ASK: Rape incidents doubled in 2019

Just concluded 2019 experienced about double the number of rape incidents compared to 2018. A total of 1413 woman were raped and gang-raped throughout the year across Bangladesh, comparing to 732 in 2018 and 818 in 2017.

Human rights watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) stated the facts and figures in its report titled ‘Human Rights Situation 2019’ at an event held at the National Press Club on Tuesday.

The reports also stated: “A total of 1087 children including 37 boys faced sexual harassment and rape during this period. The number of children rape victims was 444 in 2018”.

The report was prepared based on news from different national dailies, online news portals and news agencies.

“In spite of the government’s commitment to preventing extrajudicial killings, at least one death has been reported due to extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh in 2019. Though the annual tally of extrajudicial killings in 2018 was 466 which was a huge jump from 162 extrajudicial killings in 2017,” the report stated.

Nina Goswami, senior deputy director and Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir, senior coordinator of ASK, read out the annual observation report. Tahmina Rahman, ASK executive committee general secretary, and Sheepa Hafiza executive director, among others attended the programme.

The report stated that a total of 1413 women were victims of rapes and gang rapes, 76 of them were killed after rape while 10 of them committed suicide.

The report also mentioned that the dress codes, behaviour and security measures to be taken by adolescent girls as well as the description of girls of different shapes described in  Class VI and IX-X home economics textbooks of the 2019 academic year were not appropriate and conveyed racist and sexist messages towards the students.

The report further said that 65 people were killed by mobs as rumour floated on social media especially on facebook that people were being abducted as human heads and blood were required for the piling work of Padma Bridge.

ASK statics stated: “39 people died and 2689 were injured because of clashes involving political motives and 522 labourers died in their workplaces.”

ASK executive director Sheepa Hafiza urged the government to form a children rights commission to protect children against all kinds of violence.

Hafiza also said: “Violence against women is one of the top concerns including torture, rape, and murder.” She urged the government to eradicate these problems as soon as possible.

Source: Dhaka Tribune