As Bangladesh prepares for the upcoming General Elections next month, reports indicate a surge in attacks targeting women, girls, and religious minorities, revealing a failure in safeguarding fundamental human rights under the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. Gender-based violence has notably escalated in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with religious groups being linked to the restrictions on women’s freedom and participation in society. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report highlights instances of verbal, physical, and digital abuse against women and girls following protests by hardline religious factions against gender equality efforts by the interim government.
The forthcoming General Election on February 12 marks the country’s first such event post the departure of the democratically-elected government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The HRW report further outlines a concerning rise in attacks on Hindu and ethnic minorities in recent months, including tragic incidents like the fatal beating of a garment worker over alleged blasphemy. Despite Bangladesh’s history of women’s political involvement, the upcoming elections reveal a significant lack of female representation, with many political parties fielding no women candidates, raising concerns about gender inclusivity in the electoral process.
Amidst discussions on the low participation of women candidates in the upcoming elections, various organizations have criticized the Election Commission’s lack of tangible steps towards ensuring gender-inclusive elections. Emphasizing the need for direct participation rather than reserved seats, forum leaders have questioned the commitment of political parties to their own stated goals. Notably, the disparity in candidate representation is stark, with women accounting for a mere fraction of the total aspirants, particularly in parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh, which have entirely excluded women from their candidate lists.
