Bangladesh

The Liberation War or the Bangladesh War of Independence began in March 1971 when the West Pakistan rules and army reacted to the calls for the self-determination of Bangladesh (former East Pakistan). A general election took place in Pakistan in 1970 during the military regime of President Yahya Khan. Awami League, the largest political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto conspired with Yahya Khan and refused to hand over power to Sheikh Mujib. When it was clear that prior promises made by the West-Pakistani government would not be followed, the whole nation of Bangla-speaking Muslims and Hindus of East Pakistan began the spirited struggle for liberation. Sheikh Mujib called for a non-cooperation movement in his momentous speech on March 7th, 1971. Pakistani military junta launched Operation Searchlight on March 25th, starting the Bangladesh Genocide. Up to 3 million Bangladeshis were killed, and hundreds of thousands of women were raped and attacked with sexual violence. After nine months, the Pakistani army surrendered, which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh on the 16th of December, ending 23 years of rule by Pakistan.

During the war, sexual violence was strategically and systematically used to dominate, humiliate and destroy the Bangladesh society. Rape camps were created where women were raped, tortured, and deprived of food. The Bangladeshi government estimates that 200.000 women were raped. However, the exact number is unclear due to underreporting because of stigmatisation.