Subrina Obaid Anika :
Women are moving forward leaving behind various adversities though the advancement of women in this country is not very smooth. Hence, there is no way to deny the contribution of women in the development of civilization. Attempts at physical abuse, sexual harassment, eve-teasing, rape and rape are playing a huge role in their advancement. Socially, women are suffering from insecurity. I hope the conscious community will think a little about where the number of those tortures can stand in the future.The women of a developing country like Bangladesh are being tortured every day due to this extreme excellence of civilization. Generally, in our country, every man and woman has the freedom to move around freely and express their views. The issue of women’s education is an integral part of our social progress and economic development. In modern society, the basic rights of all, irrespective of gender, are equal and equal. In this situation, the reality of being a victim of eve-teasing, torture or rape is very unfortunate.
Small and big road accidents are happening every day all over the country including the capital. Just as many people are losing their lives in these tragic accidents, so too many are facing the curse of disability. In addition to such tragic accidents on the road, sexual harassment, rape and murder after rape are also happening. Despite the frequent discussions about road accidents, the issue of women being victimized in public transport is seldom important.
According to the women’s rights activists, the issue of safety of women in public transport is being kept secret even though various demands and suggestions have been made to reduce the number of road accidents. The lack of women-friendly transport is a major cause of concern for women safety. In order to ensure their safety, there should be women friendly drivers and assistants. In fact, lack of trained drivers for the safety of women is one of the major causes of women insecurity in transports. Besides, we need to change the mentality of the passengers also. Unfortunately, there seems to be no activity to build women-friendly transport system and professional women drivers. Apart from other safety related activities, training of women drivers should also be taken into consideration.
According to a BRAC study published last year entitled ‘Sexual Harassment for Women and Accident-Free Roads’, 94% of women are subjected to verbal, physical or other forms of sexual harassment while traveling on public transport in the country. Most women are sexually harassed by men between the ages of 41 and 60, at a rate of 7.The main reasons for sexual harassment of women are lack of proper enforcement of law, overcrowding in buses, lack of adequate lighting in vehicles etc.
Women are constantly facing various obstacles inside and outside the house. For example, lack of security for women to walk alone in the city. Insecurity in the movement of vehicles, constant sexual harassment and uncertainty of proper enforcement of the law are hindering the free movement of women.
Apart from this, women are also being subjected to disrespectful behavior while traveling in other public transports. Not only transport workers, drivers, assistants, sometimes also female victims of such sexual violence by male passengers. As happened on last Saturday (November 20, 2021) with a student of English department of Jagannath University. At present Jagannath University is conducting semester final examinations in all departments. An unpleasant incident happened to her on public transport while she was on his way to Dhaka from his village home Narsingdi due to examination on Saturday. She was harassed by her passenger that day. But the strength of courage saved her from great danger.
Such social degradation is increasing due to lack of family education, improper application of law, and above all due to non-observance of one’s own religious precepts. There is law in the country; there is also hatred in the society. Yet things like evil wounds have become incurable in social life. There are no accurate statistics on how many lives of innocent teenagers are being destroyed.
We have to create a social movement or resistance to stop the abuse of women and children. It is imperative to enact laws in accordance with the guidelines of the High Court judgment to prevent sexual harassment in educational institutions and workplaces. We need to ensure proper and proper implementation of the Prevention of Violence against Women and Children Act by amending and modernizing it. Besides, effective measures have to be taken to expedite the trial. It is necessary to ensure the safety of women by forming educational management committees, social organizations, cultural institutions and neighborhood committees in a joint venture with them as well as members of the law enforcement agencies.
Moreover, no woman or child should be tortured or raped. No school or college or university student should be subjected to any form of eve teasing or sexual harassment or rape.
Appropriate steps should be taken for the smooth movement of students in any educational institutions. There needs to be exemplary punishment for crimes like abuse of women and children. There is a need for awareness and promotion of the Women and Child Abuse Prevention Act.
(The writer is student, Bangla Department, Jagannath University).
