The Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday passed the Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in a bid to ensure the death penalty for rape.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira moved the bill in the House. Later, the bill was unanimously passed by voice votes with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, reports BSS.
Explaining on the bill, the state minister said the enactment of the law will impose a positive role in the society, adding, “The present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is much aware of establishing the women’s right.”
Opposing the provision of the death penalty in the proposed law, opposition lawmaker Shamim Haider Patwary said, “We will not get the benefit of the law without increasing the appointment of Judges as the country needs 18,000 judges for the judiciary.”
Earlier, the ‘Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ was placed in parliament on November 8, this year.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira placed the bill, which was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny.
In the newly-passed law, the punishment for rape is the death penalty or life imprisonment.
According to Article 9 (1) of the existing Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-2000, the punishment for rape is life imprisonment.
The law was promulgated through the President’s ordinance on October 13 as the parliament was not in session at that time and due to growing demands from the public to ensure the death penalty for rapists.
As per the legal obligation, the ordinance was placed in parliament on the first sitting of the special session by the Law Minister Anisul Huq.
The trial of rape cases shall be completed by 180 days at Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunals as per the existing law.