Bangladesh’s University Grants Commission (UGC) has warned that it will take action against universities that fail to address sexual harassment complaints or neglect their responsibilities. UGC Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed made the remarks on Thursday at a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the UGC and UN Women at the UGC building in Agargaon. He said universities must ensure safe and supportive environments for female teachers, students and staff.

Ahmed said forming sexual-harassment prevention committees alone is insufficient, and the committees must work effectively. Under High Court directives, all public universities and several private universities have formed such committees, but UGC monitoring found that many were not performing as expected. He stressed that every complaint must be investigated promptly and resolved through necessary action.

The UGC is also moving to form a national committee to coordinate and monitor university complaint and remedy systems and prevention activities. The EU-funded UGC-UN Women project will strengthen institutional capacity at five universities. At the event, a 2024 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey said 16 percent of women aged 20 to 24 had experienced technology-facilitated gender-based violence.