Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Activists and citizens staged a protest rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Friday, demanding speedy trial in the recent rape and murder of a child in Dhaka’s Pallabi area.
The demonstration, organised by the Anti-Rape Citizens Network at 4:30pm, called for swift justice in all cases of violence against women and children across Bangladesh. Speakers said the continuation of such crimes reflected a deep-rooted culture of impunity and demanded stricter enforcement of existing laws.
Monira Sharmin, president of the Network, called for a unified movement to pressure the government. “If we could unite under one banner and raise our voice against these rapes and murders, then the movement would have been stronger and effective pressure could have been created on the government,” Monira Sharmin said, alleging that political interference often delays justice.
“After the Pallabi incident, we thought that such barbarity would stop. But in reality, we are counting more new cases, which is very worrying,” she added.
Farzana Ahmed, a lecturer at National Ideal Girls’ College, said delays in implementing child protection laws were worsening the crisis. “If we could see an exemplary trial of even one rape case, then such crimes would have decreased a lot,” Farzana Ahmed said.
She added that many incidents in remote rural and riverine island areas go unreported, making the actual situation far more severe. “Even if high-ranking people visit the victim’s house and express sympathy, it cannot ease the grief of the victim’s family. We want the implementation of strict laws that will instill fear in the criminals,” Farzana Ahmed said.
Rehana Akhter Ruma, a neighbour of the deceased child, described seeing the body. “I saw the body directly. Even now, when I close my eyes, that scene comes to mind. It is difficult to express in words how depraved a person is to commit such atrocities in such a planned manner,” Rehana Akhter Ruma said.
Demanding the death penalty for the perpetrators, she added, “Instead of revealing the identity of the victim, the identity and photos of the criminals should be published so that the society can resist them.”
Several representatives from different professions also addressed the rally, including Tarique Rahman Adel, joint convener of the National Citizen Party Dhaka metropolitan north, Supreme Court lawyer Jasim Nayed, and Jahangirnagar University student Nadia Rahman Anbesha.
The speakers demanded that the government end the culture of impunity, expedite all pending rape and murder trials, and take immediate steps to protect women and children.