Tribunal for child rape cases proposed in legal reform
Staff Reporter :
The interim government has, in principle, decided to amend the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000, including the introduction of a provision to establish a tribunal specifically for child rape cases.
Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul disclosed this at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy following a special meeting of the council of advisers, held at the Chief Adviser’s Office on Monday.
Also present at the briefing were Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Chief
Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam. Dr Nazrul stated that the amended act is expected to be finalised on Thursday, with its gazette notification to be published as soon as possible.
He explained that cases involving rape under false promises of marriage will be considered a separate offence, while the investigation and trial period for cases of rape committed without consent has been shortened under the amended law.
“We are giving the highest priority to these cases,” he added.
Additionally, the definition of rape has been expanded to include any form of sexual abuse involving objects.
Dr Nazrul emphasised that any form of rape is now being incorporated into the legal definition to make it more comprehensive.
He also noted that rape cases were often delayed for years due to the absence of DNA reports.
To address this, a provision has been introduced allowing courts to proceed with trials based on medical reports and circumstantial evidence if DNA reports are unavailable.
Furthermore, the amended law includes measures to protect victims and provide compensation.