Preventing violence against women

The UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranks Bangladesh 142 in gender inequality, which is a good indicator of the disparities that exists in our society. Over the past year, a staggering 24,199 women victims of violence were treated and supported by state-run One-Stop Crisis Centres around the country, of whom only 5,398 went on to press charges.

The forms of violence faced by these women include domestic abuse, physical assault, rape, acid hurling, burning, sexual harassment, dowry and early marriage.  

Domestic violence by intimate partners or other family members is the most common form of violence faced by women from all walks of life. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, nearly 9 out of 10 wives are victims of physical, sexual or mental abuse.

Take the case of 28-year-old Anita (not her real name). A graduate in English, she tied the knot three years ago with her boyfriend, who is a well-to-do businessman. Anita conceived her first child within months of her marriage and after a difficult pregnancy, gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She soon started noticing a change in her husband. His loving attitude towards her became less respectful; he would pick on her every move and complain bitterly if the baby fell ill or would not sleep at night.

Her husband’s behaviour started to deteriorate fast. He would ignore her and only speak to their daughter and talk back rudely whenever she tried to speak to him. During fights, when Anita would complain about his bad attitude and his lack of attention towards household duties, he would become aggressive and hit her, even when she became pregnant for a second time.

Talking to this correspondent, Anita broke down and shared her sorrow. After the birth of her second child, her husband became a complete stranger. One day, when confronted, he confessed that he had married another woman. Shocked and distressed, Anita moved to her parents’ home, where she received support initially. But after a while, her parents and in-laws tried to persuade her to accept the situation and advised her against taking legal measures.

Her husband taunted that she had no more ‘value’ as she had two children and no other man would remarry her. So, it would be wiser for her to stay with him and his other wife, or give up the children’s custody, he insisted.    

Refusing to believe that she had no other option than accept this demeaning proposal, Anita took legal advice from Ain O Shalish Kendra (ASK), who informed her of her rights and provided her free legal advice.

Although she learned what she could do, she never took any steps thinking of her children, and also, she did not want to go against her elders.

“How could I go against my parents’ advice when they are the only ones supporting me and my children?” said Anita. “I have heard things like ‘men sometimes behave this way, you should wait for him to come to his senses’. It is just sad how in this time and age, even the educated women of our society suffer in the hands of their partners and are advised against taking legal measures,” she added.  

Many domestic abuse cases in urban areas, like Anita’s, go unrecorded. On the other hand, more and more domestic violence cases are reported and resolved through collective community decisions in rural areas.

The case of Mahmuda Begum from a small village in Barisal is an example of how a woman can stop abuse at home. Maumuda studied till class 6, but was married off at the young age of 16 as she had many younger siblings and her parents could not support her studies. Her husband, a day labourer, would verbally abuse her every now and then. One day, Mahmuda wanted to visit her sister’s son who was hospitalised and sought permission from her mother-in-law. She was forbidden to step out of the house. But defying everyone, Mahmuda went to visit her sick nephew. Upon her return, her husband confronted her and they had a big row. One thing led to another and he started beating her and at one point, he got a kitchen knife and hit her on the head. Gravely injured, Mahmuda immediately sought help from members of her village development council. The members took her to the local office of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA) at Kagasura village, from where she was taken to Barisal city for treatment. After Mahmuda returned to the village and lodged a complaint, her husband and in-laws received several notices for counselling sessions from the legal rights organisation. After a third notice, the husband and his family agreed to a meeting in the presence of local council members and BNWLA officials. After a long discussion, they came to an understanding and Mahmuda’s husband agreed never to abuse her verbally or physically, and apologised for his inhuman treatment of his wife. A follow-up of Mahmuda’s case shows she is still living with her husband and his family quite happily, and without further abuse.
Another common form of violence against women is sexual harassment in public. According to BNWLA, almost 90 percent of girls and young women, aged 10-18, are victims of such atrocity.  

One shameful incident occurred earlier this year, at Bangla New Year celebrations on the Dhaka University campus, a number of young women were assaulted or stripped by unruly revellers, in the presence of police and onlookers.  

