No language is strong enough to condemn the barbaric incident of rape of a five-year-old girl in Dinajpur recently. Two beasts in the guise of humans violated the girl in the most abominable way. One of the perverts, identified as Saiful Islam (42), is now under police custody, while the other is still on the run. The victim is fighting for life at the One Stop Crisis Centre of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. This single incident speaks volumes about the fact that the country is no longer safe for even minor children, let alone for young girls like Shohagi Jahan Tanu of Comilla and Khadija Akter Nargis of Sylhet. Violence against women and children must stop
It is disturbing
to note that there is hardly any woman or girl who has not become
victim of
teasing or
sexual
harassment
at least once
in her life
Saidur Rahman
No language is strong enough to condemn the barbaric incident of rape of a five-year-old girl in Dinajpur recently. Two beasts in the guise of humans violated the girl in the most abominable way. One of the perverts, identified as Saiful Islam (42), is now under police custody, while the other is still on the run. The victim is fighting for life at the One Stop Crisis Centre of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. This single incident speaks volumes about the fact that the country is no longer safe for even minor children, let alone for young girls like Shohagi Jahan Tanu of Comilla and Khadija Akter Nargis of Sylhet.
The incident would undoubtedly leave a permanent scar on the mental landscape of the tiny girl. Being raped at such an age with no fault of her will haunt and traumatize her throughout her life. It is very tough to bear with such a stigma. A person having the slightest humanity cannot resort to such a barbarity. The agony of the girl and her parents is easily understandable.
There is hardly any day without the incident of violation of women, girls and children. The horrifying rise in the incidents of rape of children, girls and women sets one to thinking where are we heading for? Doesnt it speak of a sick society where women, girls and children do not have the minimum security? The increasing incidents of abduction, rape and murder of girls have triggered concern among parents and guardians.
It is extremely worrying to know that over 300 women have been killed in the last nine months in 450 incidents of rape that occurred. When empowerment of women is high on the agenda of the government these incidents nullify the positive aspects. Slide in law and order and moral degeneration are some of the reasons behind the brutal attacks on women and children. What is worrying is that even minors, or even infants, are becoming victims of rape. In most cases, the criminals are not being brought to justice.
Recently a man was brutally killed in Manikganj for protesting the teasing of his school-going daughter by a derailed youth. In Savar, a housewife, a garment worker, was stabbed to death by a rowdy element for not responding to his proposal of love. In another incident a man has lost his legs for protesting the stalking of his daughters. Two girl students of a nursing institute were raped by their classmates. The victims went to the mess of their classmates in good faith to collect class notes from them. Such examples are galore. That there is no security of girls and women anywhere is evident from the alarming spurt in the incidents of stalking in recent times. Even they are not safe in their families and in the houses and residences of their relatives. In roads, markets, shopping malls, at educational institutions, at coaching centres, at public transports, at launches and steamers, at hotels and restaurants, at parks everywhere stalkers and rapists loom large. Teasing and sexual harassment of girls and young women are no longer isolated incidents. These have become rampant. There are scores of derailed youths, many of them drug addicts, who offer proposal of love to school and college going girls. They are seen loitering around the places where the girls move. If their proposals are turned down they become vindictive and revengeful. They can go to any length, including murder. Over the past few months many innocent girls lost their lives due to violence perpetrated by hoodlums. Such a nightmarish scenario is unexpected in a democratic country.
The victims of rape, torture and acid attack bear the brunt of the atrocities throughout their lives. Tanu, Risha, Nitu, Khadiza and many others have fallen victims to violence against women and girls. Months have rolled by since the rape and murder of Tanu inside the Comilla cantonment area but the rapists and killers are yet to be identified and punished. Unable to bear the stigma Dhalia of Brahmanbaria committed suicide.
The recent victims are the twin sisters at Mirpur in the capital, Tahmina of Mymensingh, Puja of Jhenidah and Munni of Gazipur.
According to Ain-O-Salish Kendra in the last six and half years (June 2010 to 2016) 2,991 women became victims of violence and sexual assaults. On an average per year 460 women became victims. A total of 123 women committed suicide while 94 women were murdered by hoodlums. Data compiled by child rights body Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) showed assaults on children rose by 225 per cent in 2015 from 2014. A total of 727 children were sexually assaulted and raped in 2015. In 2014 the number was 227.
It is disturbing to note that there is hardly any woman or girl who has not become victim of teasing or sexual harassment at least once in her life. A recent study revealed this. Our society is yet to come out of the primitive notion that a woman is an object of pleasure. This patriarchal attitude is greatly responsible for the enslavement of women. In the past the stalkers were not so violent unlike these days. Their indecent activities were confined to casting lustful glances and making obscene comments on women and girls. At best they would go to the extent of touching the garments of the victims. Then the era of acid attack came. Scores of women and girls became victims of acid attacks and bore the brunt of the same. Lately the incidents of acid attack have decreased. The stalkers have become so desperate that they are using knives, machetes and chapattis. The way college girl Khadiza was hacked by Badrul, student of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), surpasses the medieval barbarity. Many places of the country have become havens forthe stalkers.
The actual number of rape incidents in the country will be much higher than the newspaper reports or police records, as many rape incidents are not reported to police for fear of reprisals. In many cases, the victims dare not file cases against the powerful rapists or the perpetrators. Besides, in many cases police show reluctance to file cases in favour of the victims. In some cases, police consider the poor victims as sex workers. Besides, powerful perpetrators threaten the victims not to file cases against them. In some cases, rape incidents are hushed up by the powerful perpetrators by paying the victims some money in connivance with the village arbitrators. These are mind-boggling.
Due to intimidation, harassment and social stigma many women and girls commit suicide. The medical test of the victims by male medical assistants or ward boys has also come under severe criticism. Many victims refrain from going to hospitals due to this. Vigilance and uprightness of the law enforcement agencies can curb incidents of rape considerably. There should be a monitoring cell for dealing with the incidents of rape led by a high police official.
The cell will take action against those policemen who are not serious about dealing with criminal assaults on women and girls. There is no alternative to stopping violence against women and children.
The writer in Assistant Editor ofthe Independent
