Dhaka:A case of alleged gang rape of a female tourist has come to light in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. During the rape of the woman, the miscreants took her husband and son hostage. A group of men took the victim’s husband and child hostage from the Loboni Point area and allegedly raped her several times.RAB-15 Commander Lt Col Khairul Islam said that the officers of the elite unit of the paramilitary force rescued the victim from the Jia Guest Inn around 1.30 pm on Thursday. The force detained the hotel manager and identified the culprits after examining the video footage from CCTV cameras. Raids have been started to arrest the criminals.On Friday, Law Minister Anisul Haque said, “Senior Judicial Magistrate of Cox’s Bazar Hamemun Tanzin recorded the statement of the victim at around 5 pm.” “Strict action will be taken against the perpetrators of the crime,” the minister said. The police had not arrested anyone till Friday night. Women’s rights activists and legal experts pointed out that the country still lacks a strong law that acts as a safeguard against rape.
Experts called for justice for the country’s rape victims and called on authorities to introduce sex education from an early age. Noorjahan Khan, Executive Director, Leerho, said, “For the last 50 years, we have been fighting for the legal rights of women. Yet, instead of controlling the crime, the police blame the rape victim. He had also refused to register a case against the accused. However, we are grateful to RAB. Had they not been there, the perpetrators would not have been even identified.
Rape incidents in recent months have raised serious concerns over the safety of women in Bangladesh, with the country reporting an average of three cases a day in the first 11 months of 2021. At least 1,247 women were raped in the January-November period. Of them, 46 died, while nine committed suicide.