The trial of the Sohel and Swapna, the rapist, killer and abettor of grade two student Ramisa has ended with record swiftness with both handed the death sentence.
While there are options for the lawyers of the perpetrators to appeal the verdict at the high court, at this moment, the judicial system of the nation can feel a sense of vindication because the proceedings were carried out in the shortest possible time.
The distraught and traumatised parents of the victim have expressed hope that the verdict would be carried out to set an example.
There is also consensus among the general populace that deterrent action to rape must not be bogged down by legal loopholes.
Lest we forget that the trial of the violation and brutal killing of one child does not end the long battle to minimise and tackle the social affliction of rape, sexual abuse and subtle sexual molestation.
A leading paper, reporting on the trial, also ran a side story, based on around 700 incidents between 2021-2025, stating that a majority of the rape incidents occurred in the homes of the victims.
The illusion of the safe zone: Usually, the home is where a girl should feel the safest from all sorts of unwanted incidents, be it unpleasant remarks, abasement or, any kind of violation.
Unfortunately, this is also the place where she is the most vulnerable and, sadly, the evil comes in forms of those who are supposed to be the saviours.
The recent mapping of rape incidents over a four-year period shows that often perpetrators/predators are relatives, teachers or neighbours. In the case of Ramisa, the criminals were not in the girl’s house but neighbours living a few yards away.
The social setting in which Ramisa was violated and killed also commands deeper analysis. In Dhaka, there are very closely knit communities in certain areas, where families use communal toilets and kitchens.
In such overcrowded places, children often do not get the private space to share their concerns with trusted ones, Comments Shahnoor Karim, a former journalist, adding: “I use the term ‘trusted’ consciously because, sometimes, children are mistreated or abused by parents.”
Shahnoor feels that the death of Ramisa has re-ignited the debate about what a safe zone is and the actions required to minimise sexual abuse. The violation and killing of Ramisa underline the need to have comprehensive anti-sexual abuse/bullying campaigns across the country with support from the government and, if necessary, youth welfare related bodies, feels Mazhar Mithun, a broadcast journalist.
The government may start a ward based sexual abuse sensitising programme under which trained young people can go from home to home to speak to families about issues that are not openly discussed, adds Mazhar.
The whole matter of sex remains a taboo and within a large social segment, the issue about man woman intimacy is presented as an act to be ashamed of, allowing deviant notions/proclivities to develop, feels Imtiaz Alam Beg, a noted photographer.
Beg believes that there must be a coordinated approach between the ministry of social welfare and youth-based bodies to introduce social wellbeing programmes at schools. I feel, under vast umbrella of‘social welfare’, issues which cannot be discussed openly may be given the right platform, observes Beg.
“A child, teenager may not feel uncomfortable to voice their concerns within a family sphere but can open-up to a trained counsellor.”They may be experiencing improper touches from a senior family member or tolerating veiled indecent glances, says Arpita Chowhan, a Dhaka University student.
There is no one single method of abuse, it can happen over a sustained period while the sub-layers of exploitation are complex, often imperceptible. This is why, help should come from trained sources and the best place to provide help is through the setting up of well being programmes at the school level, opines Arpita.
The ‘Safe home’ campaign: Since surveys have indicated that girls are not safe within their homes, the priority is to launch safe home campaigns, asserts Adnan Wahab, a teacher. Wahab feels that the government can engage with certain business conglomerates to introduce anti-abuse, anti-exploitation drives under CSR.
To address all kinds of domestic abuse/torture, there have been calls for setting up separate cells at police stations, featuring psychologists and social welfare experts, observes Wahab, adding: “two or three such cells in areas with the highest number of domestic abuses can be set up to assess the impact.”
Domestic abuse is multi-layered, involving, mistreatment/abuse of children, sexual harassment of teenagers, young girls,online taunting, physical and mental torture of married women, abuse of young boys residing in hostels,and therefore, there is no alternative to forming specialised cells at police stations, feels Wahab.
Commenting on rape, abuse and violations, Faizul Bari, a social observer feels that in recent times, brazen commodification of women has seen a sharp rise in all modes of social entertainment - a disturbing trend which should not bedismissed as harmless fun.
People may segregate entertainment from reality but many impressionable minds will, subconsciously, accept such trivialising/objectification of women as normal behaviour.
A total overhaul is crucial, and the approach must be comprehensive, touching all aspects of social existence, instead of a rushed scratch the surface drive, maintains Bari. One profoundly disconcerting aspect of the killing of Ramisa is the inclusion of the wife of the self- confessed rapist in the heinous act.
Generally, most of us are programmed to believe that when a child, be it boy or a girl, is in peril, a woman, whether his/her relative or just a random person, will stand as a protection wall.
That entrenched conviction is now shattered! The fact that Swapna (wife) colluded with her husband in the despicable crime indicates a deeper social rot that had formed insidiously.
The revelation that girls are often the most vulnerable in the place where they are supposed to be the safest should not just be treated as a discovery in a survey.
The finding should act as a wake-up call for action, feels Yasmin Khatun, a housewife. Khatun recalls an old but currently defunct/dismissed tradition where a senior family member would always remain alert when a girl child was being given private tuition at home.
Such practice is deemed outdated but seeing so much abuse everywhere, one cannot but admit that the system of family oversight had its merits.
The writer is a former journalist
