Cabinet approved bill, Ordinance on amendment to rape law soon, Spl tribunal to deal with child rape cases
The interim government鈥檚 advisory council on Thursday approved amendments to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000, introducing key changes, including the establishment of tribunal to speed up judicial and investigative processes for child rape cases.
The approval came at an advisory council meeting held at the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office in the capital Dhaka with chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair in the wake of increasing incidents of violence against women and children.
An ordinance is likely to be promulgated soon on the amendment to the law, law ministry officials said.
The amended law includes sodomy in the definition of rape and introduces a maximum jail term of seven years for rape committed on promise of marriage, chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam said at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Thursday.
He said that the government amended the law to make Bangladesh one of the safest countries for women and to ensure a speedy trial of cases involving repression of women and children.
Earlier, on March 17, a special meeting of the advisory council approved in principle a draft bill to amend the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000.
Following the meeting, law adviser Asif Nazrul at a press briefing said that the trial and investigation time for the cases of rape committed without consent had been reduced in the amended law.
He said that the definition of rape was changed and made broader with any object used to abuse anyone sexually being bought under the definition of rape.
Asif Nazrul said that the amended law would also allow tougher penalties in cases where the victim suffered physical harm after the perpetrator鈥檚 failed attempt to commit rape.
The law adviser said that the issues of protection of victims and compensation were included in the law.
Regarding the law amendment, Asif Nazrul earlier said that the trial in rape case would be completed in 90 days instead of 180 days and the probe would have to be completed聽 within 15 days.
The advisory council meeting on Thursday also approved amendments to the Public Procurement Ordinance to enhance transparency and competition in the government procurement process and to dismantle syndicates, the press secretary said.
He said that the provision for rejecting tender proposals if the estimated value is less than 10 per cent was repealed.
The previous work evaluation matrix, which repeatedly allowed the same organisation to secure contracts, would be replaced with a new capacity matrix, making it possible to break the syndicate,聽 Shafiqul said.
He also said that the government decided to transition all work tenders online, up from the current 65 per cent e-tender.
The press secretary said that previously people could not register abandoned houses allotted to them in their own names, but the advisory council approved amendments to the law to remove this restriction.
He said that for the convenience of public, Eid-ul-Fitr holidays were extended by one day to April 3.
The council meeting also decided to declare a holiday on Chaitra Sankranti, the last day of Chaitra which is also the last month of Bangla year, for all communities, except Bengali community, living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the other areas in the country, Shafiqul said.