BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said women have been humiliated and tortured the most during Sheikh Hasina's 16-year rule.
Rizvi said at a press conference held at Naya Paltan in Dhaka on Friday.
“Women's Day is being observed at the same time when women in Bangladesh are being tortured, humiliated and killed by the ruling party leaders and activists everywhere, including at home and outside,” he said.
The BNP leader alleged: “Losing political character, the Awami League and their affiliate and ally organizations have become fearsome perpetrators of women's oppression throughout the country. Their savagery has turned into barbaric force with the shelter and provocation of state power.”
“In the current anarchic situation, not only at night but also during broad daylight, ordinary people, including women, are terrified to walk the streets. The level of violence against women and children has not decreased in the Awami Baksal regime; it is increasing day by day with state patronage,” he further said.
Referring to the latest statistics from the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Rizvi informed that more than 1,000 women and children have been killed in the country in the past 13 months. Violence against women was a concerning issue last year. During this period, 573 women were victims of rape and gang rape across the country. Some women were murdered after being raped. At least 122 men faced torture and harassment for protesting these incidents. While protesting, eight men and women were murdered.
The BNP leader further said: “The country's most popular leader, the first female prime minister of the country, Khaleda Zia is a great woman. She has repeatedly freed the confined democracy. She has been unjustly and illegally detained in false cases for endless harassment and humiliation.”
