At least 24 incidents of rape occurred in Bangladesh between June 20 and 29, prompting Sharmeen S Murshid, adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, to describe violence against women and children as a “pandemic-level crisis.”
Speaking at a press briefing held at the secretariat on Thursday, she said that initiatives had already been finalized to form quick response teams at the upazila level, led by the upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs), to curb such violence.
“Following the rape of a housewife in Muradnagar, Comilla, a quick response team has already been deployed under the local UNO’s leadership,” she said.
The adviser said: “I have been working on violence against women and children for 40 years. Governments have come and gone, but none have been able to tackle the issue.”
She added: “The roots lie in politics, drugs, technology, and social degradation. The unchecked access to mobile phones and pornography is distorting children’s minds.”
Expressing deep concern, she added: “A 10-year-old child has sexually assaulted a two-and-a-half-year-old girl. How can we even explain this? The child doesn’t even understand what he has done.”
She also said: “Are we truly able to protect our children? We can no longer hide from this complex social problem, which demands both counselling and medical attention.”
She further pledged to continue advocating from within the government to fully restrict access to pornography for children. “If the rest of the world can regulate it, why not Bangladesh?” she questioned.
The adviser disclosed that the ministry’s toll-free hotline has received 281,000 complaints over the past 10–11 months. While a shortage of manpower has made it difficult to address all complaints, steps have been taken in the most serious cases, and more than 100 women have received support.
Sharmeen also highlighted the need to monitor madrasas more closely in relation to child sexual abuse.
“Madrasas often remain out of sight, but child sexual abuse is taking place there too. We’re not getting the data. Our officials will now go directly to schools and madrasas to ensure accountability,” she said.
She said permanent initiatives will be undertaken every year to prevent violence against women and children.
“The ministry’s work will no longer run on an ad hoc basis. Officials must reach beyond districts and upazilas to the union and village levels. If an incident occurs, a response team will be deployed within 24 hours.”
In response to a question from journalists, the adviser acknowledged that although Bangladesh has strict laws against violence towards women and children, such crimes are still rising at an alarming rate.
“Violence is being committed in families, workplaces, public spaces, and online. Despite Section 14 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the High Court's directives, victims’ photos are still being published in the media,” she said.
She added: “Offensive video clips are aired, which is a violation of the law. Instead, it is the perpetrators—rapists and abusers—whose identities must be exposed.”
She called for a collective outcry against the injustice faced by women and children. “To the journalists working in the media, I urge you to speak out. You have a vital role to play, and I seek your cooperation,” she said.
Concluding the briefing, she said: “Though I am a human rights activist, I now support the death penalty for these criminals. The level of violence has exceeded our tolerance.”
Also present at the press conference was Momtaz Ahmed, senior secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
