The Supreme Court of Bangladesh and BRAC jointly conducted a study on procedural barriers in the women and children repression prevention tribunals and identified effective measures to address them. The study’s findings show that only 3% of cases of violence against women and children result in convictions, while 70% of cases end in acquittals.
The results were presented at a consultative meeting today, Saturday, May 2, at the BRAC Center in Mohakhali, Dhaka. The Social Empowerment and Legal Protection (SELP) program of BRAC organized the event.
Speaking as the chief guest, Md. Asaduzzaman, Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, stated that, among the three core parts of the state, the judiciary remains the most neglected institution. This is evident from national budget allocations. While the entire judiciary receives approximately BDT 22 billion, nearly BDT 25 billion is allocated to Bangladesh Television alone. He noted that managing judicial salaries, administrative costs, and infrastructure within such limited resources is highly challenging.
In reference to the government’s plan to lower the number of open cases from 4 million to 400,000, he continued by saying that cases frequently split into several smaller cases, making a significant reduction impossible. Additionally, he noted that attorneys frequently cause delays. He went on to say that adjustments in ability, structure, and mindset are necessary to increase the efficacy of the legal system.
Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC, presided over the meeting. He pointed out that in a few key areas including education, healthcare, law enforcement, and the justice system, people’s experiences influence how the public views the government. The general public’s confidence in the state decreases when these sectors’ services are ineffective.
He said that increasing the budget is necessary, but it is not a solution in itself. Without accountability, good governance, and a sense of responsibility at both individual and institutional levels, meaningful change will not occur. Ensuring a women and child-friendly justice system requires a results-driven approach. Achieving the desired justice system demands collective responsibility, with all stakeholders taking ownership. He also emphasised the need to strengthen a ‘whole-of-government’ approach, where the police, medical professionals, and representatives of the Ministry of Law work collaboratively to deliver justice, with a particular focus on those most vulnerable.
Asif Saleh further stated that if the majority of people in the country, particularly women, believe they will not receive justice when their rights are violated, they will lose confidence in the system. Restoring trust in the judiciary is a gradual process. For a humane state, it is essential to reduce the time required to obtain justice, establish victim-centred administration, ensure penalties for false cases, and, particularly, build a safe and effective justice system for women.
Special guest at the event, Md Monjurul Hossain, Director General, Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid, remarked that the low conviction rate often leads to the perception that cases are false, but the reality is different. Around 70% of women who experience violence do not pursue legal action due to social structures, stigma and ostracisation. Given the stringent penalties under the law, the accused often attempt to coerce and intimidate. Prolonged proceedings and procedural complexities weaken many cases over time.
The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 was passed to guarantee prompt justice, but there are still major implementation issues, according to Shashwatee Biplob, Associate Director of BRAC’s Social Empowerment and Legal Protection (SELP) and Gender Justice and Diversity Programme, in her welcome remarks. For claimants to receive prompt and efficient justice, institutional improvements are essential.
ATM Morshed Alam, the SELP’s Legal Aid and Policy Advocacy Lead, moderated the discussion. Ummey Kulsum, a consultant and former district and sessions judge, gave the research overview.
The study analysed records and registers of 4,040 cases disposed of between January and June 2025 across 32 districts. It examined case duration, frequency of adjournments, repeated time petitions, types and outcomes of cases, profiles of witnesses and accused, average age and marital status of survivors, forensic and medical examinations, and patterns of conviction and acquittal.
The findings indicate that only 3% of cases resulted in conviction, while 70% ended in acquittal and 13% were settled. Although the law mandates disposal within 180 working days following investigation and trial, the average case duration was 1,370 days (3.7 years). On average, each case was scheduled for hearing 22 times.
The absence of complainants and witnesses, frequent requests for adjournments, investigation delays, inadequate evidentiary procedures, and a lack of witness protection are some of the major obstacles that have been noted.
The Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 has shortened the statutory case disposal period to 90 days in spite of these ongoing difficulties, but it does not sufficiently address the underlying procedural limitations.
The study offers several recommendations, including strict enforcement of statutory timelines, limiting unnecessary adjournments, ensuring accountability, timely availability of forensic and medical reports, strengthening the capacity of investigating officers, introducing performance evaluation mechanisms for prosecutors, ensuring in-camera and survivor-sensitive trials, expanding support services such as legal aid, counselling and shelters, and increasing the number of tribunals in districts with high caseloads.
Notably, the Bangladeshi government has given SELP particular distinction for providing legal assistance services. The initiative helped over 25,000 people in 2025 through 268 legal aid centers across the country, with about 90% of those people being women. Additionally, it sent legal knowledge messages to around 1.1 million people, boosting their self-esteem and capacity to pursue justice.
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