Staff Reporter :
The women have been frequently facing harassment in the public transports, streets and market, and received indecent comments from the bus helpers, conductors and drivers.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) revealed it in a report prepared by it. Sumaiya (Alias) is a student of a private university of the capital, serving a private company part time to afford her study expenses. She travels by public transports to go to the university. Apart from regular bus journey, Sumaiya has also been the victim of sexual harassment at various times. Seeking anonymous, the private university student has expressed her bad experience as the passenger of a bus.
She said, “I often become the victim of offensive touches by the driver’s assistant or the male passengers. I can’t even dare protest in fear. I have to keep silent because I have no option to travel by another transport. “
In this regard, women rights activists say that sexual harassment does not cease because of the absence of specific laws and social values.
According to a study by ActionAid, 50 percent of women do not protest sexual harassment. And 80 percent of women think the police won’t take into cognizance their complaints. The study also found that women were more likely to be harassed in public transpora like bus.
There are no specific laws to stop harassment or sexual harassment. Advocate Masuda Rehana Begum of Bangladesh Supreme Court said that a draft has been prepared and sent to the government as per the directions of the High Court but it has not been finalized yet.
Besides, Farah Kabir, Country Director of Action Aid Bangladesh, said that not only legal weakness but also social inequality is largely responsible for sexual harassment. Although the constitution speaks of equal rights for men and women, in many cases it has not been guaranteed. She said that discrimination started from the family level.
From the garment industry to the high level of administration, men as well as women are active to perform their responsibility. Even then, most women do not feel safe walking alone outside the house. According to the survey, ninety percent of urban women are apprehensive while walking. The main reason for this is sexual harassment and they are harassed in various ways.
