Motalab :
State security forces and armed supporters of the ruling Awami League (AL) committed acts of sexual violence against female protesters during the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh to deter their participation, according to a new report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The fact-finding report, titled “Human Rights Violations and Abuses related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh,” was released from the OHCHR’s Geneva office on February 12. It highlights that women and girls faced targeted assaults aimed not only at inflicting pain but also at degrading and humiliating them based on their gender.
Gender-Based Violence as a Tool of Suppression
The report details that female protesters were physically attacked, with perpetrators deliberately targeting body parts such as the face, chest, pelvis, and buttocks. The violence was often accompanied by gender-based insults, with women being called derogatory names like “whores” and “prostitutes.”
The OHCHR found that members of the AL and its student wing, the Chhatra League, along with police officers, frequently threatened women with rape, forced nudity, and other forms of sexual violence.
In one case, a woman was apprehended in Dhaka in early August by armed men carrying bamboo sticks. Upon finding a Bangladeshi flag in her possession, they physically assaulted her, tearing her hair, ripping her shirt, groping her, and hurling sexualized insults.
Another case documented in July involved two Chhatra League members who threatened to rape a female protester, her mother, and all the women in her family. They physically assaulted her, groping her breasts and genitals while making explicit remarks. Following the attack, the victim received threatening phone calls warning of further sexual violence against her and her family.
Systematic Abuse and Lack of Protection
The report further states that in Cumilla, Chhatra League members assaulted multiple women, including two female students who were groped before being handed over to the police.
Victims of sexual violence in Bangladesh often do not report incidents due to the fear of retaliation, especially when the perpetrators are linked to law enforcement, and due to the deep-rooted social stigma surrounding such crimes. They also frequently lack access to medical, psychosocial, and legal support.
The OHCHR concluded that the scale of gender-based violence during the protests was likely much larger than documented, urging further gender-sensitive investigations into these abuses.
