Bangladesh needs a law with a provision of maximum punishment for raping an under-16 girl to stop sexual violence against women, said members of a rights platform today.

A platform named Jouno Santras Birodhi Gono Convention Prostuti Committee came forward with the proposal, adding that the law must ensure that all offences of sexual harassment will be brought to book, including even the negligence of law enforcers in dealing with such cases.

Speaking at the programme, convener of the platform Lelin Chowdhury said: "Men should come forward to stop the violence against women through different awareness campaign."

He also proposed that the government should control the easy accessibility of pornography in the internet or in any other form.

Rights activist Khushi Kabir said that people should change their mentality towards women and treat them with respect so that incidents of harassment do not occur. "The work for changing the mentality needs to start from home. Once the change starts, it can never be stopped," she added.

Condemning the general blame on women’s dress as the reason behind rape, she said: “When a two-year old girl is raped, she is not raped for her dress rather she is raped because the person who rapes her considers her as an object of consumption."

Professor of Jahangirnagar University Nasim Akhtar Hossain and Associate Professor of Dhaka University Dr Md Tanzimuddin Khan were also present at the daylong convention held at Krishibid Institution, Dhaka.­