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

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.