Around 400 women violated in first 10 months: BMP

Staff Reporter :
At least 397 women have been raped in the country in the first ten months of this year. Among them, 115 victims were gangraped; thirty-one were killed after rape and 12 died by suicide, said a Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) yesterday.

The BMP unveiled the information at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club, marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Saturday.

The report compiled scanning 13 national dailies also showed at least 2,575 women and girls were subjected to violence during January-October, 2023.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad further said that 221 females were physically abused while 443 women killed for various reasons. At least 231 females died mysteriously during this period.

The report documented 21 child marriages, 142 cases of sexual violence and 61 cases of torture for dowry. Among the dowry victims, 45 were killed. Meanwhile, 207 women committed suicide during the stipulated timeframe.

Additionally, 38 females fell prey to cybercrime.

Fauzia Moslem, president of Mahila Parishad, demanded prevention of the victim’s marriage with the rapist. Such marriage is not mentioned as a solution in our law.

Moreover, it hurts the victim’s self-esteem and their security is also compromised. Such actions are undesirable when it comes to protecting a woman’s dignity and rights.

Terming suicide among teenagers an alarming issue, Fauzia recommended initiating counseling services to mitigate the problem.

She also highlighted the need to prevent early marriage and implementation of the Anti-Dowry Act.

Maleka Banu, general secretary of the organization, and Rekha Saha, its legal aid secretary, also spoke at the programme.