THE staggeringly high number of rape cases is worrying at a time when reform and the democratisation of the state and society are presented as priority agendas by the interim government as well as by political parties contesting the national elections on February 12. The annual rights report of Ain O Salish Kendra, which collates data from the media, shows that 749 women and children were raped in 2025, compared with 401 reported cases in 2024. Police records present an even grimmer picture, with 9,143 cases filed since the interim government assumed office. In 2024, as the police records show, the total number of cases of sexual violence was 5,570. While women’s rights organisations blame the declining law and order for the sharp increase in cases during the post-uprising period, senior police officials seek to argue that sexual crimes are not related to ‘law and order’ and that some of the rapes reported in recent months are not of a ‘conventional type.’ The police also emphasise that they have increased the number of check posts and enhanced vigilance and intelligence surveillance to stop the recurrence of such incidents. Efforts to prevent sexual violence clearly remain ineffective as more than 400 rape cases were filed in December 2025 alone.
The scenario suggests that the interim government, in its effort to contain sexual violence, followed the past legacy and made no impact on ensuring women’s safety or preventing gender discrimination. After the July uprising, the way many cases of sexual harassment were handled created negative precedents. In May 2025, two young women were assaulted using a belt on the deck of a launch in Munshiganj. In March 2024, a woman was sexually harassed on the University of Dhaka campus. In both cases, the accused were welcomed with flower garlands by an anti-women mob after they obtained bail. Women’s rights activists also note the rise of misogynist propaganda to the extent that members of the women’s affairs reform commission were harassed while the government remained silent. Women were excluded from the larger reform dialogues. As major political parties engage in electioneering, only 4.7 per cent of candidates contesting the national election are women and women candidates have already reported being subjected to smear campaigns and harassment by their political opponents. Their experiences underscore the lack of political will among mainstream parties to ensure gender equality and end gender-based violence.
As the country approaches the general elections, all political parties must commit to the cause of gender equality and pledge to end gender-based violence and learn from the mistakes of the past governments. The interim government must take immediate and effective measures to improve law and order to stop all forms of sexual violence.
