Women support centres
the rights of
women must not exist in theory only. Remedial measures are long overdue. It is evident that women do not get justice in most cases, thanks to the rural power structure dominated by
people having political clout
It is heartening to note that eight One-Stop Crisis Centres (OCCs) have been set up in hospitals of seven divisional towns and at Faridpur under Multi-sectoral Programme on Violence Against Women projects which offer health services to woman and child victims along with legal aid, police assistance, DNA examination, psychological counseling, shelter and assistance for rehabilitation in society.
According to a report in this newspaper yesterday, women, who face depression or have suicidal tendency, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder can receive psychological counseling support from National Trauma Counseling Centre.
A recent BRAC study has found that at least 7,489 women and girls became victims of violence in 2016.
We should not overlook the statistics which bring only shame upon the conscious segment of the society. It speaks volumes of the precarious condition of women in the country. This happened when empowerment of women is high on the governments agenda.
Violence perpetrated on women is not an isolated phenomenon which can be addressed without taking into consideration the overall deterioration in law and order, and the moral degeneration which can partially explain some of the most brutal attacks on women.
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. 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.
The rights of women must not exist in theory only. Remedial measures are long overdue. It is evident that women do not get justice in most cases, thanks to the rural power structure dominated by people having political clout. So, the law must reach out to the poor and the vulnerable women. 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.
