Bangladesh witnesses alarming spike in rising violence against women, children

Dhaka, May 26 (IANS) Bangladesh is witnessing an alarming rise in violence against women and children, triggering widespread concern and outrage among human rights organisations.

Amid increasing gender-based violence across the country, multiple alleged rape and attempted rape incidents involving women and children have been reported from several districts, sparking renewed concerns over the public safety of vulnerable groups, local media reported on Tuesday.

The police took the accused into custody following the incidents reported from Chuadanga, Jashore and Cumilla, while a separate allegation in Kushtia drew criticism after local influential figures allegedly attempted to resolve the matter through village arbitration, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.

Reports suggest that police have arrested a 20-year-old man over the alleged rape of a 71-year-old woman in Damurhuda Upazila of the Chuadanga district.

The accused, Tarikul Islam, was apprehended during an operation conducted in the School Mor area of the village in the early hours of Monday.

Additionally, in Jashore, authorities arrested a youth named Jayanta Biswas in connection with allegations of raping a nine-year-old girl in Sagardari village in Keshabpur upazila.

“Jayanta Biswas has been arrested on charges of raping the minor girl. The child is now in police custody. Legal action is underway in this regard,” UNB quoted sub-inspector Shamim Hossain as saying.

In another incident, a minor schoolboy was allegedly raped by a mango orchard caretaker in Kumarkhali upazila of the Kushtia district on Sunday morning, who had gone there to pick mangoes.

Furthermore, police in Cumilla on Sunday arrested a shopkeeper accused of attempting to rape a 12-year-old boy inside his shop in Daudkandi upazila.

The accused, 43-year-old Delwar Hossain, was later sent to jail by the court in connection with the incident that took place on May 18.

The surge in gender-based violence persisted during the 18-month tenure of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and continues under the current Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration.

The worsening situation in the country has raised serious concerns over public safety, accountability and the effectiveness of institutional safeguards.

Last week, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) expressed grave concern over the recent surge in brutal violence against children reported across Bangladesh, including the rape and killing of girls and boys in places meant to ensure their safety.

Stressing that brutality against children must stop, Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, said that the growing number of reports of brutal and sexual violence against women and children across the country in 2026 underscored the urgent need to strengthen child and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention measures nationwide.

“The culture of impunity enjoyed by perpetrators must end, and the gaps in prevention, reporting, institutional safeguarding, child-friendly police and justice, community protection and social services must be addressed. There is also a need for psychosocial support for the women and children, with far stronger accountability of schools, madrasas, workplaces, neighbourhoods and care settings,” read a statement issued by Flowers.

–IANS

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