Key points:
Most rape incidents in Bangladesh do not happen in dark alleys or isolated streets. They occur in places people trust the most -- inside homes.
An analysis by The Daily Star of 8,067 rape cases recorded by the Bangladesh Peace Observatory (BPO) between 2012 and 2025 shows that one of the most common crime scenes is the victim’s own home. A closer look at 680 reported cases from the last five years found 186 incidents took place inside victims’ homes, followed closely by 179 cases inside the perpetrator’s residence.
The recent rape and murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Dhaka reflects this pattern. She was killed inside the perpetrator’s home, just steps away from her own. Similar cases are repeatedly found in the dataset: children being lured into neighbours’ homes or assaulted in familiar surroundings.
For example, in 2025, a 13-year-old girl in Manikganj was assaulted by a 62-year-old neighbour after being called into his house. A year earlier, a 10-year-old in Munshiganj’s Tongibari was raped after being lured inside with chocolates.
Beyond homes, offenders exploit a range of other locations, both secluded and familiar, show the data compiled by the BPO, a Dhaka University-based data platform that tracks and analyses violence and conflict trends across Bangladesh.
According to The Daily Star’s deeper analysis of the 680 out of the 8,067 rape cases, orchards, forests, and crop fields accounted for 96 incidents. Another 95 incidents happened in abandoned places.
Religious and educational institutions saw a combined 53 cases -- 28 in madrasas, 15 in schools, and 10 in mosques.
Commercial and transit spaces also appear in the dataset, though less frequently. There were 25 cases in local shops, 17 in transport, and 12 in hotels.
Asked about the high number of rape incidents in Bangladesh, Dr Zobaida Nasreen, who teaches anthropology at Dhaka University, said, “There are multiple layers to it. Generally, a deeply misogynistic mindset is at play, where women are viewed merely as objects of consumption.
“Perpetrators commit these crimes deliberately because they are aware of legal loopholes and institutional limitations. They know they can get away without facing severe consequences.”
Geographically, the highest number of incidents were recorded in urban and industrial hubs.
Of the 8,067 cases analysed, Dhaka division topped the list with 2,531 cases, followed by Chattogram and Rajshahi. At the district level, Dhaka recorded 913 cases, followed by Chattogram and Narayanganj.
The pattern becomes more striking at the sub-district level. The five areas with the highest number of reported incidents -- Savar, Narayanganj Sadar, Gazipur Sadar, Dhamrai, and Kaliakair -- are all major industrial hubs.
In these areas, minors accounted for nearly 58 percent of victims. The same areas also saw nearly one-third of all garment worker victims recorded nationwide over the 13-year period.
“Across the industrial hubs, a large number of women move outside for work and they are constantly harassed and raped on the streets and workplaces. Often, they do not report it for fear of losing jobs or the inability to bear the legal expenses,” said Prof Nasreen.
More than half (4,520) the victims involved in the 8,067 cases are young girls. Adult women followed with 1,783 cases.
The severity of the crisis is reflected in cases involving very young children. For example, in 2025, a two-year-old girl in Sylhet was sexually assaulted after being lured away with biscuits. Across the dataset, 731 incidents involved children.
Other vulnerable groups include students, who were victims in 282 cases, and garment workers, who appeared in 135 cases.
Findings also show that sexual violence is not limited to female victims. At least 108 cases involved young boys, including 31 who were reportedly raped either inside religious and educational institutions or by madrasa teachers, principals, mosque imams, or muezzins.
In one example, an imam was arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old boy in Sunamganj's Dowarabazar upazila last year.
In a large number of the cases reviewed, the suspects are people known to the victims -- relatives, neighbours, teachers, or family members.
The dataset recorded 169 cases involving relatives, including uncles and in-laws, 53 cases involving fathers, and 51 involving husbands or former husbands. Friends were identified as perpetrators in 73 cases, while other family members were accused in 44 incidents.
Neighbours also emerged as frequent suspects, accounting for at least 502 cases. In many instances, they lured victims, often children, into their homes with promises of food or gifts.
School, madrasa and university teachers as well as private tutors were reportedly involved in 366 cases.
Law enforcement and security personnel, including police and members of other agencies, were accused in at least 64 cases. In 2020, for example, a police constable was arrested over the rape of a a schoolgirl in Khagrachhari.
Beyond these groups, 1,369 cases involved local miscreants, often operating in groups. There were also 196 cases involving stalkers and 112 involving transport workers. Politically affiliated individuals were suspects in 162 incidents.
According to Prof Sazzad Siddiqui, acting chairman at Dhaka University’s Peace and Conflict Studies, strong laws alone don’t reduce sexual crime.
“Countries with effective rule of law and consistent enforcement keep such crimes under control, while even severe punishments like death sentences have little impact in places like Bangladesh where justice is weak and inconsistent,” he said.
