Fix the systemic loopholes to curb gender-based violence

Irrespective of how many strong laws we draft and enact to deter violence against women and children in Bangladesh, the heinous crime of rape continues to take place unabated. A recent compilation of data by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) shows that over the last 13 months, since February 2025, there have been reports of 776 rape cases, and in nearly half of them, the victims were minors. Stricter punishments, clauses limiting the time for trial completion, and redefinition of consent and age limits—none seem to invoke fear in the minds of the perpetrators. Very little changes for the victims and survivors and their families. They continue to face barriers in reporting cases and accessing safe, gender-sensitive, compassionate and comprehensive police, medical and legal services and safe homes.

Worse still, fatwa or informal arbitration—although their enforcement has been banned by the Supreme Court in 2011—continues to be used to settle rape cases in rural areas. The consequences are often dire, as evident in the Madhabdi rape case. The 15-year-old victim did try to report when she was gang-raped, but the accused and his accomplices prevented her and her father from going to the police station, forcing them to approach the local government representative. This person, rather than ensuring that the complaint of this grievous crime was reported to the police, “settled” the matter through arbitration. As a result, the accused remained free and emboldened to commit an even more grievous act of murdering the girl.

Every sequence of this tragedy reflects the state’s failure. The initial abduction of the victim when she was returning home from work highlights a fear shared daily by many women across Bangladesh. Then comes the issue of reporting: many people are still unaware of the existence of 24/7 hotlines, such as 109 or even 999, to report such crimes. Worse still, a public representative became complicit in the crime by attempting to “settle” a serious criminal offence through arbitration.

Therefore, what the government must prioritise is not another law or harsher provisions. Instead, it must address the systemic loopholes—from reporting to prosecution—so that conviction rates for rape and other crimes of violence don’t remain low. Public awareness campaigns must inform people about available services, and investment in safe homes must increase. Most importantly, men and young boys must be taught—through avenues ranging from religious sermons to school textbooks—that women are not inferior beings and have equal rights to live free from fear and abuse in this society.