Women in the hills need greater safety

We are outraged by the recent gang rape of an Indigenous girl in Khagrachhari. According to the survivor's father, his daughter, a class-eight student, used to attend private tutoring every evening and would return home by 9pm. However, on September 23, when she did not return at the usual time, her family went to the tutor's house to look for her, only to learn that the tutoring had ended as scheduled. Later, with help from local residents, they began searching the surrounding area and eventually found the girl bruised and unconscious in a crop field. This incident underscores the vulnerability of young girls and women of Indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

While women and girls across the country are increasingly facing insecurity and violence, those from Indigenous communities remain especially vulnerable due to their identities and the complex local politics at play. In the CHT, sexual violence against women and girls is reportedly often weaponised as a tool to further marginalise Indigenous communities and facilitate land grabbing. The non-Indigenous identity of the perpetrators is also a well-known fact in these incidents. Over the past year, numerous cases of violence against women, including rape, have been reported, yet justice has rarely been served. In June, for instance, the rape of a 14-year-old girl in the same district brought people to the streets. While some arrests were made in the case, the momentum quickly faded as protests subsided.

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Political and rights organisations who are now holding protests across the CHT, demanding justice for the recent rape survivor in Khagrachhari, point out that rape, torture, and persecution have become routine due to a culture of impunity. Focusing on the overall lack of security for women in the hills, they are saying that crimes like rape are on the rise mostly because justice has not been served in previous incidents. They also point out that the non-implementation of the CHT Peace Accord is another key reason for the unchecked rise in violent crimes. These grievances are quite legitimate and should be addressed properly.

As regards the Khagrachhari case, we call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and ensure immediate arrest of those involved. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to justice. Only by delivering swift justice can we hope to end the cycle of such crimes against Indigenous women and girls and restore a sense of safety in the region.