It’s time to stop violence against women

A K Azad: Though the world is becoming developed day by day, violence against women is increasing by the year. From home to work place, school, college and shopping mall, women and girls are being molested everywhere.

They are being beaten at home, sexually and economically exploited, assaulted on our streets or at work, harassed online or while playing sports, raped, mutilated, or forced to marry.

Many of women have experienced some forms of gender-based violence which is completely a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. We cannot ignore the enormous consequences this has on families, communities, societies and the economy. The world cannot afford to pay this price.

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Though we observe November 25 every year as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and human rights activists prepare themselves for the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (From November 25 to December 10, observing Human Rights Day), all over the world -- we struggle to understand as to why in Bangladesh, the violence seems to have increased.


In early October this year, the country has witnessed a horrific violence against a college girl in Sylhet which made us speechless. A Bangladesh Chhtra League leader chopped the girl indiscriminately in broad daylight as she refused to maintain love affairs with him. The beast in guise of human chopped the girl in a way which is probably not possible for a wild-life, leaving her critically injured. Though physicians left their hopes of her survival, the girl got a new life after battling with the life. She is still undergoing treatment in a hospital in the capital.

In March, the country was outraged when family and friends of 19-year-old Sohagi Jahan Tonu -- a rape and murder victim -- had to fight the authorities just to prove that she was indeed raped.

In May, Shariful Islam, headmaster of Amrakanon High School in Mujibnagar upazila of Meherpur, raped a female teacher of the school when they were in Kushtia for a teachers` registration examination. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members rescued a 12-year-old girl, who was raped, from Rampura area of Dhaka in April.

An 11-year-old girl was raped in Dhaka`s Khilgaon area in April. A schoolgirl was raped by a local Juba league leader of Laxmipur in April. Very recently, a 5-year-old Garo girl was raped. There have been many more of such barbaric acts in 2016 alone, which probably have gone unreported.


Despite a strict law and efforts of raising awareness, rape of children has shown an increase every year.

Children are raped every day across Bangladesh; children are not even safe at homes.

Statistics of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) shows that 325 children were raped during January-September in 2016.

A total of 1,301 children were raped in between 2012 and September 2016. The number was highest last year with 521 child rapes.

The numbers were 199 in 2014, 170 in 2013 and 86 in 2012.

Many experts think the number would not have gone so high if child abuse cases had been disposed of quicker and exemplary punishment had been meted out to the perpetrators.

According to BSAF statistics, a total of 169 children were victims of gang rape, 93 were murdered after rapes, 32 committed suicides after rapes and attempts were made to rape 165 children.

The majority of them were raped between the ages of 5 to 12. The rapists tempted the children with chocolates, toys or fancy stuff and took them to a deserted place and raped.

Children between 13 and 18 years of age were raped with offers of marriage or rapists forced them to go to a secluded place or they were raped when alone at home.

Of the 325 children raped in 2016, 48 were victims of gang rape while 31 physically challenged children and five housemaids were raped and 15 were killed after rapes.

Though government is trying heart and soul to uproot the curse from the society, rapists and criminals easily escape justice through loopholes.

In most cases, the victims are from poor families and that is another reason as to why the victims cannot get justice. As the criminals are above the status of the victims, they either settle the issue in exchange for money or frighten them away with their muscle power.

As human being we should refrain from all types of violence against women as it is a human rights violation.

It is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women.

It impacts on and impedes progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, peace and security.

So, we should promise from now to create awareness over the bad effects of violence against women and stop the curse from the society.

risingbd/Dhaka/Nov 25, 2016/Augustin Sujan