Surge in rape cases worries rights groups

At least 86 women were raped across the country in the last month alone amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. A newly-married 19-year-old girl has been allegedly raped by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists at Murari Chand (MC) College in Sylhet on September 25.
Political leaders often issue warnings after such rape incidents and give assurances of strict action against the perpetrators. But empty promises hardly work.
Police arrested Dhaka (North) BCL Vice-President Sabuj Al Sahba and Jhumur, 35, from the capital on Wednesday night following rape of a domestic help. A rape case was filed by the domestic help (22) against Sabuj and his friend Jhumur with Mirpur Model
Police Station.     A newly-married 19-year-old girl had been allegedly raped by a group of BCL activists at MC College in Sylhet in the last week of September.
At least 975 people were raped across the country in the last nine months from January, rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra said in a report on Tuesday. Over 889 women were raped in the eight months in the country, according to ASK.
At least 86 were raped across the country in the last month only. At least 29 people died and five committed suicide after being raped.
Of them, 762 were raped by one person each and 208 women were gang-raped, in the last nine months. Forty-three were murdered after rape and 12 victims of rape committed by suicide afterwards, the report added.
The real number of sexual abuse cases were much higher than the statistics as most of the incidents of severe sexual violation kept under wraps and are not recorded, according to several rights groups in the country. 
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said after gang rape of a housewife at Sylhet MC College dormitory, "No one is spared in such cases, law enforcement agencies take action against them."
The recent gang rape of the housewife at MC College dormitory triggered countrywide criticism. Law enforcers are concerned about the situation even though they have arrested several people in connection with the incident.
The right bodies said the government to take measures to change social attitude towards women starting from the level of the family.
Several rapes were reported in various places across the country in the last one week. Even a mentally challenged woman was not spared. Most of these cases have been gang rapes.
Human rights activists are blaming the absence of justice for this situation.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), 184 rape cases have been recorded in the last five months in the Dhaka Metropolitan area.
Of them, 12 rape cases were filed in April, 15 in May, 46 in June, 53 July, and 58 in August. The surge in rape cases every month is evident.
Apart from familial, social, political and moral degradation, such crimes are on the rise as no section of society is fulfilling its responsibilities properly, said experts.