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Addressing the Legal Void: Ensuring Justice for Adult Male Rape Victims in Bangladesh

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2024

Md. Tanvir Alam Open the ORCID record for Md. Tanvir Alam [Opens in a new window] ,
Ahmad Abbas ,
Iin Mutmainnah  and
Sabrina Afrin Tonny Open the ORCID record for Sabrina Afrin Tonny [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

The objective of this study is to explore and determine the legal constraints related to adult male rape and the consequences as they exist in the Bangladeshi criminal justice system. Primary and secondary data sources for the study were derived from the narratives of adult male rape survivors, blood relatives of rape survivors, police officers, and legal practitioners. A snowball sampling technique was applied. The study reveals that there is an absence of a police-support response to adult male rape victims, which is attributable to the lack of a gender-neutral definition of rape. This legal definition vacuum diverts complainants to a range of other futile options, such as submitting a general diary and/or adjacent complaints and seeking assistance from other law enforcement agencies. Finally, this study demonstrates that the landscape of the Bangladeshi criminal justice system is likely to remain unchanged until its legal foundation is better developed.

Keywords

adult male rapecriminal justice systemlegal vacuumBangladesh
Type
Article
Information
International Journal of Legal Information , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , Summer 2023 , pp. 105 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by International Association of Law Libraries

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Footnotes

*

© Md. Tanvir Alam 2023. The author holds BPA, MPA, and MPCHRS degrees, and he is a human rights defender and a certified human rights consultant. He is currently serving as an adjunct faculty member at Stamford University Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: babu.taanvir@gmail.com.

**

Lecturer of Department Sharia and Islamic Business Economics, Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Majene, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, ahmad.abbas@stainmajene.ac.id.

***

Lecturer of Criminal Law Study, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Law, IAIN Parepare, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, iinmutmainnah36@gmail.com.

****

Sabrina Afrin Tonny 2023. The author Sabrina Afrin Tonny currently holds BSS and MDS degrees, and serves as a Research Assistant at Liberation War Museum, Dhaka Bangladesh.

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