From January 2020 to September 2020, there have been 975 reported rape cases

43 victims were severely injured and killed

12 committed suicide afterwards

A 2015 UN multi-country study on perpetrators of rape found that 95% of urban respondents and 88% of rural respondents in Bangladesh faced no legal consequences for rape

One-Stop Crisis Centre shows that out of the 16,804 rape survivors who sought treatment between 2001 and 2013, only 3,747 of them took legal action, meaning 78% chose not to pursue legal action even after taking the initial step of seeking medical treatment

Defines rape in an extremely narrow way

Gender-specific (i.e. by a man against a woman)

No clarification of what consent is (e.g. consent obtained by coercion is not consent)

Does not recognize marital rape for anyone above 14 and implies marriage is equal to consent and a man has the right to have intercourse with his spouse without her consent

Allows defense lawyers to use "general immoral character" to undermine rape victim's credibility in court and defame the victim's character

Shifts the blame from the accused to the victim

Retains the definition of rape and does not recognize marital rape

Minimum sentence for rape is life imprisonment and maximum sentence is death penalty which makes it harder for rape victims to prove their case as more evidence is required for a heavy sentence

Reform laws regarding rape in line with constitutional guarantees of fundamental rights and international human rights law to ensure protection and access to justice without discrimination for all rape victims, irrespective of sex, gender, gender identity, sexuality, religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, age and nationality and uphold safeguards on fair trial for those accused

Broaden definition of rape and penetration and cover all forms of non-consensual penetration such as penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth, using any part of the body or object, irrespective of victim or perpetrator's gender.

Clarify what consent is and explicitly states that consent is revocable at any time.

Acknowledge rape victims regardless of their gender, such as hijra, transgender people, men

Repeal Section 155.4 of Evidence Act, 1872 and prohibit use of character evidence against victims and character defamation of the victim with questions of clothing, lifestyle and etc.

Recognize and criminalize marital rape for all ages and genders of the victims.

Allow flexible sentencing and considering into account both mitigating circumstances (such as the age or mental health of the accused) and aggravating circumstances (such as the use of weapon, force or violence and causing permanent physical or mental impairment of the victim as judges are reluctant to give life imprisonment/death penalty

Modernise the Evidence Act 1872 and ensure justice process is accessible to rape victims with disabilities, such as speech, hearing or intellectual disabilities are able to testify without facing any procedural barriers due to their disability during rape trials

Enact Victim and Witness Protection Law for institutional protection, emergency shelter, livelihood support, pyscho-social support, and protection of identity or relocation as required, of victims/ witnesses and ensure protection is continued until the victim and witness’s safety is no longer threatened and satisfactory alternative arrangements have been made

Hold gender- sensitisation training for justice sector actors, such as, police, lawyers (prosecutors and defense), judges and social workers so rape survivors are treated with gender responsiveness and sensitivity when reporting a rape, and during investigation and prosecution.

Introduce lessons on capacity and consent into educational curricula, to change prevailing misogynistic social norms which undermine the right to choose

Mass protests against rape have ended after death penalty was declared as sentence for rape, however death penalty is far from the solution when we have a lot of legal loopholes.

If you live in Bangladesh: Please join a protest that is taking place near you if you can! If there aren't any, you can always take the intiative to organise one with your friends while taking safety measures for yourself and others as we are in a pandemic.

Educate yourself more about rape culture. Call people out and educate them whenever you see it taking place in front you and talk about rape culture in a safe environment. Change starts from you!

Share posts about this issue to spread awareness and always check sources of the post in order to not spread misinformation. Misinformation will hinder all our efforts so please be careful about what you share! Google is free!