Form commission to identify cause of rape

The High Court Division on Sunday directed the government to form a commission led by law ministry additional secretary within a month to eradicate raping from the society after identifying the cause.

The court also directed the proposed commission to include in it representatives of women’s organizations, rights organizations, the civil society as well as lawyers, judges, academicians and journalists.  

A bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader also directed the proposed Commission to submit its recommendations to it within six months.

In a ruling the bench asked the government to explain in four weeks why its failure to constitute a special court for speedy disposal of rape cases would not be declared as illegal.

The court also asked the government to explain why its failure to ensure capital punishment for raping children below 16  would not be declared as illegal.

The court also asked the government to explain why it would not be directed to make witness protection law to ensure protection of victims’ families.

The government was also asked to explain why it would not be directed to provide free legal assistance to the victims of rape at every police station.

The government was also asked to explain why it would not be directed to open counselling and psychosocial care centres for the rape victims.

The court asked the government to explain why it would not directed to hold camera trials in rape cases.

The court also directed the government to explain why it would not be directed to prepare a national database of rape offenders with their details.

 The presidents of Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh and the Association of Television Channel Owners were asked to explain why they would not be directed to create awareness among people against the crime of rape.

Secretaries of the ministries of home, women and children affairs and health and the inspector general of police were asked to reply to the rule as respondents. 

The court issued the rule and the directives after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Khandoker MS Kawsar.

On the same day another bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman directed the government to form an expert committee to determine the process and feasibility of importing anti-rape safety devices to be connected to the emergency helpline 999. 

The secretary of the ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the IGP and the ICT department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology were asked to form the committee and submit a report to the court in 60 days.

The court in a rule asked the government to explain in four weeks why it would not be directed to provide safety and security to women and girls against   raping, stalking and sexual assaults at public places across the country.

The bench passed the order after hearing public interest litigation writ petition jointly filed by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust and Children’s Charity Foundation Bangladesh.

Abdul Halim and Ishrat Hasan appeared for the BLAST and the CCFB.

Senior lawyer Barrister Rabia Bhuiayan moved the writ petition  of Khandoker MS Kawsar.

She submitted that rape was increasing daily but there was no mechanism in place to prevent it.

She submitted that the rape not only caused destruction of body and mind but also family and the society in general.

She submitted that uncontrolled use of drug and pornography were main the main causes of raping. 

A Dhaka University undergraduate student was raped at Kurmilota in the capital on January 5 after a university bus dropped her there.

She submitted that an unidentified man gagged her immediately after she got off the bus at 7PM and violated her after taking her to a nearby secluded place.

She submitted that on July 20, 2019 a man who served 18 years’ jail term for murder was arrested for raping and killing a 15-year girl at Madaripur.

Quoting the home minister’s statistic given to Parliament on February 18, 2018, she submitted that a total of 17,289 rape cases were recorded from January 2014 to December 2017.

The total number of victims in the cases was 17,389 including 3,528 children, she submitted.

During the period, she submitted, a total of 673 offenders were sentenced, including 17 to death, 80 to life terms and 576 others were jailed for varying terms, in 3,430 rape cases.

Quoting Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, she submitted that 496 children were raped in the first six months of 2019.

According to the Ain O Salish Kendra’s  report, a total of 1,413 women were raped, 76 were killed after raping and 10 victims of raping committed suicide in 2019.

ASK data show that the number of rape victims was 732 in 2018 and 818 in 2017.

In 2019,  at least 18 women committed suicide,  while 17 people, including four women, were killed in attacks for protesting against sexual harassments.   

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net