Sexual Violence Rising in Bangladesh, Targeting Minority Women and Children Crisp Headline:

The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM)  today said that Bangladesh is facing an alarming wave of sexual violence, particularly targeting women and children from minority communities like Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and others. According to the Rights Body, the violence has reached pandemic proportions under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
         HRCBM noted that 342 rape cases were officially recorded in less than three months during the first quarter of 2025, with 87 per cent of the victims being girls under 18 years of age. According to the rights body, these horrifying figures represent only the tip of the iceberg, and the true number runs into thousands, which is hidden by silence, fear, and state inaction.
         The HRCBM stated that it has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, calling for an urgent judicial enquiry into the epidemic of sexual violence against women and girls, with particular attention to the systematic and disproportionate targeting of minorities. The right body’s new PIL sought a high-powered judicial enquiry into the escalating wave of sexual violence across Bangladesh, demanding accountability, structural reforms, and special protections for minority women and girls who remain uniquely vulnerable to targeted brutality.