Incidents of rape and sexual harassment against women go unabated in the country for lack of punishment to the offenders.

Sources said the conviction rate in the rape related cases is poor amid inadequate evidence, negative perception against victim women and social taboos.
Illegal money, drug addiction and lack of ethical education are contributing to moral degradation of the youths, causing indiscriminate rapes and other violence.

Sexual contact without consent of any woman is unacceptable and highly punishable even in the free-society and western world.

Many countries including those of Middle East execute the rapists for sure. Saudi Arabia and a few states execute rapists by beheading or shooting.

Experts say that rape is widespread across the country for culture of impunity.

In Bangladesh, only 3 percent of cases related to violence against women and children see conviction, as reported by Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal from five districts last year.

The report was disclosed at National dialogue on action against sexual violence” and the inauguration of “16  days of activism against gender-based violence” held at a city hotel on November 18, 2019.
Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the United Nations in Bangladesh jointly organised the event.

Talking to Daily Sun, Ehsanul Hoque Samaji, former Public Prosecutor of Metropolitan Sessions Court and Anti-Corruption Commission, said accused go scot-free for imperfect investigation report, lack of evidence, delayed medical report and faulty statement by the victims.

A police officer, assigned to investigate a rape case, should hold investigation and submit report in consultation with public prosecutor of the concerned court, he said.

“Police report should be in line with expectation of the public prosecutors so that allegations are proved to the satisfaction of the court,” Samaji added.

Section 376 of the Penal Code and Section 9 of Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act both deal with rape cases.

It is difficult to prove a rape incident under the existing definition which requires a victim to fulfill several conditions to be raped.

Samaji, who is Special Prosecutor of BUET student Abrar Forhad murder case and former UNDP consultant, stressed simplification of the definition of rape, properly submission and recording statement of the victim and camera trial.

The existing law provides for life imprisonment for committing simple rape and death sentence for rape and murder, he said, adding “The law should be amended to introduce death sentence for simple rape.”