A wave of rape and sexual violence has raised alarm across Anwara and Karnaphuli upazilas, major industrial hubs where thousands of women work in factories. Police records show 11 rape cases were filed in Anwara alone between January and August 2025, including incidents of gang rape and child rape.
Local officials admit that while women’s employment is rising, their safety is increasingly under threat. Anwara Upazila Women’s Affairs Officer Shirin Islam described the area as “very sensitive” for women workers, while civil society representatives pointed out that harassment and violence have grown alongside industrial growth. Many survivors say they were targeted while seeking jobs at the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) and nearby factories.
Police investigations detail a disturbing series of cases: a CUFL employee arrested in January for rape under the pretext of marriage; the body of a woman found near Dakshin Sholkata in March; the rape of a 15-year-old student in May; the gang-rape of a young woman in a CNG autorickshaw after a recruitment test in June; multiple child rapes reported in July; and the gang-rape of a woman lured with a job offer in August. Arrests have been made in several cases, but rights groups warn that such crimes remain widespread and underreported.
National figures from Bangladesh Mahila Parishad show 405 rapes across the country in the first seven months of 2025, underlining the scale of the crisis. Activists argue that industrial areas like Anwara expose women to heightened risk, where poverty, job insecurity, and lack of oversight combine to make them especially vulnerable. They call for urgent reforms — from stronger law enforcement to workplace protections — to ensure that women can earn a livelihood without fear of violence
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