From ‘eve teasing’ to groping and catcalls, women in both rural and urban areas have to deal with harassment in almost every sphere of their life. From a shopping trip to a short elevator ride, in educational institutions or work places, she faces one or another form of verbal or physical abuse.

It is not easy in Bangladesh to tackle sexual harassment. People are uncomfortable discussing such issues and often, the victims are blamed and made to feel ashamed for their predicament. But this kind of attitude needs to change to protect our women, experts say. There are several organisations in the country taking a stand and working towards improving the situation.

For example, BNWLA, is very much pro-active in protecting women’s rights. They give free legal advice to victims and have extensive support programmes to help them rebuild their lives.  They also run a shelter home for victims of abuse or trafficking and offer counselling and vocational training.

Another active organisation working towards eradicating violence against women is Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, which started its journey in 1970. BMP is volunteer-based and works in the light of national action oriented.

The USAID-funded Protecting Human Rights (PHR) project, an initiative of Plan International in partnership with BNWLA and 11 local NGOs in six districts, has been operating since 2011 to reduce the high prevalence of domestic violence, sexual harassment and early marriage.

Other rights and development agencies like Nari Moitree, ASK, BLAST, Brac and UN Women are working relentlessly to prevent violence against women and girls through building community consciousness and rallying action.

The year 2015 marks the 20th year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an assembly where 189 countries came together to map out key strategies to end violence against women and achieve gender equality.  

In September, world leaders placed gender equality and women empowerment amongst the top five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN General Assembly. SDGs are global goals, applicable for both rich and poor nations. That developed countries, too, still have to improve their gender equality status testifies to the pervasive nature of discrimination against women across societies.

Let’s all stand united and work towards creating a better society, where women and girls can walk a mile without cringing in discomfort of prying eyes, where it is safe to be out at night without the risk of facing sexual assault, where it is alright to enjoy one’s childhood without the fear of being married off to a strange man, where studying or working and living up to one’s full potential is a given. May sound like Utopia, but it is possible if we all open our minds and treat women with equality and the respect they deserve.

