How medical evidence is used to discredit rape complainants
The need for corroborative or medical evidence to prove rape (and therefore these two rules) violates the global standards set by the UN and the WHO.
1y ago
A company’s negligence killed 44 people. What price will it pay?
Another brutal reminder that worker safety is last on our list of priorities for our progressive and developing country.
2y ago
National Legal Aid Day: Three ways to improve our national legal aid system
Today marks the National Legal Aid Day, which was introduced by the government in January 2013, in an effort to increase public awareness of national legal aid services.
2y ago
Where is our independent prosecution service?
Although we frequently hear calls for justice whenever a grievous crime takes place, the role of public prosecutors, i.e. the very individuals who conduct criminal cases in court on behalf of the state, is seldom—if ever—discussed.
2y ago
Where can domestic violence survivors actually go?
On this year’s International Women’s Day, which is being celebrated across Bangladesh and with much grandiosity in Dhaka, I want us all to think of Yasmin Ara, a young woman from Satkhira, who has been thrown out of her home by her mother-in-law a few months after losing her husband.
2y ago
We need a state compensation fund for victims of violent crime
Whenever a violent crime like gang rape or custodial torture takes place, we are quick to demand justice for it.
2y ago
How the Banani rape verdict exposes the rape culture in our courtrooms
On November 11, 2021, Mosammat Kamrunnahar, judge of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 7 in Dhaka, reportedly asked the police “to refrain from receiving a case if a rape victim comes to the police station after 72 hours of the incident” since “semen cannot be traced after 72 hours.”
3y ago
Three months after the Hashem factory fire, has there been any ‘justice’?
Today, October 8, marks three months since the deadly Hashem Foods fire, which claimed the lives of at least 54 people. Out of those killed, at least 17 were children. Out of these 17 children, at least 11 were girls.
3y ago
October 16, 2020
Why the death penalty will do nothing to end impunity for rape
On October 13, the Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 was passed making some changes to our central law on violence against women and children.
September 11, 2020
Justice for Jonny: Ending impunity for custodial torture at last
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court in Dhaka found three police officers guilty of custodial torture in what is the first known judgment under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013.
September 8, 2020
Narayanganj Mosque Fire: Authorities must pay for their negligence
On Friday night, a massive explosion took place in Baitus Salah Jame Masjid in Narayanganj, killing 24 people and injuring dozens more, most of whom have sustained over 70 percent burn injuries.
June 16, 2020
Holding companies liable for death by negligence
On May 27, 2020, a devastating fire broke out in the corona isolation unit of United Hospital in Gulshan, which claimed the lives of five patients who were receiving treatment there.
May 21, 2020
Virtual courts and the future of justice
On May 9, 2020, the president of Bangladesh sanctioned the operation of virtual courts by the judiciary by passing the Adalot Kortrik Tothyo Projukti Byabohar Odhyadesh 2020 (roughly translated as the “Use of Information and Communications Technology in Court Ordinance 2020”).
May 15, 2020
Why we need to stop using the term ‘working mothers’
The annual celebration of the Mother’s Day brings with it the usual outpouring of love and appreciation for the primary caregivers in our families, but it also tends to bring to the fore some of the deeply ingrained conceptions (and misconceptions) about motherhood in our society.
March 8, 2020
We have laws but why don’t they work?
This year’s International Women’s Day, as the ones before it, comes with a reminder that the culture of impunity for violence against women (VAW) continues to be a concern, despite there being a myriad of laws that are meant to counter VAW in our country.
February 8, 2020
Why do rape cases stay out of court?
Despite the frequent media reports of rape in Bangladesh, existing studies suggest that most rape survivors do not take legal action.
January 17, 2020
Why crossfire will not solve our rape problem
The recent rape incident of a second year Dhaka University student has reignited widespread public frustration on the prevailing culture of impunity for rape in our country.
November 28, 2019
The colonial legacy of rape laws
Rape continues to be one of the most prevalent forms of violence against women in the world and Bangladesh is sadly no exception.
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