Salute for her courage to speak out
The student who was victim of torture at Islamic University in Kushtia had the courage to speak out and she boldly brought about the allegations against those whom the general people fear to speak against.
I salute the student for being able to speak out against those who carry out all sorts of crimes with political shelter and backing.
It is because she brought forward the complaint that the administration is taking note and the court too has taken action. Due to the girl's courage, so far one measure has been taken. But then what? That is the question to be taken into consideration. The culture of impunity has firmly settled upon us.
Will we get any reprieve from this impunity? When such incidents take place, there is a flurry of action for a few days, but then the same thing happens all over again. There is only one way to overcome such a situation and that is to establish the rule of law.
Whether we admit it or not, violence against the women prevails in the country in many forms. Sometimes it reaches an extreme and results in death. Then there is rape and other forms of violence.
The fact remains that women are being oppressed. The government, the administration, policymakers, the civil society -- everyone is aware of this. The civil society continues to play an active role in this regard and so does the media. I thank the media for that.
No matter who the accused may be, if a criminal is given exemplary punishment, then such incidents will lessen. This happened in the case of acid violence. I would say that Bangladesh is advancing in all areas and hope that it will also set an example in establishing the rule of law.
* Rasheda K Choudhury, former caretaker government advisor