Sexual Harassment in Public Transport in Dhaka City: A Socio-legal Assessment

Abstract

The present study is undertaken to find out the current legal framework on sexual offences in Bangladesh and the prevalent status of sexual offences in public transport in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The present legal framework on sexual offences is not appropriate to address the ongoing problems. Enactment of appropriate laws is imperative to fill up the present legal vacuum in addressing sexual offences in Bangladesh. To understand the current scenario of sexual offences in public transport in Dhaka city a systematic approach was adopted in this study. The paper finds that the incidence of sexual harassment in public transport in Dhaka city is unfortunately very high. The primary victims of such incidents are women and so sexual harassment in public transport in Dhaka city is predominantly gender-based violence. The study also finds the causes and barriers to redressing the current sexual offences in transport. It is shown in the paper that the victims are in many respects not willing or capable to resort to legal assistance for so many reasons. The article finally suggested some possible solutions suggested by the victims to the problems of sexual violence in public transport in Dhaka city.