Gender Platform urges swift finalisation of sexual harassment law, calls for workplace safety reforms
Speakers also called for exemplary punishment for sexual harassment offenders
Highlights
- Incidents of sexual harassment rise alarmingly in recent times
- 576 rape cases reported in first nine months of 2025, 295 victims aged 18 or below
- 26 female workers faced workplace harassment during the period
- 13 cases of domestic worker abuse recorded between January and August
- Exemplary punishment for sexual harassment offenders demanded
The Gender Platform Bangladesh has demanded the swift finalisation and gazette notification of the "Sexual Harassment Prevention and Protection Act in Workplaces and Educational Institutions" to ensure a working environment free of sexual harassment.
The demand was made at a press conference organised by the platform at the National Press Club in the capital today (13 October).
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Speakers also called for exemplary punishment for sexual harassment offenders, time-bound disposal of cases involving violence against women and children, and amendments to discriminatory laws.
They further urged the formation of a government monitoring committee to ensure the proper implementation of the 2009 High Court directives on preventing sexual harassment.
Additionally, the participants demanded the immediate ratification and effective implementation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 on eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work.
Presenting the written statement, Nazma Yesmin, director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), said incidents of sexual harassment and violence against women and girls have risen alarmingly in recent times.
According to data from Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 576 women and girls were raped in the first nine months of this year, 295 of whom were aged 18 or below.
Citing media reports, Nazma added that between January and August, 26 female workers faced workplace harassment or abuse, while 13 incidents of domestic worker abuse were recorded.
"The current situation cannot improve unless effective laws are enacted and, more importantly, properly enforced," she said.
Speaking at the event, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of BILS and chief of the Labour Reform Commission, termed the government's formation of the commission a "positive step" but added, "We are now waiting to see the implementation of its recommendations."
Other speakers, including Advocate AKM Nasim, a member of the Labour Reform Commission; Mahmuda Begum, executive director of Shobujer Ovijan Foundation; and Nazma Akhter, executive director of Awaz Foundation, echoed similar concerns.
They called for urgent implementation of the recommendations made by both the Women's Affairs Reform Commission and the Labour Reform Commission to ensure a gender-sensitive, discrimination-free, and decent work environment.
The speakers also urged the government to review the recommendations of both commissions and publish a clear roadmap for their prompt implementation to strengthen women's rights and workplace safety across Bangladesh.
