Sources also said the number of cases being referred for DNA testing are fewer.

The National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) has so far received 100 cases, including 20 rape cases referred by DMCH One-Stop Crisis Centre, since its operation started on January 23 last year.

But unfortunately, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) test results of most of the rape cases have remained incomplete for a long time as investigators failed to arrest and bring the suspects to the laboratory for their DNA test.

Laboratory officials said such a test can be carried out in just two weeks. The DNA test of a dead body takes two days, they added.

Experts said crime scene evidence collected by law enforcers is not satisfactory and enough but DNA profiling requires more evidence.

They said because of their inexperience the law enforcers sometimes destroy the evidence that cannot be detected with bare eyes. They suggested organising training for the law enforcers to make them more efficient and skilled in collecting evidence.

Meanwhile, individuals facing criminal offences most often cannot seek the facility since it requires coming through a legal system.

The cases brought for DNA profiling this year include 23 paternity disputes, 25 rape cases, two related to immigration, three for murder and one for dead body identification. About 40 cases were brought for DNA profiling last year.

THE PROJECT
Danish aid agency Danida and Bangladesh government jointly set up the laboratory under the "Multisectoral Programme on Violence Against Women" project.

Five DNA screening laboratories were set up at five divisional towns across the country under the first phase of the project, which is likely to end this year. About 15 staffs are working at the Dhaka laboratory while four staffs are working at the divisional laboratories each.

The cost for DNA test of each sample is Tk 5,000 while the final profiling is conducted at the DMCH laboratory.

Awareness building and training programmes involving different groups of professionals, including the police and lawyers, are arranged under the project.

The second phase of the project will aim at expanding the facility at the district level, sources said.

A piece of evidence goes through three stages of testing--DNA screening, DNA extraction, and DNA analysing--for the profiling. Sophisticated machines like genetic analyser and polymerase chain reaction machine are used for the tests.

"If the government wants to take the facility to the people, the national budget should have specific allocation for the sector," said Sharif Akhteruzzaman, national technical adviser at the Dhaka DNA profiling laboratory.

"The facilities of DNA technology could not be extended to victims due to lack of a comprehensive government plan and the law enforcers' diminutive knowledge of it," he added.

The laboratory authorities claimed that although they had difficulties in using the technology in the beginning, they can handle any case now with 100 percent efficiency and accuracy.