Marital rape and legal bars

The law of Bangladesh is yet to criminalise the act of marital rape. A group of lawyers, however, have recently filed a petition after a 14-year-old girl died last month at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to excessive bleeding after what the media said was "rape" by her husband. The High Court has questioned legal provisions that bar married women from seeking justice for rape by their husbands and why it should not order the government to nullify the sections of the law. According to the sections of the Penal Code, if a man rapes his wife and if she is more than 12 years old, he cannot be tried for the incident.
Many married women face forced intercourses or 'rape' committed by their husbands but cannot seek justice for this section. Marital rape either remains outside the purview of the criminal law but widely tolerated in our society.
Sexual intercourse without consent must be considered illegal and it should be declared as a violation of the fundamental right of married women.
Wares Ali Khan
Sadar, Narsingdi
[email protected]