Taimur Alam khondaker :
Women are widely discussed in literature in almost every language, and our literature is also no exception. The beauty and charms of Bangladeshi women are celebrated in poems, prose, short stories, cinemas, dramas and in other features of art form. However, sufferings of Bangladeshi women are not elaborately depicted in the literature what they actually deserve.
Too many women in Bangladesh still face deprivation and oppression as the legal and social economic system of the country is not enough to prevent discrimination and violence against women.
As per data collected recently, about 50 per cent work force of Bangladesh are women. But the women are being deprived due to discrimination in every sector throughout the country. To save and protect the women from discrimination, the United Nations had formulated many documents for women’s right. Out of that ‘the convent on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW)’ adopted in 1995 in the UN Fourth World Conference is an international bill of rights for women which requires the governments to end gender discrimination and ensure women’s right to health, their profession, family life, cultural and political rights etc.
The article 15 of the constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh under caption “Provision of Basic Necessities” stated in section (a) and (b) as bellows :-
(a) “The provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care.”
(b) “The right to work, that is the right to guaranteed employment at a reasonable having regard to the quantity and quality of works.”
That Article 29 of the Constitution in Section 1 and 2 under caption “Equality of opportunity in public employment” stated that:
(1) “There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in respect of employment or office in the service of Republic.”
(2) “No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of any employment or office in the service of the Republic.”
As per article 15 and 29 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, every citizen (men and women) has the equal right for choice of his own profession. Article 29 critically declared that there should not be any discrimination with man and women regarding their profession. The Constitution also granted the right of women/girls for free education.
Under the constitutional obligation, the state makes arrangement for free education of the women. Women are now going to be educated and as such they are also favoured in the job field. A huge number of uneducated or simply educated women are also working is garments sector though out the country. There are also a huge number of women working in the law enforcing agencies, in defense forces and judiciaries. The number of women employment is going to be satisfactory day by day. But women are not safe and secured in the working places even in the job of law enforcing agencies.
A news report in January, 2022 found that one high official of police used to rape a junior lady police constable and, on refusal to marry her she filed complain against him before the superior authority. In each and every working place including in the cultural sector, the women are being harassed by their male counterparts in the working places. The women are sexually harassed even in the lower class of professions.
To protect the women from sexual violence in 2021, the government passed a law to give capital punishment for rape. Despite this new law, the occurrence of rape is increasing day by day. To safe women from torture and violence, there is specific law under the title of “Nari-O-Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain, 2000 amended in 2003.
The voluntary organization like evsjv‡`k gwnjv cwil`, evsjv‡`k bvix Kj¨vY mwgwZ, bvix wbh©vZb cÖwZ‡iva Av‡›`vjb, AvBb I kvwjm †K›`ª, evsjv‡`k RvZxq gwnjv Kj¨vY mwgwZ, Bangladesh Legal Aid and services Trust and others raised their voice to protect the women from various types of violence. The government also declared “zero” tolerance policy against violence on women. However, in spite of violence, the number of women in working places is increasing day by day. It is evident that high official of the government and private sector used to compel their female officers or workers to involve in illicit affairs. Even in some places, it is found that female housekeepers are subject to violence by their employers.
In reality, only the enactment of law is not sufficient to protect women from violence in working places. Sometimes it has become a conceptual matter. The environment has becomes more unhealthy due to ‘Sky Culture’. By watching illicit matters in various TV channels, cinemas and internet, people become more prone to sexual violence against women. In fact, only law is not sufficient to protect the women from violence in work places. The mentality of man should be changed. In this regard, the religious practice can inspire them not to involve in any kind of violence against women. It is the responsibility of state to make a good and healthy environment in work places to protect the women from violence.
(The writer is Advocate,
Appellate Division).
