State must be able to protect our girls
We are outraged by the gang rape and murder of an eighth grader in Dhaka. Reportedly, police recovered her body from Hatirjheel Lake on February 2, about 17 days after she went missing from the capital's Dakshinkhan area. According to confessions from the two arrestees—Robin and Rabbi—the duo, along with three others, lured the girl to a house in Mohakhali, where they gang-raped her. When she became unconscious and later died, they disposed of her body in Hatirjheel. This horrific incident once again highlights the appalling state of women's safety in the country. Why is the state failing to protect them in public spaces? Why do rapes and other forms of violence against women continue with impunity?
According to an estimate by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, 205 women and girls were reported to endure violence in January alone. Among them, 67—including 42 girls—were raped. Of these, 20 were gang-raped, and two were murdered after being raped. While these figures do not capture the full extent of the crisis, they underscore the pervasiveness of gender-based violence in our society. Yet, law enforcement efforts to arrest and punish perpetrators remain questionable, while convictions remain rare. Patriarchal norms, flawed investigations, prolonged legal proceedings, and low conviction rates all contribute to causing insecurity for women.
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Beyond physical violence, women are also facing rampant harassment online. According to the Police Cyber Support Center for Women, 9,117 cases of cyber harassment were reported in 2024. In this particular case, one of the rapists reportedly met the victim through Facebook—which shows how easily predators can exploit online platforms to target teenage girls. Unfortunately, efforts to address these evolving threats remain largely inadequate.
We, therefore, urge the authorities to take decisive action to ensure the safety of women and girls in all spheres of life. They must send a strong message that gender-based violence will not be tolerated. To achieve this, the entrenched culture of impunity must end. In case of the Mohakhali incident, we urge the government to arrest the remaining suspects, expedite the investigation, and bring all perpetrators to justice without delay. No more girls should have to suffer such brutal violence and death.
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