e_Paper (25 November 2016)

32
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016
DT
TRADE UNION URGES GOVT TO ENSURE
RIGHTS OF TAZREEN FIRE VICTIMS PAGE 13
Back Page
BPL 4 ENTERS BUSINESS
STAGES TODAY PAGE 24
40 YEARS OF ‘PAYER
AWAAJ PAOA JAI’ PAGE 24
Truck bomb blast
kills 80 Shia
pilgrims in Iraq
• AFP
A suicide truck bomb blast in Iraq
killed at least 80 people Thursday,
most of them Iranian pilgrims returning
from the holy city of Karbala,
a security official said. "There
are at least 80 dead, fewer than 10
are Iraqis, the rest are Iranians," Falah
al-Radhi, head of the security
committee for the Babylon provincial
council, told to the reporters.
The truck bomb ripped through
a petrol station where buses packed
with Shia pilgrims returning from
the Arbaeen commemoration in the
Iraqi city of Karbala were parked,
security officials said. Several Iranian
nationals, the largest contingent
of foreigners at the Arbaeen
pilgrimage that ended on Monday
- were among the victims, the Joint
Operations Command (JOC) said.
"At least seven buses with pilgrims
were inside the petrol station
at the time," sais police.
The blast struck in the village of
Shomali, 120km southeast of the
capital Baghdad and around 80km
from Karbala. "Those buses were
loaded with Iranians, Bahrainis and
Iraqis. Ambulances and civil defence
are on their way to the site," a
police intelligence source said.
A Shomali resident said the petrol
station was on the main motorway
between Baghdad and the
southern port city of Basra. "There
were Iranians but also lots of people
from Basra and Nasiriyah,"
Cabinet approval keeps special provision for child marriage
• Shohel Mamun
The cabinet yesterday approved
the draft of Child Marriage Restraint
Act 2016, keeping a provision
to allow child marriage in special
cases.
According to the provision, if
a girl accidentally or illegally gets
pregnant, she will be allowed to
marry for the sake of her honour.
The much-talked-about draft
was approved in a cabinet meeting
held at the Prime Minister’s
Office with Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina in the chair yesterday afternoon.
Mousa Omran said, referring to another
southern city.
Between 17 and 20 million people
visited Karbala, home to the
mausoleum of Imam Hussein, for
Arbaeen, which is one of the world's
largest religious events. The dayslong
final phase of the pilgrimage
sees huge numbers of pilgrims walk
long distances to reach Karbala.
According to the Iraqi authorities,
around three million Iranians
were among this year's visitors.
Many of them stay a few days
longer to visit the shrine city. Iraq's
security forces were on high alert
for the duration of the pilgrimage,
seen as a major potential target for
the Islamic State group.
The jihadist organisation, which
is currently trying to defend its
last major Iraqi bastion of Mosul
against a massive offensive, has
claimed countless such bombings.
Observers had feared the group,
whose cross-border caliphate is
crumbling under the pressure
of multiple military operations
backed by Iran and the West, would
seek to attack Karbala.
Around 25,000 members of the
security forces were deployed in
and around the city last week to
protect the pilgrims and the shrine
but some have since returned to
the front lines.
Thursday's attack marred an
Arbaeen commemoration that had
passed with fewer attacks than in
previous years. •
“The draft has been approved
with a goal to reduce the high rate
of child marriage in Bangladesh,”
Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam
told reporters at the Bangladesh
Secretariat after the meeting.
“In case of violation, the provision
has a maximum penalty of
Tk100,000 along with two years’
imprisonment,” he said.
According to the proposed law,
anyone under 18 years of age in
general will be considered a child;
but in cases of marriage, any male
under the age of 21 and female under
the age of 18 will be considered
minors.
Artistes perform at the inaugural function of Bengal Musical Festival at Army stadium, Dhaka yesterday
2016 sees more child rapes
• Arifur Rahman Rabbi
Despite a strict law and efforts of
raising awareness, rape of children
has shown an increase this year.
Children are raped every day
across Bangladesh; children are not
even safe at homes.
Statistics of Bangladesh Shishu
Adhikar Forum (BSAF) shows that
325 children were raped during
January-September this year.
A total of 1,301 children were
raped in between 2012 and September
2016. The number was highest
last year with 521 child rapes.
The numbers were 199 in 2014,
170 in 2013 and 86 in 2012.
Experts think the number would
not have gone so high if child abuse
cases had been disposed of quicker
and exemplary punishment had
been meted out to the perpetrators.
According to BSAF statistics, a
total of 169 children were victims
of gang rape, 93 were murdered after
rapes, 32 committed suicides after
rapes and attempts were made
to rape 165 children.
The majority of them were raped
between the ages of 5 to 12. The rapists
tempted the children with chocolates,
toys or fancy stuff and took
them to a deserted place and raped.
Children between 13 and 18
years of age were raped with offers
of marriage or rapists forced them
to go to a secluded place or they
were raped when alone at home.
Of the 325 children raped in
2016, 48 were victims of gang rape
while 31 physically challenged children
and five housemaids were
raped and 15 were killed after rapes.
It also stipulates that a marriage
between two minors or between a
minor and an adult will be considered
a child marriage.
The cabinet secretary said:
“No matter what other provisions
of the law say, a minor will be
allowed to marry in special cases
for the sake of honour – in case of a
girl getting accidentally or illegally
pregnant – with approval from a
court and and agreement between
the parents.”
Shafiul Alam said the age of a
person will be fixed consulting his/
her birth certificate, National ID,
passport or certificate of any public
examinations including the PSC
and JSC.
According to the law, the court
will impose a ban on any marriage
if anyone claims it as child marriage.
The court might reject the
ban also.
If anyone violates the ban, he or
she will face six months’ imprisonment
and Tk10,000 fine or both as
punishment.
If the claim is proved false,
punishment is maximum six
months’ imprisonment and at least
Tk30,000 fine or both.
Minors who marry will face
maximum 15 days’ imprisonment
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Director of BSAF Abdus Shahid
Mahmud said as rapists and criminals
are not brought to justice,
child rapes are on the rise.
Secondly, there is loopholes in
the law through which a perpetrator
can easily escape justice.
Thirdly, most of the victims
are from poor families and that
is another reason as to why the
victims cannot get justice. As the
criminals are above the status
of the victims, they either settle
the issue in exchange for money
or frighten them away with their
muscle power.
Human rights activist advocate
Alina Khan said there are laws, but
laws are not applied properly. Cases
are filed but a section of police
often do not investigate those in
exchange for money. •
or Tk5,000 fine.
Any adult male or female
will face a maximum penalty of
Tk100,000 fine along with two
years of imprisonment or both if he
or she marries any minor.
If parents are found involved in
organising child marriage, they will
be punished with maximum six
months’ imprisonment and at least
Tk50,000 fine or both. If the parents
are not capable of paying the
fine, the jail term will be increased
for more three months.
If a child marriage is registered,
the licence of the marriage conductor
will be cancelled. •
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower,
8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com