The number of rape cases is increasing day by day in Bangladesh, causing widespread concern among the general people. The incidents of child rape, gang rape and murder after rape are gradually consuming our country. When we read a newspaper or watch TV, we can see the rape cases are occurring almost every day.
From school girls to university students, housewives, disabled women, and even children can’t escape from being raped. Can you imagine? Even there are incidents such as the daughter being raped by her father. A question may arise in our minds, ‘’why are the rape cases increasing?’’ The main reason is due to the lack of justice. Most of the rapists are not judged.
According to the Human Rights Organization, ‘Ain O Salish Kendro,’ in this year from January to August, more than 889 women were raped in Bangladesh. Of these, 41 women have been killed after rape. According to their information, this year, an average of 111 women have been raped every month. According to their report, in 2019, the number of rape cases was 1413, and 76 have been killed after rape. Also, 732 people were raped in 2018, and 818 women were raped in 2017. So, we can see from their report that the number of rape cases is significantly increasing. Many of the incidents go unnoticed as the victims are forced to keep it secret. Also, sometimes the rape victims keep it secret, thinking it would be harmful for their reputation in society. [1]
Let’s discuss the reasons behind the spike in rape.
Influence of Influentials
Influential people such as political leaders are involved in many rape cases, and they are not even judged. Even after filing a case the police don’t arrest them. Even if someone is arrested, they are bailed out soon after. Many rape victims can’t appeal due to fear. Sometimes rapists threaten the victim so that they don’t move forward to plead any penalty for them. Most of the victims of rape cases are from a poor family background. And thus, they can’t do anything against them because they have no power. If the victims file a case, usually nothing happens. Either the cops don’t arrest them or they are released on bail within a few days. This is another reason behind the increase in rape cases.
Lack of justice
The main reason behind the increase in rape is lack of justice. Rape has become irresistible because of it. Most of the rapists are not penalized. Many of the victims don’t file a case against the rapist due to injustice. It takes several years for the case to be finally settled. Most rape cases are pending for years. So, we can say that the judiciary is responsible for the increase of rape cases because if they gave proper punishment to rapists, then the number of rape would be less.
Moral Education
The rape cases are not only occuring due to the lack of justice, the influence of influentials and dress-up but also the mentality and lack of moral education. In fact, rape is increasing due to the hateful and dirty mentality of a rapist. If they would ever think about their family in such a situation, they wouldn’t commit any rape. For that, moral education must be added to our educational system and also should be given importance. As a result, moral education will be spreading among all and rape will decrease even if it is a little bit.
The Mentality of Rapist
Rape also happens due to the garbage mentality of the rapists. For example, it is often seen that many people rape their own relatives. They show their distorted mentality by raping their own relatives. Or sometimes, they rape little girls. Even for every rape case, the rapists show their distorted mentality. So, we should change our mentality to reduce rape cases. And also, we should look at the factors which have such negative effects on minds. Furthermore, research suggests that nudist/provocative dress up can act as a catalyst in the rise of rape. [2], [3]
So, we can say that these are the root reasons for increasing rape cases in Bangladesh. If the government take any positive steps about rape cases, the number of rape cases will be reduced even with a tiny amount of numbers.
[1]. https://www.dailyjagaran.com/m/crime/news/48831
[3] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-015-0633-y
