A strong note of protest from the Soroptimist International Club of Dhaka

We, the members of the Soroptimist International Club of Dhaka, are distressed and greatly concerned about the growing violence against girls of Bangladesh. Recently, more and more minor girls are victims of brutal sexual assaults, including gang rape. It is indeed tragic that within one week of the brutal rape of a fifth grade girl whose condition horrified even the attending doctors, as many as seven minors, ranging from 4 to 13 years have been subjected to such heinous assaults, the most horrifying being the incident in Gopalganj where a four-year girl was raped by a 70-year old man. Indeed, such incidents are tragically occurring on a daily basis.

We, as such, seek the attention of the Honourable Prime Minister and all concerned citizens of Bangladesh to deal urgently with this matter and take effective action so that such horrifying and heart-breaking incidents will no longer take place. Let us not forget that without empowering the girl child by providing her the essential tools such as security, rights, education, health etc., it will be extremely difficult for Bangladesh to achieve the UN's declared Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. And observance of the UN declared International Day of the Girl Child would seem like a mockery. Violence against the girl child must stop and stop NOW. We again firmly condemn such brutality against the girl child.  

Hasina Zaman

President, Soroptimist International Club of Dhaka