20 Women and Children Victims of Abuse in Rajshahi in Two Months, LOFS.

Md. Sohel Rana, Rajshahi correspondent. ​In the past two months (August and September), 20 women and children in Rajshahi have been victims of various incidents, including murder, suicide, torture, disappearance, abduction, and sexual harassment, according to Ladies Organization for Social Welfare (LOFS), a development organization. The organization disclosed this information in a report published on September 30. Based on reports published in various daily newspapers in Rajshahi, the documentation cell of LOFS regularly collects and analyzes data on violence against women and children. ​According to the LOFS report, the situation regarding violence against women and children in the Rajshahi region during August and September is alarming. Incidents of various types of abuse, murder, and suicide occurred surrounding dowry, extramarital affairs, domestic disputes, and romantic conflicts. As per the two-month data, among women and children combined, there were 2 murders, 5 suicides, 1 suicide attempt, 1 rape, 3 cases of torture, 4 missing cases, 1 abduction, 2 instances of sexual harassment, and 1 incident of sodomy. Among the victims, 6 were children and 14 were women. ​The report highlights several specific incidents that took place in August and September. These include the sexual harassment of a female student at Monigram High School in Bagha, a female student committing suicide after not achieving her expected SSC exam results, the alleged sodomy of a fifth-grade student in the Katakhali area, the disappearance of a child from the city's Gorhanga area, and a madrasa student going missing from Paba. Additionally, the report mentions the suicide of a teenager in Puthia, abduction allegations against a Rajshahi University teacher by his wife, an attempted murder of a wife by hacking in Motihar, an allegation of a woman's wrist being severed due to a family dispute in Mohanpur, a housewife attempting suicide due to financial distress in Bagha, and a housewife suffering abuse over a property dispute in Tanore. ​The report further notes incidents such as the suicide of a housewife in the city's Motihar area, suicides of two housewives in Tanore and Bagha, allegations against a son for killing an elderly woman in Mohanpur, allegations of a mother-in-law being raped by her son-in-law in Paba, an elderly woman being tortured in Mohanpur, and two women going missing in Bagmara. Furthermore, the report highlights allegations against a husband for hacking his wife to death in Bagha and allegations of sexual harassment involving a female student at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET). ​Shahanaz Parveen, Executive Director of LOFS, stated that beyond the incidents reported in newspapers, many occurrences of abuse against women and children go unrecorded and never come to light. Consequently, there is reason to believe that the actual number of incidents is higher than the published figures. ​She added that the published data on violence against women and children in the Rajshahi region is disheartening. Proper investigations must be conducted for these incidents to ensure exemplary punishment for those responsible. If offenders are not brought to justice, they may feel emboldened, leading to an increase in crime rates. On behalf of LOFS, a demand has been made for strict punishment of offenders through fair investigations into all incidents of abuse against women and children