Address causes of child sexual abuse
A recent report in this daily once again highlights how unsafe this country has become for children, particularly girls. Reports of rape cases compiled by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad during the first quarter of this year show that the majority of the victims are aged below 18 years. ASK documented 342 reported cases, with 87.56 percent of known-age victims being children. Alarmingly, 40 victims were aged between infancy and six—too young to even grasp the horror inflicted on them. However, that does not appear to discourage the perpetrators, some of whom even carry out this heinous act in gangs. ASK data shows children also made up the majority of gang rape victims. Of the 84 reported gang rapes between January and April, 32 victims' ages were known, and 20 of them were minors. What does it say about our society—that before one protest over child rape ends, another child falls victim?
Last year, an analysis published in this daily based on ASK data revealed that one rape occurred every nine hours in Bangladesh and the majority of victims are girls. For adolescent girls, the situation is even worse. The 2024 Violence Against Women Survey showed that adolescent girls, whether married or not, are the most vulnerable when it comes to both intimate partner violence and non-partner violence. These findings make one thing painfully clear: in Bangladesh, a girl's age, marital status, or social position offers no protection from abuse. In fact, child marriage only reinforces patriarchal—and in some cases, predatory—attitudes towards girls. Despite progress in education and growth in the economy, we have failed to challenge the misogynistic mindset still pervasive among some men among us. Unfortunately, attempts to introduce topics in schools that provide comprehensive mental, physical and reproductive health education along with teaching and encouraging appropriate behaviours to young people have been blocked.
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We have tried to address the issue of sexual violence against women with laws, which alone cannot prevent these heinous crimes. It is time the government listened to the rights bodies and took steps to break the silence regarding cases of abuse, introduced school-based safety training, improved mental health and rehabilitation services. It also needs to facilitate community engagement involving parents, teachers, and local leaders, including the religious ones, increase monitoring of cybercrimes, and address the issue of offensive contents on social media. Ultimately, we must root out misogyny from society if we hope to make Bangladesh safe for girls. Until then, our children remain vulnerable.
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