Human Rights Watch (HRW) has raised serious concerns about an increase in violence targeting women, girls, and religious minorities in Bangladesh ahead of the February 12 general elections — the country’s first since the August 2024 Monsoon revolution.
In its report titled Bangladeshi Women, Girls, Minorities Face Rising Violence, Subhajit Saha, Senior Coordinator of HRW’s Women’s Rights Division, documents that gender-based violence rose between January and June 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to police data.
The report highlights that religious hardline groups have intensified activity and rhetoric aimed at restricting women’s freedom and participation in society, contributing to a climate of harassment and abuse.
According to HRW, women and girls have faced verbal, physical, and digital abuse, which has silenced many and increased fear. The rights watchdog also noted attacks on Hindu minorities — including the mob killing of a 27-year-old garment worker over alleged blasphemy — and at least 51 incidents of violence against Hindu communities, including 10 killings.
Ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have also continued to face abuse, the report states.
Despite Bangladesh having two women prime ministers historically and strong female participation in the 2024 student movement, HRW expressed concern over limited political participation for women in the upcoming election — noting that 30 out of 51 registered political parties have no women candidates, and major parties like Jamaat-e-Islami have not nominated any women.
HRW urged the Bangladeshi government to adopt recommended reforms, including increasing women’s parliamentary representation, implementing the United Nations Security Council’s Women, Peace, and Security agenda, and upholding international human rights obligations.
Source: Human Rights Watch — “Bangladeshi Women, Girls, Minorities Face Rising Violence,” Subhajit Saha, Senior Coordinator, Women’s Rights Division, January 14, 2026. Original article: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/01/14/bangladeshi-women-girls-minorities-face-rising-violence