THE media is now full with stories of violation or harassment of the fair sex, mainly teen-agers on a regular basis. Girlhood is no longer secure in the once conservative society though the country is ruled by stateswomen. Girls are living under the threat of being violated or harassed at their home, university or workplace. Moral degradation of the youth, aggression of alien culture, influx of adult content, lack of ethical and religious education, vogue fashions molded by western culture are the evil elements responsible for the transgressions in the society. Undoubtedly sexual harassment is a crime in the civilized world, but when the harasser is a university teacher and the victim is his student, we could not but term him ‘a beast’. However, in most incidents of sexual harassment the criminals are found somehow involved with the ruling party which bars police from taking punitive action against the offenders.
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad records show that the incidents of sexual assaults increased alarmingly in August when it recorded at least 504 incidents of harassments including 75 rapes and 23 gang-rapes from 329 reported incidents of sexual assaults in July. At least 2,930 incidents of aggravated stalking were reported between 2010 and 2013 — forcing 104 women to commit suicide. Most of the violent acts against girls like stalking, rape, attempt to rape, molestation, or sexual abuse – remain covered with social stigma and law enforcers move only when any particular incident is widely covered by media.
Stalkers in most cases were found involved with the youth wing of the ruling party that helped the abusers to secure bail from court. After getting bail, the offenders usually intimidate the victim’s family again to withdraw the case(s), or in some instance they evict the victims’ families from the locality. Mahila Parishad Chairman Ayesha Khanam said the government and the police remain completely indifferent to the idea of bringing the offenders to justice and claim that the perpetrators receive patronage from local political leaders. Women’s rights groups said in the given circumstances only community efforts could check such crimes and provide protection to victims’ families so that they did not become victims for the second time for suing the offenders.
Meanwhile, Dhaka University syndicate on Monday suspended Theatre and Performance Studies Department Chairman Saiful Islam over allegation of sexual harassment of a student of his department. The DU authority said the accused teacher would be terminated if found guilty. And we cautiously ask the authority to conduct an intensive and apolitical investigation into the allegation for upholding justice.
Without enabling social protection to women and girls no nation can be claimed ‘civilized’ and no society would be sustainable. We again ask the persons in power to protect the women and girls from harassment by establishing justice that demands exemplary punishment to the stalkers and abusers regardless of their political identity.
