Abusing the abused

Where are all the orders and instructions and directives of the authorities that lay down specifics of how women victims, particularly those that have suffered sexual abuse and violence, should be treated and how their cases should be handled? Those fiats, we are sorry to say, are being observed in their violation.

In a recent instance in Cox's Bazar, which once again exposes breaches of even the normal police practice, the complainant of a rape case and members of her family were confined in the police station for four days, and asked to pay Tk 1 lakh for their release. They were also, allegedly, forced to give false statements against their own family members, and released after paying Tk 16,000. The report published in this paper yesterday informs us that even the victim was confined and put under duress to change her statement. The irony of all this is that the man accused of the rape is at large. Predictably, of course, the police have a different version. According to them, the allegations are false and they have unearthed the truth. We wonder what allegation are the police talking about? Is it about whether rape was committed or that the identity of the accused is wrong? But that is quite another matter. We want to ask whether it is within police power to confine plaintiffs or victims of rape for the sake of investigating a complaint. It is not only a matter of law but also of that of simple human psychology and empathy. As it is, a victim of abuse, a child in this case, suffers indelible trauma and the police, by their thoughtless, insensitive, and certainly unlawful actions, add to that trauma. Yes, the truth must be unearthed, but the way the investigating officer has gone about it is the most abhorrent way of doing it. We would hope that the police authorities would take cognisance of this, and redress this atrocious aberration of police behaviour.