The New Nation carried a dismal picture on Monday quoting the BBS figures at a time when the country is globally praised to have achieved spectacular progress in empowering women and gender equation. The finding is not compatible in the 21st Century standard when despite gender equality is growing and more women are entering job market, they are also becoming vulnerable to violence in their households and sexual harassment at workplaces. It is something that needs to be deeply evaluated how more empowerment of women will also make them more secured at home and workplaces in terms of their dignity.
In our view laws are not enough to alter the situation unless more respect for women grows, which will restraint a man from mishandling his wife or female members of the family and in the society. It is domination mentality that must change. Here lies the importance of social and moral values.
The survey over 21,688 women, aged 15 and above showed 80.2 percent were married. They claimed they were victims in the hands of their husbands regularly or for at least once in life-time physically, sexually, financially or emotionally. Married women suffered the most from controlling behaviour-around 55.4 percent of lifelong-married women claimed they were subjected to controlling behaviour. They had to tolerate shocks without protest. It said that 34.2 per cent of girls aged 10 to 14 years were raped while 39.7 percent from age group 15 to 19 years were raped.
Violence rates were highest at 74.8 percent in case of lifelong partner in rural areas. The rate of violence against women though lower in many categories in Bangladesh compared to India, it is nonetheless quite high and not acceptable. It must be steadily reduced. In our view understanding a woman is quite important in her feminine nature at family level and there is the need for creating more awareness how a man should treat women in dignity.
The notion that if women become educated and economically strong, domestic violence against women will decline does not always prove right and in many cases it works even opposite as man can start suspecting her or become jealous of her independence and dignity. We must go a long way to bring the change.
