Dhaka is on edge as general elections loom next month, with a disturbing spike in attacks on women, girls, and religious minorities casting a long shadow over the interim government’s promises. Led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, the administration faces mounting criticism for failing to safeguard basic human rights amid this rising tide of violence.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), based in New York, has flagged police data showing a sharp rise in gender-based violence cases from January to June 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Senior Coordinator for Women’s Rights at HRW, Shubhajeet Saha, points to the role of conservative religious groups whose rhetoric seeks to curtail women’s freedom of movement and societal participation. In May 2025, these groups protested the interim government’s pushes for gender equality, demanding a halt to what they labeled ‘anti-Islamic’ activities. Since then, women and girls have endured verbal abuse, physical assaults, and online harassment, silencing their voices further under the threat of violence.
The February 12 election marks the first national vote since the ouster of democratically elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. HRW’s report also highlights a surge in assaults on Hindus and ethnic minorities in recent months. One chilling incident in December saw 27-year-old Dipuchandra Das lynched by a mob on alleged blasphemy charges. Rights groups have documented at least 51 attacks on Hindus, including 10 murders, while ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts continue to face abuses from security forces post-uprising.
Bangladesh boasts a history of female leadership with two former women prime ministers and robust female participation in the 2024 student protests. Yet, women’s political involvement remains woefully limited. Of 51 political parties contesting the upcoming polls, 30 have fielded zero female candidates. The Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party nominated not a single woman among its 276 contenders. Analysts decry this as a ‘shameful’ low point, potentially the election with the fewest women candidates in the nation’s history.
At a recent Dhaka seminar titled ‘Crisis in Nominating Women Candidates: The Gap Between Party Pledges and Actions, and Election Commission’s Accountability,’ speakers lambasted the Election Commission for hollow rhetoric on ‘gender-inclusive elections’ despite scant on-ground progress. Representatives from groups like Gonoswasthya Kendra, Durbar Network Foundation, and Feminist Alliance of Bangladesh urged direct electoral contests over reserved seats, demanding merit-based representation.
As Bangladesh hurtles toward the polls, the interim government’s ability to curb this violence and promote inclusivity will define its legacy. Failure here risks deepening divisions in a nation already fractured by recent upheavals.
