Rape Victims Say War Crimes Overlooked

Bangladesh may be celebrating the 40th anniversary of its independence from Pakistan, but to the women raped three decades ago by the Pakistani Army, the wounds of the 1971 war of secession are still fresh. Some of these women have been honored with plaques noting their bravery but, as Laily Begum, one of the 200,000 women raped as Pakistan resisted Bangladeshi freedom, argues, a small plaque is not a substitute for justice. Unfortunately, justice may now be hard to achieve, as decades have erased forensic evidence—and a fear being shunned urges many women to keep their stories quiet.