813 Rapes in 8 Months

In the last eight months, 813 women have been raped and 112 girls have been sexually harassed. And 140 girls have been abducted and trafficked. This information came up in an observational report of the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum (NGCAF).

Nasima Akter Jolly, editor of the forum, presented the 'Girl Child Situation Monitoring Report 2021' at the Abdus Salam Hall at the National Press Club on Thursday (September 30). She reported on the torture in 24 national and local media outlets.

Nasima Akhter mentioned that till October 2016-20, there were 26,695 rape cases across the country. The number of cases has increased alarmingly every year. Besides, from August 2020 to August this year, 1,253 girls have been victims of child marriage.

The report depicts various forms of torture including dowry, domestic worker torture, suicide and murder. 9 points are recommended in this regard. They are-

With special emphasis on child abuse and rape, speedy completion of trials, prevention and redress laws for sexual harassment, cessation of political and administrative shelter for child abusers, creation of separate departments, prevention of child marriage and increased surveillance by the administration and law enforcement agencies.

In this regard, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumder, Founder Secretary of Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (SuJoN) and President of the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum, said, “There is no rule of law in our country. It is actually discussed in the media. No incident before that is given so much importance.

Asked about the political and administrative shelter of girl child abusers, he said it was not the case during the current government.

We have seen this situation during the last government. Those in power are involved in many of these incidents.

Among others present at the press conference were Farzana, Director of Programs, Educo Bangladesh, Monica Biswas, Child Sponsorship Manager, ActionAid Bangladesh, and several other members of the organization.