Rapists are beasts: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday termed the rapists as 'beasts' and said the government has incorporated the provision of death sentence into the relevant law to protect the girls from them, reports BSS.

"The rapists are beasts, and our girls are affected due to this beastly act (of some so-called people). That's why we have amended the relevant law in the cabinet by keeping a provision of capital punishment for rape," she said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing a programme marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief arranged the function at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium, and the Prime Minister joined it through a video conference from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Sheikh Hasina said as parliament is not in session now, the government is promulgating an ordinance to make the amendment effective.

"It is our aim to solve any problem when it arises, and we are working to this end," she said.

The theme of this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020 is "Disaster risk governance" while the theme for Bangladesh is 'Good Governance in Reducing Disaster Risk, Ensuring Sustainable Development'.

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md. Enamur Rahman presided over the programme. Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Disaster Management and Relief Ministry AB Tajul Islam and Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Mohsin also spoke.

Bedeni Nurunnahar and Md Reazul Huq expressed their feelings as they got disaster-resilient house from the government and newly recruited volunteer Kashfia Talukder also spoke at the programme.

Earlier, State Minister Enamur Rahman, on behalf of the Prime Minister, handed over awards to the winners of best volunteers.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated newly-built 17,005 disaster-resilient houses virtually and induction of volunteers, and unveiled the cover of a book entitled 'Standing Orders on Disaster'.

The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh, as a deltaic land, has to face natural calamities like cyclone, tidal waves, flood, earthquake, fire, river erosion and drought.

"These natural calamities will come time and again and we have to live facing all them. That's why we have to remain prepared all the time to combat them and we are doing that," she said.

She added that the government has already started to implement a long-term plan called Delta Plan 2100 to develop the country.

Sheikh Hasina said the government is dredging rivers to increase the navigability and depth, and re-excavating canals, beels, ponds and wetlands so that sufficient amount of water can be preserved there.

She said that capital dredging should be done for rivers so that these could contain water during the floods.

The Prime Minister said that the aim of the government is to move the country forward maintaining natural equilibrium and overall development.

She asked the authorities concerned to strictly maintain the free flow of wetlands, rivers, canals and beels.

"If we continue to fill up wetlands, rivers, canals and beels, and construct buildings, it will cause waterlogging, destroy natural balance, affecting the country badly," she said.

The Prime Minister briefly described various measurers of the government to improve the disaster management system of the country and overcome the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.