Editorial Desk :
The country is witnessing a growing number of gang-rapes being committed despite police cases and arrests. The matter should be looked into by social scientists. We have no political leaders with time to take the matter seriously for investigation because of their business with money making. To demand justice after systematic gang-rapes appears to helpless frustration gesture by the protesters.
Meanwhile, a wave of protests has already erupted in the capital and in divisional cities and district towns over the horrific gang-rape incidents in MC College of Sylhet and in Noakhali’s Begumganj and the subsequent some other rape cases with the agitators demanding justice for the heinous crime that has shaken the conscience of the nation.
In the wake of recent rape cases, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh also expressed serious concerns over the growing violence against women in Bangladesh. We do not give them much importance to their idea of solution. The international community has given up Bangladesh as deserving no serious consideration. We are so worthless that as a free people we are unable to protect the right to vote.
That our criminal justice system needs reform is easy to say? But in our country the criminals are politically produced and politically protected. It does not mean that the criminals always
remain above the law. But the criminals somehow believe that they will always be protected. Besides, there is another aspect responsible for crimes that like gang-rapes. Our young are largely drug addicted. The men in power and in police are extensively busy in drug business and they use young ones as carriers.
These gang-rapes have to be stopped politically by not providing protection to the sex abusers. The suspects are government protected criminals. So they should be warned beforehand and should be kept under watch.
According to media reports in the national dailies, thousands of people and students took to the streets in capital Dhaka and elsewhere across the country protesting against the growing incidents of rape, sexual harassment and violence against women for the seventh day on Sunday.
Participating in the protest rallies, a number of civil society leaders demanded an interim-election as they believe unelected government is unaccountable. The present system has destroyed effective government by crippling all the democratic institutions, including the justice system. Justice cannot stop rape without an elected democratic government. Government could not be accountable.
The most worrying factor is that the experts have found out an alarming rise in drug abuse and a very weak criminal justice system for which the violence against women is growing. They also alleged that the law enforcers have a history of improper dealing of cases and clearing offenders through underhand dealings.
We have also come to know that the government is going to amend the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, to make death sentence the highest punishment for committing rape. At present that is the maximum punishment. It is not known to our government that passing harsh laws make hard criminals. There is no easy solution for an incompetent government. When the government is not in charge of its government, so the passing harsh laws will be abused more by the police. It is to be surprised that despite all the failures and not being elected, it is clinging to power.
Our appeal is to make the protest against gang-rapes more a national shame and a national demand so that the government knows we have to be heard or they must go.
The country is witnessing a growing number of gang-rapes being committed despite police cases and arrests. The matter should be looked into by social scientists. We have no political leaders with time to take the matter seriously for investigation because of their business with money making. To demand justice after systematic gang-rapes appears to helpless frustration gesture by the protesters.
Meanwhile, a wave of protests has already erupted in the capital and in divisional cities and district towns over the horrific gang-rape incidents in MC College of Sylhet and in Noakhali’s Begumganj and the subsequent some other rape cases with the agitators demanding justice for the heinous crime that has shaken the conscience of the nation.
In the wake of recent rape cases, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh also expressed serious concerns over the growing violence against women in Bangladesh. We do not give them much importance to their idea of solution. The international community has given up Bangladesh as deserving no serious consideration. We are so worthless that as a free people we are unable to protect the right to vote.
That our criminal justice system needs reform is easy to say? But in our country the criminals are politically produced and politically protected. It does not mean that the criminals always
remain above the law. But the criminals somehow believe that they will always be protected. Besides, there is another aspect responsible for crimes that like gang-rapes. Our young are largely drug addicted. The men in power and in police are extensively busy in drug business and they use young ones as carriers.
These gang-rapes have to be stopped politically by not providing protection to the sex abusers. The suspects are government protected criminals. So they should be warned beforehand and should be kept under watch.
According to media reports in the national dailies, thousands of people and students took to the streets in capital Dhaka and elsewhere across the country protesting against the growing incidents of rape, sexual harassment and violence against women for the seventh day on Sunday.
Participating in the protest rallies, a number of civil society leaders demanded an interim-election as they believe unelected government is unaccountable. The present system has destroyed effective government by crippling all the democratic institutions, including the justice system. Justice cannot stop rape without an elected democratic government. Government could not be accountable.
The most worrying factor is that the experts have found out an alarming rise in drug abuse and a very weak criminal justice system for which the violence against women is growing. They also alleged that the law enforcers have a history of improper dealing of cases and clearing offenders through underhand dealings.
We have also come to know that the government is going to amend the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, to make death sentence the highest punishment for committing rape. At present that is the maximum punishment. It is not known to our government that passing harsh laws make hard criminals. There is no easy solution for an incompetent government. When the government is not in charge of its government, so the passing harsh laws will be abused more by the police. It is to be surprised that despite all the failures and not being elected, it is clinging to power.
Our appeal is to make the protest against gang-rapes more a national shame and a national demand so that the government knows we have to be heard or they must go.
