Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday (Oct 13 ) termed the rapists as ‘beasts’ and said the government has inducted the provision of death sentence into the related law to protect the girls from these beasts.
“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 PM said this while addressing a programme marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief arranged the function at Osmani Memorial Auditorium, while the PM joined it from her official residence Ganabhaban, local media reported.
Sheikh Hasina said that as Parliament is now not in session, the government is promulgating an ordinance to make the amendment effective.
“It is our aim to face any problem when it arises and solve that, 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 has been fixed – ‘Good Governance in Reducing Disaster Risk, Ensuring Sustainable Development’.
State Minister of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md. Enamur Rahman presided over the programme where 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 resilience house from the government and newly recruited volunteer Kashfia Talukder also spoke at the programme.
Earlier, State Minister for Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md. Enamur Rahman, on behalf of the Prime Minister, handed over awards among the winners of best volunteers.
The PM also inaugurated newly-built 17,005 disaster resilience houses virtually and induction of volunteers, and unveiled the cover of ‘Standing Orders of Disaster’ book.
The PM 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 these. That’s why we have to remain prepared all time to combat these 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 that the government is dredging rivers to increase the navigability and depth, 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 flood time.
The PM said that the aim of the government is to advance the country 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 water-logging, destroy natural balance, affecting the country badly,” she said.
The PM briefly described various measurers of the government for improving the disaster management system of the country and facing the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
