An epidemic like rape can’t be just wished away

As far as official action goes, there have been some rapid developments since the disclosure of the brutal assault of a Noakhali woman who was stripped, gang-raped and beaten while the perpetrators recorded the torture and later released the video on social media to further dehumanise her. The High Court took suo moto notice of the incident on Monday, issuing a number of rulings that involve investigation into possible police negligence, taking prompt action against the perpetrators, and protecting the victim and her family. Police have already arrested six people, including four accused and a union member, in this connection. Two cases were also filed—one under the Pornography Control Act and the other under the Women and Children Repression (Prevention) Act—although the charges brought constitute "attempt to rape" and carries a much lighter sentence than a rape case, which experts say this definitely was. We hope this will be fixed, and all perpetrators and those accused of negligence will be brought to justice soon.

That said, we cannot but be wary of what impact such actions, rulings and trials—even convictions in a best-case scenario—will have on the epidemic of atrocities facing women and children. Will these deter would-be rapists? Will police and local authorities be more mindful of their responsibilities? Will all victims of sexual harassment get justice? The court in its ruling also asked the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove the video footage of the Noakhali incident from social media to prevent further trauma for the victim. A sensible decision. But it was partly the outrage caused by the video that led to the burst of judicial and police activity. Could anything less than the public humiliation of a rape survivor have caused a similar reaction?

There are many theories as to why rape continues to be committed and how it can be stopped. One, which the general secretary of the ruling party has also put forward after the Noakhali incident, involves building "social resistance" against rape. While it's unclear what he meant by that, it seems to indicate the resolution of such crimes through people-centred initiatives. There is no denying the importance of such initiatives as well as of raising awareness to address regressive social norms and sexist prejudices that lead to such crimes. But such suggestions, sincere as they are, implicitly ignore their political dimension. So many rapists have been reported to be involved with the power structure pivoting around the ruling party, and the impunity they enjoy as a result cannot be dismantled simply through social resistance. This is also the reason why so many of them fall through the legal cracks, leading to frustratingly low conviction rates.

The fact is, the administration, local governments and our criminal justice system have been failing victims of rape for a long time. Sporadic actions and prosecutions after sensational cases like the present one may lead to triumphs, but these fall woefully short of addressing the bigger issue of why rape continues to happen. While individual initiatives and awareness are vital, the authorities must build a reliable safety bubble around women and girls so that no criminal, however well-connected, can commit such heinous crimes and get away with it. Victims must be protected and emboldened to pursue legal course, starting from the initial reporting of a crime, through to investigation and finally, trial in a court of law. Without sustained action by the administration and justice system, the culture of rape cannot be eradicated.