Dhaka, August 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
More than 1,660 women and girls in Bangladesh faced various forms of violence between January and July this year, according to data released by women’s rights organisation Bangladesh Mohila Parishad.
The organisation said at least 1,667 women and children were subjected to different forms of violence during the seven-month period. The reported cases included the killing of 83 girls and 258 women, while 292 women and girls were reported to have been raped.
The figures were presented during a human chain organised by Bangladesh Mohila Parishad outside the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday to protest continuing incidents of violence, rape, murder and crimes against children across the country.
Addressing the gathering, Mohila Parishad president Fauzia Moslem said the organisation’s analysis showed that 83 girls and 258 women had been killed between January and July. She said 31 cases involved rape followed by murder.
Moslem cautioned that the figures could be considerably lower than the actual scale of violence because the organisation’s data was compiled from reports published in only 14 newspapers.
“The information we are getting has mainly been compiled from a limited number of newspaper reports, based on data from only 14 newspapers. Yet there are numerous other media outlets in the country. Had we received data from all media, the real picture of violence against women could have been far more alarming,” she said, according to UNB.
Mohila Parishad General Secretary Maleka Banu said the figures demonstrated that women and children continued to face serious safety risks across Bangladesh.
She said violence was not limited to rape and sexual offences, but also included murder, torture and other forms of abuse. Banu expressed particular concern over sexual violence against children who had not yet reached physical and mental maturity.
Speakers at the programme attributed the continuing violence to entrenched patriarchal attitudes and discriminatory social norms. They called for stronger enforcement of existing laws, effective monitoring and a broader social movement against violence targeting women and children.
They also urged the authorities to uphold human rights and govern with greater patriotism, humanity and responsibility.
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