270 rape cases recorded in 6 months in DMP
The data also revealed that 50% of the victims were children.
Incidents of rape have marked an alarming rise throughout the country since the advent of 2019.
A staggering 270 rape cases have been filed with different police stations in Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) area till July 7 this year, according to data obtained from the Dhaka court’s Nari Shishu (Women-Children) General Section.
The data also revealed that 50% of the victims were children.
Nari Shishu General Section’s Recording Officer Afsana Akhter said, “Of the rape cases we have recorded in recent times, the number of child rape cases is much higher than that of any other age group.”
“We have also recorded cases of various other forms of violence against women, which include torture for dowry, physical violence and others,” she went on saying.
Fahmida Akhter, senior panel lawyer, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) said, “In most of the cases, rape victims are deprived of getting justice after lodging cases. This culture of impunity is the main reason behind the ever-increasing trend of rape incidents."
“Moral degradation in society has reached such a point that these kinds of incidents are taking place repeatedly. Even male children are being subject to sexual harassment on various occasions,” she added.
Advocate Moloy Kumar Shaha said, “Due to the culture of impunity violence against women and children have become frequent.”
“The major reasons behind such type of crimes also include excessive use of social networking sites, increasing availability of pornography and subsequent slackening of bonding among family members,” he added.
Meanwhile, on July 2, human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) said that on an average, more than three women were raped every day in the last six months in the country. At least 630 women were raped and 37 of them killed after rape. Seven others died by suicide following rape.
On July 1, children’s rights organization Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) said there had been a 102% rise in child rape incidents during the April-June period of the current year over the previous quarter.
Besides, concurrent rapes against minors have doubled in the second quarter of 2019.
