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Key barriers include the absence of complainants and witnesses, frequent adjournments, delays in investigation, weak evidentiary systems, and a lack of witness protection.

Meanwhile, the Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 has reduced the statutory timeframe for case disposal to 90 days, without addressing the persistent challenges and underlying procedural constraints.

The study recommended stricter enforcement of timelines, limiting unnecessary adjournments, ensuring accountability, timely provision of forensic and medical reports, strengthening investigative capacity, introducing performance evaluation for prosecutors, ensuring in-camera and survivor-sensitive trials, expanding support services such as legal aid, counselling and shelters, and increasing the number of tribunals in high-caseload districts.

Speaking as chief guest, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said, “There are over 40 lakh cases pending in the country. A judge informed us that around three lakh cases fall under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, yet there are only 101 judges.”

“It is extremely difficult to manage so many cases with so few judges. We must address this,” he also said, adding that making the recently passed Legal Aid Act more modern and effective remains a key challenge.

Referring to preventive measures, he said, “We have adopted two approaches. One is preventive -- Legal Aid Centres have been tasked with initiating mediation before cases are filed. If disputes can be resolved through mediation, the flow of cases will reduce.”

“Another initiative concerns 11(C) [physical assault or injury to a wife over dowry demands] magistrates. We are observing whether this reduces or increases the tendency to file false cases. If 11(C) cases can be concluded through summary trials and the backlog is reduced, we may consider expanding such alternatives. If necessary, the law can be amended.”

The minister also described the judiciary as the country’s most “neglected sector”, noting that its total budget allocation is Tk 2,200 crore -- lower than that of state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV).

He cited bureaucratic inefficiencies, noting that judges often lack authority to make even minor administrative purchases.

He also noted that, in some cases, legal practitioners contribute to delays, stressing that improving the justice system requires changes in mindset, structure and capacity.

BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh, who chaired the session, said the state’s public perception is shaped by experiences in key sectors such as education, healthcare, law enforcement and justice.

“When services in these sectors are ineffective, public trust declines,” he said, adding that increasing the budget alone would not suffice without accountability, good governance and responsibility at both individual and institutional levels.

He stressed a results-driven, women- and children-friendly justice system and a “whole-of-government” approach involving police, medical professionals and legal authorities.

Saleh warned that if women, in particular, lose confidence in receiving justice, trust in the system will erode further. Restoring that trust requires reducing delays, ensuring victim-centred processes, penalising false cases, and building a safe and effective justice system, he said.

Md Monjurul Hossain, director general of the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid, and Shashwatee Biplob, associate director of BRAC’s SELP and Gender Justice and Diversity Programme, also spoke.

ATM Morshed Alam, legal aid and policy advocacy lead at SELP, moderated the session, while Ummey Kulsum, consultant and former district and sessions judge, presented the research overview.