Back in September, a group of men broke into a house in Begumganj, Noakhali in the dead of night, forcefully undressed a woman (37) and carried out extreme forms of violence on her. On 4 October 2020, after more than a month, a video recording of such an incident went viral on social media. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) expresses its grave concern and anger at this barbaric incident of violence against women. Additionally, ASK demands that swift legal action is taken against those involved, the state must ensure the security of the survivor and her family, and provide necessary healthcare support, both physical and psychological, for the survivor.<\/p>\n
According to news media reports, this barbaric incident of violence took place in early September in Eklashpur Union, Begumganj Upazila. Delowar, the leader of a local gang called \u2018Delowar Bahini\u2019, his second-in-command Badol, and their accomplices Rahim, Shumon and five to six others broke into therefore mentioned woman\u2019s house, disrobed her, and filmed the entire incident of violating her. The video was uploaded to social media because the woman had not responded to their immoral demands. After that, the Police have come to know of the incident, and till now they arrested 4 people includingDelowar. According to the national newspaper, The Daily Star, Moazzem Hossain Shohag, the Member of Ward 9 of Eklashpur Union, shared that after the incident, he went to meet the woman to know more about the incident of violence. However, she had not told him the names of those who violated her.<\/p>\n
ASK notes with grave concern that besides this incident in Noakhali\u2019s Begumganj, there has been an increase in the incidents of violence against women recently. Most times, the local influential individuals and supporters of the ruling party are involved in these incidents. ASK believes that it is also raised the questions as to how the news of such an incident did not reach the police and administration for a whole month, despite the fact that a public representative knew about it. It is absolutely unexpected that the representative had not taken any initiative to identify the criminals, take legal steps against them and ensure the security of the survivor. Besides, ASK also believes that despite claims of the government being women-friendly, in reality, the society and state are increasingly becoming more unsafe and unlivable for women. Such a horrible incident of violence against women raises questions about the country\u2019s identity in the civilized world. ASK fears that all the gains that Bangladesh achieved in protecting the rights of women since our independence, will turn to failures. ASK demands that the government takes immediate steps to review the existing systems to end violence against women so that they can be reformed and strengthened to ensure justice and prevent more such incidents in our country.<\/p>\n