252 women, girls tortured in August: Mahila Parishad

A total of 252 women and girls were subjected to various forms of violence and torture across the country in August, including 55 who were murdered, according to a report by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.

Of the victims, 118 were girls and 134 were women. Among those murdered were 10 girls and 45 women, while 26 women and girls died under mysterious circumstances during the month.

The findings were published in a report titled ‘Women and Girls Torture Information (August 2026)’ by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad on Tuesday.

Signed by the organisation’s General Secretary Maleka Banu, the report said its Legal Aid Sub-committee compiled the data based on incidents reported in 15 national dailies and two online newspapers.

According to the report, 54 women and girls, including 36 girls and 18 women, were raped in August. Thirteen, including eight girls, were victims of gang rape, while two, including a girl, were murdered after rape. Another 14, including 11 girls, were subjected to attempted rape.

The report also documented 30 cases of sexual violence, including 24 involving girls. Of them, 14, including 12 girls, were subjected to sexual assault, nine, including eight girls, faced sexual harassment and seven, including four girls, were victims of cyber violence.

One person was also subjected to an attempted murder, the report said.

It said 14 women and girls, including three girls, died by suicide during the month. One of them was allegedly driven to suicide. Six people faced violence over dowry, with three allegedly being killed over dowry-related disputes.