“She is a courageous girl and has been able to overcome the trauma,” Bangladesh Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Samiti Executive Director Salma Ali said on Sunday after visiting the victim at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

“She is helping in identification of her abusers. Every women should have the mental strength to continue the fight like this.”

She added the law enforcers can catch the criminals if they were willing and “we demand they do it as fast as possible”.

The lawyer said whatever their social status or political clout, the perpetrators must be made to face justice.

She observed the failure to bring such criminals to justice in the past was triggering a rise in such crimes.

Writer Selina Hossain said, “These incidents keep on happening. If the government does not tighten the leash, if the people do not change their mentality, these would not stop.”

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Meher Afroze Chumki, also visited the victim along with others on Sunday.

“We cannot accept such abuse on the streets when the government is working to empower women. I hope the home ministry investigates the matter and take steps after identifying the criminals,” she said.

Hill Women Federation demonstrate on Sunday demanding arrest of criminals who gang raped a Garo girl last week.

Responding to government failures in addressing such crimes, she said, “This is not only a matter for the women and children affairs ministry to look into. There is the home ministry, other ministries. The judiciary is responsible for cases getting stuck. We cannot pressurise them.”

“Police should be more caring about these matters. We will also see if there were any negligence.”

Police have formed a three-strong committee to coordinate investigations of the case filed by the victim.



Doctors found evidence of forced sex on Sunday when she showed up for medical examination following police complaint. Since then, she has been getting medical care at the facility.



Doctor Bilquis Begum said the girl had recovered physically but was still under a lot of psychological pressure.



“She would need a number of sessions with a counsellor. But we are done with the tests and if she wants to go to her family, she can.”



The 21-year-old salesperson, who worked at an outlet in Jamuna Future Park, was dragged onto a microbus from a bus-stop in front of the shopping mall.



Five youths in their 20s, who were on the microbus, took turns to ravage her before dumping her at Jasimuddin intersection of Uttara.



Her elder sister solicited everyone’s help in identifying the criminals and expressed indignation at the coverage of the incident by some media outlets.



“They published our names and addresses. It is embarrassing. But that’s that. We only want justice.”