Stop violence against women

Violence against women is a manifestation of discrimination against women by men which results in physical or psychological harm and deprivation. Though the literacy rate of Bangladesh is increasing day by day, the extremeness of violence against women remains the same. Women of all economic strata are maltreated by their husbands or other family members throughout their lifecycle.

Domestic violence, rape, acid burning, dowry, harassment, forced marriage, trafficking and coerced prostitution have become very common phenomena in Bangladesh. Newspapers show that violence against women has increased at an alarming rate since 1990.

The reasons of violence are rooted in the society itself. In a patriarchal society like ours, women are regarded as subordinate to men. Most of the time gender based violence is justified here as a form of protection of women. The effect of such violence leads to unequal power relation between men and women.

Moreover, poverty, landlessness, lack of education and religious dogma increase tension among the poor households which give rise to forced marriage, child marriage or dowry system. Traditional attitude, religious dogma, lack of education and violation of law are the underlying causes of violence against women in Bangladesh. Due to the lack of reliable surveys the exact number of violence is unknown.

But the nongovernmental organization (NGO) reports indicate that Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the name of tradition, culture and religion. According to the UNFPA report, about 11 million Bangladeshi women experience physical and mental torture every year.  In 2017, 127 women were physically abused, 242 women were the victims of sexual harassment and 783 women and children got raped (source: odhikar.org).

The report on Violence Against Women (VAW) survey 2015 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has found that about 11 percent face economic exploitation. From 2010 to 2012 Bangladesh police received 109621 complaints about violence.

Most of the time the inspector   general of police involve in violence activities while investigating the crimes. In order to ensure the environment of full participation of women in our socio-economic situation certain important steps should be taken immediately.

Government should ensure that woman's rights are respected and protected through policy, law and practice. Government should take the policy of Zero tolerance in order to stop trafficking, dowry, rape and forced marriage. Easy access to courts and appropriate punishment for violation of laws should be ensured. Government should focus on more economic opportunities for women through easy access to credit, bank loans, mortgages. Skill development projects for women should be developed in the rural areas.
 Awareness raising programs about women should be incorporated in all training programs for police, magistrates, legal personnel and judiciary.

The roles of the courts in case of domestic violence should be changed. In this regard the attitudinal changes in the part of the judges are essential. Government should treat women and men equally in all matters relating to law, civil and contractual matters and property ownership. Proper reservations for women in politics and public life should be ensured to make women politically more active.

 It should also be ensured that all appropriate measures have been taken to health care services, education and employment opportunities. Social security schemes should be developed to ensure participation of women in recreational activities, sports and cultural life. Regular basis survey about women should be committed by the government to determine what appropriate steps should be taken further.

Newspapers and media should play an active role to raise awareness against violence. Facebook groups can be created by the young generation to make people conscious about the violence of women. Documentary films can be made to make people understand that women have the equal birthright to flourish themselves according to their personal choices as that of men.

TV serials and movies should avoid the scenes that encourage violence against women in the subconscious mind of the common people. Finally, our own awareness and support for women rights is necessary. Government alone cannot stop violence against women. Government as well as the conscious community together can bring about a society free from all kinds of violence against women.        

Sajia Afrin is a Lecturer,Department of Philosophy , Jagannath University.