There are no two ways about it: Bangladesh cannot claim to be a country where women are empowered until and unless we adopt a zero tolerance policy towards rape and sexual violence.
The recent gang rape of a girl, reportedly on a bus in the Shah Amanat Bridge area of Chittagong, paints yet another dismal picture of just how much of an epidemic rape still is in Bangladesh. According to reports, the victim had boarded a minibus from Badamtoli and later, as she was lest as the lone passenger in the vehicle, was raped multiple times by the bus driver and his assistant.
Rape and sexual assault are the byproducts of deeper societal issues rooted in retrograde attitude towards women, gender-based violence, cultural norms, and above all, an incredibly flawed judicial system. All of these issues have been pointed out ad nauseam, as newspapers and advocacy groups have consistently emphasized the need for a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to address the root causes of rape. It is deeply unfortunate to see sexual violence continue to haunt Bangladesh, despite the voices being raised.
According to Ain o Salish Kendra, 114 women raped in first three months this year alone, while 137 more women were subjected to domestic violence, with a further 65 killed and 49 being led to self-termination within that same time frame.
Bangladesh is in desperate need for a paradigm shift at both a policy level and a cultural level if we are to end the culture of violence against women. As a nation, we need to adopt a zero tolerance policy towards rape, only by shedding light on this heinous act and the appropriate punitive measures against those who perpetrate it can we see some progress.
Rape is a societal ill and any remedies lie at a cultural level, which in turn needs to be backed by the appropriate policies. Until and unless we can ensure safety and security for our women, any claims of women empowerment in Bangladeshis are simply untrue.