From Silence to Violence: The Victims of 1971 Sexual Violence in Post-Independence Bangladesh


Nujhat Jahan, University of British Columbia

Sexual assault was one of the many violent crimes that took place in Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971, which resulted in the nations independence. The Pakistani Army targeted millions of Bengali women and used sexual violence as a weapon of war against them, aiming to abolish traditional culture and destroy their dignity. Despite numerous witnesses, the instances of women subjected to sexual violence were not accurately documented. The national narrative of the event remains male-centric. This secrecy, a form of historical silence, has influenced the lives of the victims, making it difficult to reveal their personal history in post-independence Bangladesh. This paper utilizes an archival method, specifically examining historical photographs and newspaper cuttings, to investigate the practices and experiences of these women in post-independence Bangladesh. The paper argues that the initiatives taken to restore them in society are layered with various forms of silence, including the unrecognized sacrifices they made, the economic injustices they faced, and their constant struggles for official recognition. This paper relates these layers of silence that continue to exist in society to various forms of violence that often go beyond observable forms. I draw upon the scholarship of renowned historian Michel Rolph Trouillot to understand the phenomenon of historical silence, while also relying on the insights of Pierre Bourdieu and Johan Galtung regarding the concept of violence. Thus, in order to understand this layered silence against the victims of sexual violence in Bangladesh today, I argue, one needs to understand the multiple forms of violence that they experience every day and how these incidents shape their lives. The findings of this study provide support for the idea that identifying sources of their sufferings, particularly in symbolic and structural forms, is deeply ingrained in the social environment to the point where it is perceived as a normal aspect of what is considered acceptable in society. 

This paper will be presented at the following session: