The Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, other human rights organisations, experts, and social media activists are expressing profound outrage and concern over the escalating violence against women and girls, mainly rape and gang rape.
In a statement on Monday, Mahila Parishad said the violence is exemplified by two horrific incidents: the gang rape of a mother at knifepoint in a tea garden in the Tin Mile Surivita area of Sadar Upazila, Panchagarh, and the sexual assault and murder of a nine-year-old girl in a mosque in Sarail Upazila, Brahmanbaria.
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These atrocities, reported on July 6, reflect a broader surge in violence against women since August 2024, which rights groups attribute to a collapse in law enforcement and state-tolerated mob violence involving radical groups and political thugs.
In the Panchagarh incident, a 28-year-old mother, traveling from Boda Upazila to her fatherโs home with her sick child, was ambushed by an auto-rickshaw driver and accomplices.
The perpetratorsโJoni Islam, Biplob Hossain, Makshedul Islam, and Sadequl Islamโallegedly dragged her to a tea garden, held a knife to her childโs throat, and gang-raped her, leaving her unconscious.
Locals, alerted by the childโs cries, contacted the police, who rescued the victims and arrested the accused.
The Brahmanbaria girl went missing on July 5. Her body was discovered the next morning on the second floor of a mosque, showing signs of sexual assault and suffocation.
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These incidents underscore a disturbing pattern of brutality against women and girls in public and sacred spaces.
Since the interim governmentโs rise in August 2024, violence against women has surged alarmingly, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad said, demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for these heinous crimes, alongside robust measures to protect survivors and their families.
โWe call for systemic reforms to ensure womenโs safety and unrestricted movement, including stronger law enforcement and judicial accountability. We urge the government to address the root causes of this violence, including dismantling state-backed patronage of mob violence.โ
Furthermore, the Mahila Parishad advocated for a nationwide social movement to combat all forms of violence against women and girls, fostering public awareness and solidarity to reclaim their rights and dignity.
The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) reports 13 gang rapes of Hindu women in Cumilla district alone since April 2025, highlighting targeted attacks on minorities.
According to Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) data, 363 cases of violence against women and children occurred in June. There were 63 rape cases, 17 gang rapes, and four rapes and murders. Of the 63, seven were disabled, 19 were children, and 23 were teenagers.
There were 59 rape cases in the country in May.
On the other hand, two children, seven teenagers and eight women were victims of gang rape, and one teenager and three women were victims of rape and murder.
There were 27 attempted rapes, 39 sexual harassment, and 51 cases of physical abuse.
Human rights activists attribute this spike to a breakdown in law and order, exacerbated by mob violence and political patronage of radical groups.
Social media activists have amplified these concerns, decrying a โfascist Islamist regimeโ where women and minorities face unchecked violence, with hashtags like #SaveHindusInBangladesh and #StopRape gaining traction.
Experts and organisations like the Manusher Jonno Foundation condemn the systemic failures, including delayed police responses and inadequate victim support, as seen in the Panchagarh case, where the public circulation of assault videos compounded the survivorโs trauma.
The HRCBM has labelled such acts as โwar crime-like atrocities,โ pointing to a culture of impunity that emboldens perpetrators. Social media voices have echoed demands for legal reforms, citing ambiguous definitions of rape and slow judicial processes as barriers to justice.
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