HOW TO TACKLE RAPE OF MINOR GIRLS IN BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is passing through a political transition. Since the ouster of long-ruling Awami League in a dramatic mass upsurge on August 5 last year the country is struggling to stabilize the political situation.

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Despite efforts by Dr Muhammad Yunus-led interim government law and order is still far from normal. Mob violence, popularly known as most justice, has been a major cause of concern for the people. Incidents of rape of women and girls – some of them minors – have ignited a wave of protests across the country, especially on the campuses. The death of the eight-year-old girl in Magura following brutal rape and attack allegedly by her sister’s father-in-law has sent a grim message to the nation: women and not even minor girls are safe in Bangladesh. It’s a shame that close relatives who are to protect them from the perpetrators are themselves turning out to be hunters. The public protests against the violence against women and girls have gripped the entire country with many demanding the resignation of the home adviser. The interim government continues to insist that the law and order situation may not be exemplary but can’t be seen as worse than the previous year. The government has not stopped trying to improve the situation and it has mobilized all resources and even taken steps to amend t