Woman kidnapped from Dhaka kitchen market, raped by 3

A woman has alleged that she was kidnapped and raped by three men in the capital's Pallabi area last week. However, police are yet to lodge an FIR in connection with the complaint.

The alleged crime occurred around 5pm on Tuesday, when the woman was passing through the Mirpur-11 kitchen market area.

According to the woman, a resident of Mirpur, two men sprayed some liquid on her face and forcibly took her to a nearby house, where another man joined them.

Later, the trio took turns to rape her. After the alleged crime, the three had threatened to kill the woman if she revealed her ordeal to anyone.

Initially, the woman chose not to tell her family members about the rape due to the fear and stigma surrounding sexual violence in the society. Later she confided in her husband.

When contacted, the officer-in-charge of the Pallabi police station, Parvez Hossain, told UNB that the woman had come to the police station late on Tuesday evening. 

"At the time, she told that she was kidnapped by two men, but didn't mention about the rape. On Friday, she visited the police station again and alleged that she was raped too," the OC said.

When asked why no FIR has been lodged yet, the officer responded: "We are probing the complaint."

Bangladesh's rape epidemic

Sexual assaults on women continue unabated in Bangladesh, despite the government introducing death penalty for rapes last year.

Earlier last month, a police headquarters report said that 26,695 rape cases were filed across the country in the past five years.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped last year alone, but only 683 police cases had been filed. Also, 116 survivors were six years old or below.

Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year and 53 of the women were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, as per the data.

However, ASK's data is just the tip of the iceberg, according to aid agencies, who report that most women are too afraid to report rape.

In October 2020, the country was rocked by protests after a woman was allegedly attacked and raped in Noakhali.

In November last year, Bangladesh introduced capital punishment for rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women in several cities across the country.

But human rights organisations say the move will not solve the country's rape crisis, as the survivors of the heinous crime are often stigmatised in the society.