First Women OC

First time in the history of Bangladesh a woman is chief of a police division. Hosne Ara Begum has been appointed chief officer to a division in the capital Dhaka, as of May 18th. She started her career with the Bangladesh police in 1981 and has worked in many regions of Bangladesh, in different police jurisdictions and departments, including the Intelligence Branch of the Bangladesh police. Women first entered the country’s police force in 1974. Then there were only 14, now there are 1,937, and among them 1,331 police constables. Contacted by AsiaNews, Begun said she is “really lucky to be the first female Office-in-Charge and to be a positive part of history in Bangladesh. I have been given the chance to prove my commitment to the nation once more”. For Khushi Kabir, a prominent human rights activist, Begum’s appointment is an important sign for discrimination against women.” We have experienced in the past that, under police custody, women were being raped by police officers themselves” states Kabir, affirming that even among the police there is “impunity after violating the law or human rights”, particularly the rights of women.