Bangladesh Cabinet Ministry on Monday approved raising the maximum penalty in rape cases from life imprisonment to the death penalty after several incidents of recent sexual assaults in Bangladesh sparked public outrage on the streets and social media. Ministerial spokesperson Khandkar Anwarul Islam said that President Abdul Hamid can issue ordinances amending the Women and Child Harassment Act as Parliament is not in session.
The details of this amendment have not been revealed immediately, but Islam said that the cabinet agreed to the proposal that the rape case should be heard soon. Under the current law, the maximum punishment in rape cases is life imprisonment. However, in cases where the victim dies, the death penalty is allowed. Law Minister Anisul Haque said that the President can issue the ordinance on Tuesday.
In recent weeks, violent sexual attacks have led to massive demonstrations in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere. According to the Ain-O-Salish Center, an organization fighting for women’s rights, there were 889 incidents of rape between January and August in the country and at least 41 victims died.
In recent times, public outrage erupted when a video came on Facebook and in it some people in a southeastern district have been seen stripping a woman and attacking her. According to the Human Rights Commission of the country, this woman was repeatedly raped and terrorized in a single year. In another incident, a woman was dragged from a car and taken to the college dormitory and gang-raped.