Special tribunal goes tough: 2 get death sentences, 4 life in child abuse cases

A special tribunal established to ensure speedy trials in cases of violence against children has sentenced six defendants in nine months, including two to death and four to life imprisonment.

Between January and September this year, the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal delivered verdicts in six cases, handing down the sentences as part of efforts to expedite justice for crimes against children.

Pankaj Peter Gomez, bench assistant to the tribunal, said the court disposed of a total of 49 cases during the nine-month period. Of these, six resulted in convictions and sentences. A further 1,921 cases are currently pending before the tribunal.

On 7 June, the tribunal sentenced Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Akter, to death for the murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Pallabi. The trial was completed and the verdict delivered in just five working days.

The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act was enacted in 2000 to prevent violence against women and children and ensure speedy trials of related offences. The law provides for the establishment of tribunals in every district headquarters, with provisions allowing more than one tribunal to be set up in a district where necessary.

Subsequently, the authorities moved to establish specialised tribunals to expedite trials involving serious crimes against children, particularly rape and murder following rape. The initiative aims to complete trials within 180 days, protect child victims and ensure exemplary punishment for perpetrators. The Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal formally began its judicial proceedings in June last year.

The tribunal hears cases under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act involving murder following rape. The law provides for the maximum penalty in cases where such crimes are proved.

Omar Faruque Faruqi, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor, said the government was prioritising the speedy disposal of cases involving violence against children. The special tribunal was established specifically to accelerate the judicial process in such cases.

He said the tribunal was imposing a range of penalties, including imprisonment, death sentences and fines.

In some verdicts, he added, courts had also ordered compensation to be paid to the families of victims. Where allegations of rape followed by murder are proved, the tribunal is applying the maximum punishment prescribed by law.