Photos: Plan International, UN Women

Preventing violence against women

The UNs Human Development Index (HDI) ranks Bangladesh 142 in gender inequality, which is a good indicator of the disparities that exists in our society. Over the past year, a staggering 24,199 women victims of violence were treated and supported by state-run One-Stop Crisis Centres around the country, of whom only 5,398 went on to press charges. The forms of violence faced by these women include domestic abuse, physical assault, rape, acid hurling, burning, sexual harassment, dowry and early marriage. Domestic violence by intimate partners or other family members is the most common form of violence faced by women from all walks of life. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, nearly 9 out of 10 wives are victims of physical, sexual or mental abuse. Take the case of 28-year-old Anita (not her real name). A graduate in English, she tied the knot three years ago with her boyfriend, who is a well-to-do businessman. Anita conceived her first child within months of her marriage and after a difficult pregnancy, gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She soon started noticing a change in her husband. His loving attitude towards her became less respectful; he would pick on her every move and complain bitterly if the baby fell ill or would not sleep at night. Her husbands behaviour started to deteriorate fast. He would ignore her and only speak to their daughter and talk back rudely whenever she tried to speak to him. During fights, when Anita would complain about his bad attitude and his lack of attention towards household duties, he would become aggressive and hit her, even when she became pregnant for a second time. Talking to this correspondent, Anita broke down and shared her sorrow. After the birth of her second child, her husband became a complete stranger. One day, when confronted, he confessed that he had married another woman. Shocked and distressed, Anita moved to her parents home, where she received support initially. But after a while, her parents and in-laws tried to persuade her to accept the situation and advised her against taking legal measures. Her husband taunted that she had no more value as she had two children and no other man would remarry her. So, it would be wiser for her to stay with him and his other wife, or give up the childrens custody, he insisted. Refusing to believe that she had no other option than accept this demeaning proposal, Anita took legal advice from Ain O Shalish Kendra (ASK), who informed her of her rights and provided her free legal advice. Although she learned what she could do, she never took any steps thinking of her children, and also, she did not want to go against her elders. How could I go against my parents advice when they are the only ones supporting me and my children? said Anita. I have heard things like men sometimes behave this way, you should wait for him to come to his senses. It is just sad how in this time and age, even the educated women of our society suffer in the hands of their partners and are advised against taking legal measures, she added. Many domestic abuse cases in urban areas, like Anitas, go unrecorded. On the other hand, more and more domestic violence cases are reported and resolved through collective community decisions in rural areas. The case of Mahmuda Begum from a small village in Barisal is an example of how a woman can stop abuse at home. Maumuda studied till class 6, but was married off at the young age of 16 as she had many younger siblings and her parents could not support her studies. Her husband, a day labourer, would verbally abuse her every now and then. One day, Mahmuda wanted to visit her sisters son who was hospitalised and sought permission from her mother-in-law. She was forbidden to step out of the house. But defying everyone, Mahmuda went to visit her sick nephew. Upon her return, her husband confronted her and they had a big row. One thing led to another and he started beating her and at one point, he got a kitchen knife and hit her on the head. Gravely injured, Mahmuda immediately sought help from members of her village development council. The members took her to the local office of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) at Kagasura village, from where she was taken to Barisal city for treatment. After Mahmuda returned to the village and lodged a complaint, her husband and in-laws received several notices for counselling sessions from the legal rights organisation. After a third notice, the husband and his family agreed to a meeting in the presence of local council members and BNWLA officials. After a long discussion, they came to an understanding and Mahmudas husband agreed never to abuse her verbally or physically, and apologised for his inhuman treatment of his wife. A follow-up of Mahmudas case shows she is still living with her husband and his family quite happily, and without further abuse. Another common form of violence against women is sexual harassment in public. According to BNWLA, almost 90 percent of girls and young women, aged 10-18, are victims of such atrocity. One shameful incident occurred earlier this year, at Bangla New Year celebrations on the Dhaka University campus, a number of young women were assaulted or stripped by unruly revellers, in the presence of police and onlookers. From eve teasing to groping and catcalls, women in both rural and urban areas have to deal with harassment in almost every sphere of their life. From a shopping trip to a short elevator ride, in educational institutions or work places, she faces one or another form of verbal or physical abuse. It is not easy in Bangladesh to tackle sexual harassment. People are uncomfortable discussing such issues and often, the victims are blamed and made to feel ashamed for their predicament. But this kind of attitude needs to change to protect our women, experts say. There are several organisations in the country taking a stand and working towards improving the situation. For example, BNWLA, is very much pro-active in protecting womens rights. They give free legal advice to victims and have extensive support programmes to help them rebuild their lives. They also run a shelter home for victims of abuse or trafficking and offer counselling and vocational training. Another active organisation working towards eradicating violence against women is Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, which started its journey in 1970. BMP is volunteer-based and works in the light of national action oriented. The USAID-funded Protecting Human Rights (PHR) project, an initiative of Plan International in partnership with BNWLA and 11 local NGOs in six districts, has been operating since 2011 to reduce the high prevalence of domestic violence, sexual harassment and early marriage. Other rights and development agencies like Nari Moitree, ASK, BLAST, Brac and UN Women are working relentlessly to prevent violence against women and girls through building community consciousness and rallying action. The year 2015 marks the 20th year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an assembly where 189 countries came together to map out key strategies to end violence against women and achieve gender equality. In September, world leaders placed gender equality and women empowerment amongst the top five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN General Assembly. SDGs are global goals, applicable for both rich and poor nations. That developed countries, too, still have to improve their gender equality status testifies to the pervasive nature of discrimination against women across societies. Lets all stand united and work towards creating a better society, where women and girls can walk a mile without cringing in discomfort of prying eyes, where it is safe to be out at night without the risk of facing sexual assault, where it is alright to enjoy ones childhood without the fear of being married off to a strange man, where studying or working and living up to ones full potential is a given. May sound like Utopia, but it is possible if we all open our minds and treat women with equality and the respect they deserve. Photos: Plan International, UN Women