ashalota Sana, brother-inlaw Tapan Sana and her husband Anupam Sana to her protests.
On 29th November, a female doctor named Sadia Afrin Eva was raped dead in BRAC clinic at Dakkhinkhan thana of the capital.
Sexual harassment/stalking
According to information gathered by Odhikar, a total of 23 girls and women were victims of sexual harassment in November 2012. Among them, one committed suicide, one was stabbed to death, one was injured and 18 were sexually harassed in various ways. During this period, seven men were injured and six men were assaulted by stalkers when they protested against such acts of harassment. Among the three female protestors, a mother of a girl committed suicide and other two women were injured and assaulted.
Farhana Akhter Rimi of Chorgoaldi village in Pirozepur Union under Sonargaon Upazila in Narayanganj district had been sexually harassed by one Shamim and five to seven of his associates of the same village. On November 17, 2012, Rimi committed suicide by taking poison (pesticide) as she could not bear the pain of rebuke. Rimi was a student of grade 12 in Sonargaon College.
Dowry-related violence
During the month of November 2012, 24 women were subjected to dowry related violence. Of these women, it has been alleged that 16 women were killed because of dowry and eight women were ill-treated in various other ways for dowry demands.
On November 2, 2012, a pregnant housewife, Khushina Khatun was strangled to death by her husband Mofizul Huq over dowry demands in Nageshwari under Kurigram district. She died on the way to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
It is to be mentioned that taking and giving dowry is a criminal offence under the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1984.
Acid violence
According to information gathered by Odhikar, during the month of November 2012, it was reported that seven persons became victims of acid violence. Of these affected persons, five were women, one girl and one boy.
On November 2, 2012 some unknown criminals in Chatmohor under Pabna district threw acid on a student of class V, Reshma Khatun. Reshma’s face and neck were burnt with acid. She was admitted to Pabna Medical College Hospital.
Source: News From Bangladesh
