UN REPORT UNVEILED: AL supporters, cops abused women in July uprising
Staff Reporter :
A recent report by the United Nations (UN) rights office alleges that state security forces and armed Awami League (AL) supporters sexually abused women and girls during the July 2024 uprising to deter their participation in the movement.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released its fact-finding report, titled “Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh,” from its Geneva office on February 12. The report claims that gender-based violence was systematically used as a tool to intimidate female protesters, suppress women’s leadership in the movement, and reinforce patriarchal norms.
The OHCHR report describes a pattern of targeted assaults on female protesters, with perpetrators frequently striking specific body parts such as the face, chest, pelvis, and buttocks. These attacks were allegedly intended not only to inflict pain but also to humiliate and degrade women based on their gender.
The report highlights that AL and Chhatra League men, along with police officers, frequently issued verbal threats of rape, forced nudity, and other forms of sexual violence. Victims were also subjected to gender-based insults, being labeled as “whores,” “sluts,” and “prostitutes.”
The UN report provides specific accounts of sexual violence against female protesters. In one case, a woman was apprehended in Dhaka in early August by a group of men armed with bamboo sticks. After finding a Bangladeshi flag in her bag, they physically assaulted her-tearing her hair, ripping her shirt, and groping her while hurling sexualized insults.
In another documented case from July, two Chhatra League supporters allegedly threatened to rape a female protester, her mother, and other women in her family.
They then physically assaulted her, groping her breasts and genitals while making sexually explicit remarks. Following the attack, the victim reportedly received threatening calls warning of further sexual violence against her and her family members.
The report also includes witness accounts from Cumilla, where Chhatra League men allegedly assaulted several women, including two female students who were groped before being handed over to the police.
The OHCHR report underscores the reluctance of victims in Bangladesh to report incidents of sexual violence due to fear of retaliation, lack of effective state reporting mechanisms, and social stigma. It also highlights the absence of medical, psychosocial, and legal support for victims, making it difficult for them to seek justice.
The UN rights body expressed concern that the documented incidents likely represent only a fraction of the actual cases, recommending further gender-sensitive investigations.
The findings in this report are expected to intensify scrutiny over Bangladesh’s handling of human rights and the treatment of female protesters, particularly ahead of the country’s next political cycle.