Men’s rights grp demands punishment for owner of rehab centre in Gazipur for rape 

A men's rights group demanded exemplary punishment of the owner of Bhawal Rehabilitation Centre in Gazipur, Feroza Naznin Badhan, for abuse and rape of teenagers and youths in the name of treatment.

They also called for a gender-neutral amendment of article 375 of the penal code.  

According to Article 375 of the Penal Code, a man is said to commit "rape" who, except in the case hereinafter excepted, has sexual intercourse with a woman under circumstances falling under any of the following descriptions: against her will; without her consent; with her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her in fear of death or hurt to herself or any other person or obtained under a misconception of fact and the man knows or has reason to believe that the consent was given in consequence of such misconception; with her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband, and consent is given she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married or to whom she would consent; with her consent, when, at the time of giving such consent, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent; with or without her consent, when she is under sixteen years of age.  Whoever commits rape shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.

The demands came from a human chain protest organised by the Aid for Men Foundation at Dhaka University on Saturday. 

Aid for Men convener of DU wing Mohin Murtaza Anik chaired the human chain. 

He said that it was reported in various media that Feroza Naznin Badhan used to force the incoming male patients, coming for treatment for drug addiction, to involve in sexual relations by torturing them physically and mentally. There is no other term to call her perverted mentality and behaviour but rape.  

"We demand the same punishment for Naznin which a rapist gets for his crime against women," he said.

Aid for Men central committee member Khalid Mahmud said it is worrying that there is no definition for a man being raped by a woman in any law of the country.

"Now a case cannot be filed against a rapist like Naznin for rape of men and teenagers due to the absence of a definition in our laws which is an injustice to those who are abused," he said.