The Bangladeshi authorities must ensure justice after an online video emerged showing a group of men stripping and severely beating a woman in the southern district of Noakhali, Amnesty International said today. The video, posted on social media on 4 October, shows a woman being stripped of her clothes, slapped, kicked and punched by a group of five men for almost half an hour. The beating, which was recorded from start to finish and is believed to have taken place on 2 September, is the latest incident in an escalating wave of violence against women in the country. According to the local human rights organization Ain-o-Salish Kendra ASK , between January and September , at least rape cases were reported in Bangladesh, including gang-rapes. Human rights organizations and local civil society blame the flawed criminal justice system, undermined by weak investigation processes and poor evidence management, for the appallingly low number of convictions. The persistent failure to protect victims and witnesses is also a major source of concern, with women fearing stigmatization and not feeling safe reporting the crimes committed against them.

Sixteen-year-old Era not her real name from Narayanganj in Bangladesh fell for a boy online. At first, they used to chat on Facebook Messenger. Later they exchanged voice messages and then started talking on the phone. Before she realized, Era became emotionally involved with the boy.

Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. Please give now to support our work. Dhaka — The Bangladesh government is yet to take sufficient steps to end child marriage, in spite of promises to do so, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Instead, in steps in the wrong direction, after her July pledge to end child marriage by , Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attempted to lower the age of marriage for girls from 18 to 16 years old, raising serious doubts about her commitment.