VIOLENCE against women, including religiously and ethnically minority, is increasing due to a culture of impunity, political buttress behind offenders, lengthy trial system, masculism, and inequality in the country. In the pandemic, violence against women has been increased globally due to income loss, economic hardship, and psychological stress for confinement of male people inside the house, etc. Rights body estimated that between January and August at least 889 women were raped, 41 killed after rape, and nine committed suicide after rape. People from all square of life have demanded trial of the incident of violence against women recently. However, the government drastically failed to ensure safety and security for all, especially women and children who are most vulnerable, during this turbulent time, when law enforcers are often in nexus with perpetrators.
Violence against women is also rising in Chittagong Hill Tracts as well. When the media focus on the Sylhet MC College rape incident, a mentally disabled tribal girl was raped by nine bandits last week in Khagrachhari. Police said the bandits tied up the victim’s mother and stepfather and raped her. The perpetrators then beat up her mother and looted cash and gold ornaments from the house.
No doubt, rape is the expression of brutal and heinous crime against women. In most cases, we see rape is the weapon of politically empowered people to establish their whimsicality and mockery with laws. In many cases, ruling party rapists get indemnity. All the incident of violence against women must bring under trial, the social institutions should take behaviour change programmes, and clerks should work from their angles, while law enforcers should uphold “equality before laws’. Of CHT, there should not have any exception for the treatment of the violence.
