AMID countrywide protests denouncing violence against women, the Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020, incorporating the provision of capital punishment for rape. Following the Amendment, “Lifetime Rigorous Imprisonment” mentioned in Section 9(1) of the Act would be replaced by “Death or Lifetime Rigorous Punishment”. The same changes will be applicable to Section 9(4) of the Act, the Cabinet Secretary said. Pointing to another Amendment, to Section 11(C) of the Act, he said in case of simple injury – caused not during rape – the matter could be compoundable.
The law has never stood as a barrier in the case of rape. Rape occurs whenever those who do it think that they could get away with their crimes. These people are usually politically well connected to the local political leaders of their areas. We have seen time and time again that rapists could get away with their acts because they could control the ability of their victims to report rape or because the police were inactive.
From the case of the madrasa student set on fire to the recent case done by people who had links to the ruling party the reason for rape or sexual assault remains the same-the fact that the perpetrators think they can get away with it. The ex-OC who videotaped Nusrat and those who videotaped the Noakhali woman both subverted justice in their own way.
The truth is undeniable that the government’s young activists commit most of the rape crimes, gang rape or not, because they are not feared for their acts of terrorism in the locality. It is also not unknown that police cooperate with the BCL activists and often deny take cases against them. So the sex victims in most cases remain silent in fear of violent retaliation. The rape victims do not get cooperation from the police. So going to police is more hazardous. She may be raped again by police.
Those who are not ready accept the state terrorism being pursued by the activists of the government in collaboration with the police and think that passing law is nothing but a hoax. The fear of terrorism and lawlessness of the government protect the rapists and other grave criminal acts committed by party activists. We all live in fear and lost all rights.
So it’s not just a mere question of administering law and justice. We have to deal with terrorism of the government’s young activists. The terrorism in politics is the reason why we all are living fear without protest. When leaders of the student wing keep torture cells in all reputed public universities and when the police is used as an instrument of political repression against the political opponents then it is no wonder that some officers like the Teknaf OC Pradip think that they are beyond the law, or that young men think they can get away with anything if they are politically connected.
Law awarding death sentence for rape will make no difference. Life imprisonment is maximum punishment in most countries. Capital punishment is abhorred because state’s responsibility is to save lives in the hope of rehabilitation. Let us think of how, as a nation, we are living in fear and unsure any protection of law. We must rise together against terrorism of government terrorists for keeping in fear. Our tolerance is a national shame.
