Only around 3 percent of violence against women and girls in Bangladesh receive justice, while the remaining 97 percent go unpunished, speakers at a protest rally organised by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad said on Tuesday
A growing culture of impunity is making women and children increasingly unsafe across the country, they warned.
They said incidents of sexual violence against women, girls, and even male children are rising alarmingly in homes, educational institutions, public transport, cyberspace, and other public spaces, while the state continues to fail in ensuring justice and protection for survivors.
The concerns were raised at a protest rally organised by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad’s Dhaka Committee in front of the National Press Club in the capital.
Presiding over the programme, Dhaka Metropolitan Committee Vice-President Momena Shahnur questioned why hundreds of incidents of violence remain without justice.
“A male child is not safe even in a madrasa, and girls are not safe anywhere,” she said, adding that silence against violence only perpetuates impunity.
She urged citizens to join movements against violence and called for the establishment of the rule of law to build a safer society.
Speaking at the rally, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Dr Fowzia Moslem alleged that mob violence, prolonged impunity, and revenge-based politics have contributed to increasingly inhumane behaviour towards women and girls.
“As we continue to urge the state, families, and society to become more sensitive to violence against women and girls, the state appears to be moving further away from sensitivity,” she said.
Legal Aid Secretary Rekha Saha said 556 women faced violence between January and March this year alone.
She noted that incidents of sexual violence against children and young women in schools, colleges, madrasas, and universities are increasing alarmingly.
“We shudder when we see a six-year-old child becoming the victim of sexual abuse by a 60-year-old man,” she said.
Movement Secretary Rabeya Khatun Shanti described the growing violence against women, girls, and boys as “deeply shameful” and demanded effective enforcement of laws to ensure safety.
Other speakers highlighted the rise of cyber violence alongside physical violence in public spaces and transport systems. They called for proper enforcement of cyber laws and urged media outlets to stop broadcasting misogynistic and degrading content targeting women.
The speakers also demanded the formation of anti-sexual harassment committees in schools, colleges, universities, and workplaces in line with High Court directives.
At the end of the rally, Mahila Parishad leaders placed a set of demands, including ensuring speedy trials and punishment for perpetrators of violence, ending forced marriages and informal settlements involving rape survivors, guaranteeing protection and justice for victims of cyber violence, and introducing gender concepts into educational curricula.
They also called for a zero-tolerance policy against violence towards women and girls and urged the state to adopt national policies to challenge social norms and cultural values that normalise abuse and discrimination.
About a hundred people, including leaders and activists of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, attended the programme.
