Remove obstacles to investigation and rape process

Against the background of protests at national level against rape and harassment incidents of women and girls, the interim government was employed to Modification of relevant laws to speed up the trial process for rape cases. The law counselor said that the law enforcement agencies will have to complete the investigation of these cases Within 15 days and the process in 90 days. He mentioned another potential change, saying that, even if the process is not concluded within 90 days, the accused cannot be given bail on this basis. Although it is good to see that the interim government finally addresses the legal issues around gender -based violence and has proposed some positive reforms, single words will not be sufficient. Concrete actions are required to implement these changes and to ensure justice for the victims of rape.

The process of justice by reforming the relevant laws and procedures is essential, but any modification must be completed after consulting the legal experts and all the other interested parties. While investigations and studies in rape cases must be fast, the process must also be flawless. In Bangladesh, defective investigations are a major obstacle to the delivery of justice. Since, according to the law of the country, the maximum punishment for rape is the death penalty, hurried and defective investigations should not be encouraged. Also, for an adequate investigation of rape cases, the medical -legal reports are essential. If forensic reports are omitted to reduce the investigation time, will it provide justice?

Instead of shortening the investigation time for rape cases, it is essential to ensure that the results of the medical -legal examination are provided to the investigative officers as soon as possible. This is unlikely with only two forensic laboratories available in the country. Therefore, the Government must establish more such laboratories, as well as efficiently the operations of existing ones. Moreover, the process of investigating rape cases requires a review, because weak investigation procedures often lead to delays for procedures.

Therefore, instead of shortening the investigation time for rape cases, it is crucial to ensure that the results of the forensic examination are provided to the investigative officers as soon as possible. This is unlikely with only two forensic laboratories available in the country. Therefore, the Government must establish more such laboratories, as well as efficiently the operations of existing ones. Moreover, the process of investigating rape cases requires a review, because weak investigation procedures often lead to delays for procedures. This is the reason why, despite the many cases of rape, only one hand results in convictions.

We ask the Government to do everything in its capacity to ensure both a quick and seamless justice in cases of rape. It is encouraging to find out that the Government has trained the law enforcement agencies to compile a list of all incidents of violence against women during the mandate of the provisional government and to present it to the court. We hope that this directive will follow and ensure justice in each case. The ubiquitous culture of impunity that supplies sexual harassment and violence must be eradicated.