Bangladesh is confronting what women's rights advocates are calling a 'deep national crisis' of gender-based violence, according to a study presented by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) at a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on 28 July. The findings document alarming levels of rape, gang rape, murder, suicide, dowry-related violence, sexual harassment, and child marriage affecting women and girls across all age groups in the country.

Key Findings From the BMP Report

Among girl children, the report recorded 142 cases of gang rape, 117 cases of attempted rape, and 203 suicides. The data indicates that girls face a disproportionately higher risk of sexual violence during childhood, while threats of murder and suicide escalate with age.

For adult women, the BMP documented 756 murder victims — the highest in any category — alongside 376 rape victims and 125 victims of sexual harassment, according to reporting by The Daily Star.

Who Is Most at Risk

A profession-wise breakdown in the report reveals that homemakers bear the heaviest burden of violence. They account for 58 per cent of murder victims, 63 per cent of suicide victims, and a staggering 94 per cent of dowry-related violence victims.

Girl students, meanwhile, make up 80 per cent of attempted rape victims, 67 per cent of suicide victims, 39 per cent of gang rape victims, and reportedly every documented case of child marriage in the study's dataset. The report concludes that neither homes nor educational institutions currently provide a safe environment for women and girls across Bangladesh.

What BMP Says Is Enabling the Crisis

The organisation identified entrenched impunity, interference by influential individuals, delayed investigations, weak witness testimony, inadequate evidence collection, and the social practice of victim-blaming as the primary factors allowing perpetrators to evade accountability.

Fauzia Moslem, President of BMP, underscored the pervasive nature of the threat. 'The most important issue is that there is no specific age at which women become victims of violence. From a six-year-old child to a housewife over the age of 60, women remain at risk throughout every stage of life,' she said, as quoted by The Daily Star.

Moslem further noted that girls aged six to nine accounted for the highest number of rape victims in the study — a finding she described as a deeply disturbing reflection of society. She also voiced concern over the concurrent surge in murders alongside rape cases, pointing to a dual escalation of sexual violence and lethal threats facing women.

What BMP Is Demanding

The Bangladesh Mahila Parishad called for effective enforcement of existing laws, faster trials, stronger institutional accountability, and wider public awareness campaigns. The organisation stressed that legislative frameworks alone are insufficient without meaningful implementation and a cultural shift away from victim-blaming.

As Bangladesh's political and civil society landscape continues to evolve, advocates say the government's response to this documented crisis will be a critical test of its commitment to gender justice.