Cabinet on Monday approved the draft Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill incorporating the provision of capital punishment for rape amid countrywide protests against rapes and violence against women.

'The cabinet has approved the amendment proposal incorporating a provision of the death penalty or life-term jail for rape,' law minister Anisul Huq told .

The law minister said that an ordinance would be promulgated on Tuesday to the effect as parliament is not in session.

The minister earlier told that prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday evening asked him to prepare the bill seeking an amendment to Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000.

The existing law prescribes imprisonment for life term for rapists and death sentence or life-term sentence for rapists in case of death of the victim for the rape or her murder following the rape.

The government move came at a time when the country continued witnessing protests over the growing number of incidents of sexual harassment and rape.