Following protests across the country after outrage over a sordid new crime, the government passes a new decree, controversial by NGOs.
In Bangladesh today, Tuesday, October 13, a decree is passed which imposes the death penalty for perpetrators of rape. This is a reform of a 2000 law that punished perpetrators of such a crime with life imprisonment. Not enough for many in Bangladeshi society. Indeed, numerous protests have taken place in the past week after the revelation of a video showing an unpunished gang rape of a woman from a disadvantaged community. Members of the student wing of the ruling party are also accused of gang rape. In this country, activists for women's rights report that very few victims file a complaint, and even fewer are those who obtain justice. RFI reports that only 4% of sexual assault cases go to trial.
However, the introduction of the death penalty for sex crimes does not solve this problem of impunity due to the few complaints filed. According to government data, the conviction rate for such crimes is close to zero. The NGO Amnesty International condemns this new decree. Researcher Sultant Mohammed Zakaria, head of Amnesty's South Asia section, said in a press release:
“This regressive step is a modest veil that distracts attention from the lack of real action to address the appalling brutality faced by so many Bangladeshi women. The execution perpetuates the violence, but does not prevent it. Instead of seeking revenge, authorities must focus on providing justice for victims of sexual violence, including putting in place long-term changes that would stop this epidemic of violence and prevent it from happening again. ensure that Bangladeshi women and girls are protected and feel safe when speaking out about these crimes Perpetrators of crimes must be prosecuted and held accountable, impunity for these horrific crimes must end; fair procedure and without recourse to the death penalty ".