442 women, girls faced violence in March: Mahila Parishad

Highlights:

• 125 girls, 38 women raped in March
• Of them, 36 were gang-raped
• Two were murdered after rape
• 55 girls and 15 women survived attempted rape

A total of 442 women and girls were subjected to various forms of violence across the country in March alone.

Rabeya Begum Shanti, secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, revealed the information at a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club today (28 April) based on reports published in daily newspapers.

She said 125 girls and 38 women were raped during this period and among them, 36 victims, including 18 girls, were gang-raped.

Two girls were raped and subsequently murdered while two others died by suicide following sexual assault, according to Mahila Parishad.

Besides, 55 girls and 15 women survived attempted rape.

Rabeya Begum said the increasing hostility towards women is severely obstructing their freedom of movement.

"Women are being publicly humiliated over their attire, appearance, and mobility. They are subjected to physical and verbal harassment in public spaces while social media is being used to spread hate and issue threats against them," she said.

She alleged that such unchecked misconduct is encouraging perpetrators, further threatening women's progress.

The Mahila Parishad leader also expressed concern over the escape of a death-row convict in the Abrar Fahad murder case and a life-term convict in a child rape case in Dinajpur being released on bail.

She said incidents of mugging, abduction, and murder have surged in  the country, leaving women and the general public feeling increasingly unsafe, she added.

Highlighting another issue, Rabeya Begum said while there was a 60% quota for women in government primary school teacher recruitment but recently the provision was scrapped.

 "This move is inconsistent with efforts to empower women and ensure their advancement," she said, urging authorities to retain the quota in the 2025 recruitment rules.