The Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner on Saturday urged the journalists to use ‘women repression’ instead of rape in media reports.
He said this at the launch of ‘HELP’– Harassment Elimination Literacy Programme– an app-based service on Saturday to enhance women’s safety on public transport.
The Broadcast Journalist Centre and Switch Bangladesh Foundation jointly launched the service to enhance women’s safety on public transport.
 ‘I dislike two words very much, one of which is rape,’ Sheikh Sajjat Ali said, adding, ‘I request you not to use it, say instead women repression.’
‘Our law also says women and children repression,’ he added.
He also said that words that were unpleasant to hear should be avoided.
Urging media professionals to show less of incidents that create panic or fear among public, the DMP commissioner said that it was media’s responsibility to cover news, but it could be shown in a ‘reasonable’ way.
Speaking as chief guest at the event, DMP commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali suggested that if the app directly reported incidents to police stations, it could serve as a first information report, enabling law enforcement agencies to take legal action and initiate investigations.
The app was inaugurated at about 11:00am at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka, said a press release by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The initiative was funded by the European Union and supported by Free Press Unlimited and Article 19.
The HELP app would enable women facing harassment on public transport to seek immediate assistance and report incidents, which would be sent to volunteers and local police stations.
It would initially be piloted on the Basila-Sayedabad route in Dhaka, where QR codes would be installed on buses on the Mohammadpur-Sayedabad route, allowing women to quickly access help.
Broadcast Journalist Centre president Rezwanul Haque and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad president Fouzia Moslem were also present at the event.
