M M Jasim :
Sociologists, criminologists, educationists and rights activists have blamed the culture of impunity for the rising trend rape incidents across the country.
Abuse of technologies, social disorder, lack of exemplary punishment, absence of morality, social bonds and awareness are also the reasons of the shocking incidents, they said.
Syed Manzoorul Islam, Professor of English at the University of Dhaka, told The New Nation on Saturday that in most of the cases the culprits get rid of their heinous activities managing the powerful section of the society.
“After a rape incident the criminal goes to different powerful quarters in the society and somehow manages to escape from any kind of punishment. The social responsible persons like people’s representatives can easily dismiss the matter. As a result, a culture of impunity has already developed in the society and the rape incidents are increasing alarmingly,” Syed Manzoorul said.
Professor Zia Rahman of the Criminology Department at Dhaka University told this correspondent on Saturday evening that the com-modification of women in popular culture was a factor in the increasing incidences of sexual violence.
“The sex education related institutions fail to provide proper knowledge for creating awareness and to build the people to show respect to the women. That is why the rape cases are increasing day by day,” he said.
Professor AKM Jamal Uddin of Sociology Department of the same university said, “The norms, values and tradition are weakening day by day. And the global and foreign cultures grasp the people’s mind. They are inspired by the foreign culture which our society does not support. It is harmful for our society and some people involve themselves in rape incidents.”
“The total social structure has collapsed. The people who are elected as people’s representatives are mostly dishonest and illiterate. Sometimes the criminals are elected. The rapists are close to them and they save the culprits. As a result, the victims do not get justice and the culprits remain untouched,” Professor Jamal said.
Mostafa Sohel Ahmed, Executive Director of Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights, said a culture of impunity, social and political unrest and a lack of awareness are major contributors to the sharp rise of rape incidents.
“Political parities and social organisations should unitedly raise voice to stop the rape and torture of women, otherwise it will not be stopped,” he said.
Kazi Reazul Hoque, Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has recently said culture of impunity, social unrest and the trend of not finishing trial proceedings on time are responsible for rape incidents.
It may be mentioned that in a latest incident the police on Friday arrested three persons who are involved with rape of five-year old baby girl in Dunot upazila of Bogra district.
Mizanur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Dunot Police Station confirmed the matter and said that the rapist was in police custody.
A primary schoolteacher has allegedly been gang-rapped in Barguna’s Betagi upazila on Thursday afternoon.
Locals said the teacher was chatting with her husband in a classroom after the end of school hours on Thursday afternoon. All of a sudden, some people attempted to enter the school.
Frightened, the couple locked the collapsible gate of the building. After breaking the lock, the gang stormed into the building and beat them up. They then confined the teacher’s husband to a classroom and raped the teacher in one after another, locals added.
On Thursday night, the assistant teacher filed a case with Betagi Police Station against six people of the upazila’s Kadomtala village.
The police headquarters data showed that 7,658 women and girls were raped in the last two years across the country (2015-16) while 805 others were raped in the first three months (January-March) of the current year.
