Cases of violence against women and girls including rapes and child marriages are on the rise despite Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.
As many as 626 children were reportedly raped from January to December 2020, according to a recent survey by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF). According to MJF, 145 children died as a result of rape, attempted rape, murder, abduction, disappearance and torture.
The survey of MJF also claimed that the number of child marriages also increased by 60 percent during Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Covid-19 disrupted efforts to end child marriage, resulting in additional child marriages that could otherwise have been averted.
At least 1,718 incidences of violence against children were reported and a total of 986 cases were filed in this regard last year in Bangladesh, rights body Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) said in a recent report.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report on "Global status report on preventing violence against children 2020" noted that the pandemic and the physical distancing measures imposed in response to it have greatly increased the risk of intra-family violence and online abuse.
Indefinite closures of schools have impacted more than 1.5 billion children and youth worldwide.
On the other hand, at least 1,627 women were victims of rape between January to December of 2020, rights body Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) said in a recent report. The report also found that among the victims, 317 were gang-raped, 53 were killed after rape and 14 committed suicide after rape.
Besides, 326 attempts to rape were made during the last year, the ASK data showed.
A total of 1,413 women were victims of rape in 2019. The number of reported rape victims was 732 in 2018, 818 in 2017 and 724 in 2016, the ASK data showed.
According to a BRAC (a Non-Government Organization) report, a total of 25,607 complaints of gender-based violence were received by BRAC’s 410 legal aid clinics across Bangladesh from January to October 2020.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 18,221 cases related to women and children falling victims of violence were filed till December 15, according to a recent report of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA).
Recently, BNWLA recommended for ensuring survivor-centric comprehensive legal assistance to women and children rape survivors to stop frequent rape incidents and other forms of violence against women and children.
Besides, it also suggested for introducing psycho-social services, women-and-child-friendly legal aid services and safe shelters to stop rape incidents.
BNWLA recommended for establishing a separate bench at the High Court for speedy trial of cases related to violence against women. It also urged the government to use modern forensic technology to ensure proper investigation of such cases.
BNWLA made these recommendations at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club on December 28 last year.
Earlier on December 17, the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said South Asian governments including Bangladesh should disregard populist death penalty rhetoric and listen to their own experts to prevent and end sexual violence against women.
According to HRW, many experts expressed concern that weak justice systems wielding such power could yield inverse impact in society, including the right to a fair trial.
Moreover, many experts believe that imposing the death penalty may further deter some survivors from coming forward, HRW said.
The human rights watchdog said, when survivors of sexual violence seek justice, they often face insurmountable obstacles in the courts and in consequence, conviction rates are extremely low across the region. For example, in Bangladesh, it is estimated that less than one per cent of the rape cases investigated by police lead to any conviction.
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