Garment workers demand exemplary punishment for rapists

A garment workers' organisation staged a demonstration in Dhaka today, demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits who allegedly raped one of their fellow workers in Ashulia on Tuesday.

Around 50 members of Bangladesh Garments Sramik Sanghati formed a human chain and brought out a procession near the Jatiya Press Club today morning, while also protesting all other rape incidents including the case of the Dhaka University student.

A garment worker on Tuesday was allegedly gang-raped by her landlord and three others in Ashulia of Savar, on the outskirts of the capital, after the victim and her husband failed to pay house rent.

On Wednesday, police arrested the 45-year-old house owner after the 22-year-old victim filed a case with Ashulia Police Station.

“The rape incidents increase due to the culture of impunity,” Taslima Aktar, chief of the workers' association said while addressing the programme.

"If proper punishment was ensured to the criminals, repeats of incidents such as the Subarnachar rape would have lessened,” she said.

“Not only the culprits, but also the government, administration and law enforcers are responsible for such incidents as they are failing to prevent them, which is their duty,” she added.

There are around 30 lakh of garment workers in the country and most of them live in insecurity, she said adding “They are neglected inside and outside homes and workplaces despite having a huge impact on the country’s economy”.