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Last month in Bangladesh, a video showing the gang rape of a 37-year-old woman went viral on Facebook. Eight men implicated in the crime were arrested, but the incident, along with several other high-profile sexual violence cases, has sparked mass protests in the capital, Dhaka, and other parts of the country. They called for the resignation of the Prime Minister.
The protesters have a lot to be angry about. In January, mass protests over the rape of a university student in Dhaka brought thousands to the streets. The government promised to create “within 30 days” a special commission to investigate the growing reports of sexual violence in Bangladesh. More than nine months later, it still doesn’t seem to exist.
Meanwhile, local activists have counted more than 1,000 public reports of sexual assault so far this year. In a country of 170 million, that’s definitely a gross tally.
In response to the recent protests, the government announced that, as of yesterday, the penalty for rape will be raised from life imprisonment to execution.
But activists say that is almost beside the point. As in many cases of injustice involving gender-based violence around the world, the problem is not only that the punishments are not severe enough for those convicted, but that there is also a broader web of legal and cultural norms in many parts of the world. South of Asia. favoring men, creating an atmosphere of impunity around sexual assault. “Capital punishment, in addition to being inherently inhumane, has not actually proven to be a deterrent,” says Meenakshi Ganguly, Human Rights Watch director for South Asia. “The death penalty for rape exists in other countries, and yet crime persists. Instead, what is needed are systematic efforts to break down barriers to justice.”
What does that mean in practice? On the one hand, women in Bangladesh are often fearful of filing rape complaints due to poor legal protections for them and a culture that stigmatizes victims of sexual violence. Over the weekend, for example, a famous actor from Bangladesh suggested that “wearing indecent dresses” is an invitation to rape. And last year, a 19-year-old student at a conservative Islamic school accused her principal of sexual harassment. Five days later she was burned on the premises. The UN recently drew attention to Bangladesh’s “social, behavioral and structural misogyny”.
Moreover, like Zyma Islam and Nilima Jahan from Dhaka, Daily star Note, the definition of violation of the law is limited, outdated and rarely applied. It’s no wonder then that conviction rates in Bangladesh can be as low as 3 percent.
Bottom line: The government’s decision to impose harsher penalties on those convicted of rape is a step forward, but harsher penalties are one thing, and changing the legal and moral structures of a conservative society is another. How and how quickly does that change occur?
A look around the world at protests against violence against women
The protests in Bangladesh are part of a wave of demonstrations that have occurred in countries around the world over the past year, inspired in part by the #metoo movement that began in the US in 2017. Here are a few that took place. stand out.
Australia. Just before the pandemic broke out, the rape and murder of a 21-year-old Israeli Arab exchange student brought thousands to the streets in January to denounce a series of high-profile violent attacks on women.
India. Two weeks ago, the rape, torture and murder of a lower caste woman allegedly by upper caste Indians in the state of Uttar Pradesh brought protesters to the streets after local authorities appeared to attempt to cover up the crime. In March, four men were executed for raping a woman on a bus in 2012, in a case that prompted greater action and attention to violence against women in the country. Scrutiny of sexual violence has become a distinctly political issue in recent years, with several high-ranking members of India’s ruling BJP party implicated in rape cases.
Mexico In March, tens of thousands of women across the country went on strike to draw attention to an epidemic of gender-based violence that kills up to ten Mexican women every day.
Nigeria. The rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in late July sparked considerable protests (hashtag #wearetired) in a country where polls show that up to one in three women are sexually assaulted before the age of 25, but laws against it sexual violence are in force. rarely applied.
Spain. In March, tens of thousands of women across Spain took to the streets to protest against gender-based violence, echoing protests that took place last year when a court relaxed the sentence of a group of men who raped in 2016. a 14-year-old intoxicated girl in a group.
Where you live: Is the issue of violence against women becoming more prominent in your country? If so, we want to hear about it.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include quotes from Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch.
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