Women & Society
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Stories about Women & Society
A Survivor Should Not Need a Map of Institutions to Find Safety
Bangladesh has laws, legal aid, police units, crisis centres and shelters for survivors of abuse. Yet a Dhaka dialogue heard that women and children are still being sent from one institution to another—and that shelter capacity remains severely inadequate.
For Girls Rescued From Sexual Exploitation, the Case Does Not End at Rescue
Twenty-five caregivers at Bangladesh’s only government Child Development Centre for girls in Gazipur have received specialised training on supporting children affected by commercial sexual exploitation. That matters because rescue is only the first stage of recovery—and institutions entrusted with girls need to be safe enough to deserve their trust.
Bangladesh’s Plan Against Online Abuse of Women Just Got More Concrete: Laws, Platforms and Survivor Support
Bangladesh first announced plans for a global platform against digital harassment earlier this month. A new Dhaka Dialogue has now moved the discussion toward legal reform, AI evidence, platform accountability, synthetic-media labelling and survivor-centred reporting systems.
When Political Criticism Turns Gendered: Oli Ahmad’s Remarks on Rizwana Hasan Raise a Wider Question
A senior political leader’s derogatory remarks about Syeda Rizwana Hasan went beyond disagreement over politics, targeting her as a woman and questioning her religious beliefs. The episode points to a wider challenge facing women in Bangladesh’s public life.
Bangladesh Signs a Global Women-in-Sport Commitment. Now Athletes Need to See What Changes
Bangladesh has formally joined the Brighton and Helsinki Declaration on Women and Sport, committing to stronger equality, participation, representation and safety for women in sport. The real test now is whether those principles lead to better facilities, stronger safeguarding, more leadership roles and fairer investment for female athletes.
Six-Year-Old Ayesha’s Body Exhumed as Questions Over Her Death Return to Investigators
The body of six-year-old Ayesha Akter has been exhumed in Homna, Cumilla, 17 days after her death, following a court order for a fresh autopsy. Her father has alleged possible sexual assault and murder, but police say the cause of death remains undetermined and must be established through medical evidence and investigation.
249 Women and Children Faced Violence in August. Nearly Six in 10 Reported Rape Victims Were Children
Human Rights Support Society recorded violence against at least 249 women and children across Bangladesh in August, including 79 reported rape victims. Forty-six of those rape victims were children—nearly 58%—according to the organisation’s monthly monitoring.
Bangladesh Plans Bicycles for Secondary Schoolgirls. The Next Question Is Who Gets One—and When
Bangladesh’s education minister has announced a plan to distribute bicycles to secondary-school girls nationwide to encourage female education. The proposal could reduce transport barriers for students, but key details—including budget, eligibility, rollout date and total coverage—have not yet been published.
A Fifth-Grader Spoke Up. Now a Rangpur Teacher Is Suspended
An assistant teacher at a government primary school in Gangachara has been suspended after a Class Five student alleged sexually inappropriate behaviour during class. Other female students have since reportedly raised similar concerns, while authorities say a formal investigation is underway.
Murders and Gang Rapes of Women and Children Rose in August, Rights Monitor Warns
A human-rights monitor recorded a sharp rise in some of the most severe forms of violence against women and children in Bangladesh in August, including 91 murders and 12 gang rapes. The figures come from rights-group monitoring rather than a complete national crime database, but the month-to-month increase has raised fresh concerns over safety and accountability.
Bangladesh Police Ordered to Speed Up Rape Investigations—Now the Test Is Delivery
Bangladesh’s police chief has instructed officers to accelerate rape investigations, reduce case backlogs and improve conviction rates. For survivors, the real test will be whether those orders lead to faster evidence collection, stronger case supervision and fewer investigations stalled by delay.
Police Investigate Death of Tripura Woman in Khagrachhari as Family Alleges Sexual Violence
Police are investigating the death of 30-year-old Nika Tripura in Mohalchari, Khagrachhari, after relatives alleged that she had been raped and killed. Authorities say the allegation has not yet been confirmed and that the investigation and autopsy findings will be crucial in establishing what happened.
A Headteacher Left Bogura for Medical Care. A Mugging Near Parliament Cost Her Life
The death of primary-school headteacher Ranjina Parvin after a bag-snatching attempt in central Dhaka raises a wider women’s-safety question: how free is mobility when an ordinary journey can turn deadly?
From Parliament to Daycare: Women’s Group Sets Out Five Demands for a More Equal Bangladesh
Women’s rights organisation Nari Samhati has presented a five-point agenda calling for 33% women lawmakers, nationwide daycare expansion, restored recruitment of women primary teachers, affordable menstrual products in schools and swift passage of sexual-harassment legislation.
When Women Don’t Control Land, Are They More Vulnerable to Violence?
A new Dhaka discussion has put women’s land rights and violence back in the spotlight. The evidence shows a stark ownership gap: only a small minority of rural women have secure rights over agricultural land. But the relationship between landlessness, economic dependence and violence needs more careful attention than a headline statistic can provide.
High Court’s Dedicated Bench Delivers 17 Verdicts in Violence Against Women and Children Cases
A specially constituted High Court bench has delivered judgments in 17 cases in about two and a half months while prioritising death references and appeals under Bangladesh’s Women and Children Repression Prevention Act—raising hopes that specialised judicial attention could help reduce delays in some of the country’s most serious violence cases.
Debate Erupts Over Expanding the Role of Bangladesh’s Reserved-Seat Women MPs
A proposed legal amendment that could give reserved-seat women MPs responsibility for overseeing development activities in general constituencies has triggered objections from 67 directly elected lawmakers, reopening a wider debate over the authority, representation and institutional role of women in Bangladesh’s parliament.
‘Durbar Konnya’ Puts Girls at the Centre of Bangladesh’s Climate Response
: Plan International Bangladesh’s new model aims to turn adolescent girls and young women in climate-vulnerable communities from people seen mainly as victims into participants in disaster preparedness and climate decision-making.
Nusrat Jahan Rafi Case: High Court Upholds Two Death Sentences, Acquits 10
Seven years after Nusrat Jahan Rafi was set on fire after reporting sexual harassment, Bangladesh’s High Court has substantially revised the trial court verdict in the case that became a national symbol of violence against women.