6 Children Raped Amid Bangladesh Protest

Amid ongoing protest movements in Bangladesh against gender-based violence, another six children were raped in six districts, according to local media reports on Tuesday. 

At least seven people were arrested on Monday on charges of rape in six districts.

These cases of sexual violence were reported from across several districts of Bangladesh. The children who were sexually assaulted are all aged from six to fourteen. Among one of the incidents, a teenage girl who was a victim of sexual assault died by suicide after being falsely accused and vilified during a local arbitration meeting, reports the leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Daily Star. 

These rising incidents of sexual assault, despite the demonstrations by the people against the rising incidence of violence against women, exposed the further deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has recently been gripped with protest marches against the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. Women in Bangladesh took to the streets demanding justice for rape, stricter punishment for offenders, and the resignation of Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.

Students and teachers from different universities across the country also demonstrated against the recent rape incidents, including that of an eight-year-old in Magura who is currently fighting for her life, and demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of the crime, local media in Bangladesh reported.

During the demonstrations, Dhaka University Professor Tasneem Siraj Mahboob called for the dismissal of the Home Affairs Advisor instead of his resignation, emphasising that she had demanded this months ago. 

"Resignation is an honourable exit. He doesn't deserve that honour," she was quoted as saying by the country's leading daily, The Dhaka Tribune.

The various political outfits that earlier joined hands to overthrow the democratically elected government of Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina have criticised the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus for the failing law and order situation and the rising incidence of violence against women across Bangladesh.

Addressing a rally on Monday, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the rise in incidents of rape and violence against women in the country is due to the present administration's inaction, according to a report by United News of Bangladesh.

"Why is this situation arising under the current interim government? If the administration had functioned properly, incidents of rape, murder, injuries, and corruption would not have escalated," he said. 

Rizvi said that the reality now is that the number of rape incidents has increased, and women are not safe anywhere in the country.

Addressing the media on Sunday, the radical outfit Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar told The Dhaka Tribune, "Women and children are not safe anywhere today -- be it on buses, trains, launches, offices, homes, schools, or madrasas. The situation in the country is much worse than what is reflected in newspapers and the media."

Several cases of violence against women have been reported from across Bangladesh since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime came to power in August 2024. The incompetence of the interim government in curbing gender-based violence sparked public outrage, with students demanding the resignation of Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and the interim government accountable for degrading the law and order situation across the nation.

—IANS