Advocate Md. Raihan Ali: News of violence against women seems to have become old news in the media. It may seem strange to many readers, but it seems to be part of the story, not something new. If the two are avoided in this way, where does the place of social reform and social responsibility go? Do we ever think that women are the ornament of family, society and creation? How can we underestimate this woman who is born in motherhood. It is a matter of great regret that various forms of violence against women, including violence against women, have increased day by day due to social degradation. According to the NGO Law and ArbitrationCenter, domestic violence is the second most common cause of violence against women and children after rape in Corona. Rape and domestic violence are among the most common forms of violence against women and children during the Corona period. Large numbers of women and children have been victims of domestic violence, especially during unannounced lockdowns. The same is true of private statistics for the first two months of this year. The Law and Arbitration Center (LASC) says that the analysis of the situation of women`s rights in Bangladesh on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women shows that women are still being subjected to various forms of discrimination, oppression and physical, mental and economic abuse in the family, society and state. Citing his own statistics, Ask says that in the first 10 months of 2021, 198 women were killed by their husbands in Bangladesh and 128 women committed suicide as a result of domestic violence. In addition, 1,017 women have been raped in the last 10 months, of which 220 have been gang-raped, 43 have been murdered after being raped, 28 have been attempted rape and 7 have committed suicide. In the last few months, 118 women have been sexually harassed and 10 of them have committed suicide. 101 women have been physically abused due to dowry. 63 people have been tortured to death. Besides, 20 people have been victims of acid throwing.

Asak further said that in contrast to such a picture of violence, very few cases have been prosecuted, the trial has been completed and justice has been served. The main reason for such a picture of violence against women is discrimination and patriarchal mentality. Despite the development in various parts of the country, this mentality still remains at a terrible level in the society of Bangladesh. Also, the existing law and judicial structure is still not women friendly and not accessible to women. Because these structures are not sensitive to women`s rights, women are barred from seeking legal recourse and are discouraged. On the day of prevention of violence against women, Ask raised 11 demands to end violence against women and ensure justice. These demands are: 1. Victims and witness protection laws need to be enacted. Government services related to torture must be made equally accessible to all. 2. The services that are available in Bangladesh such as VictimSupportCenter, OneStopCrisis Center and other arrangements are very inadequate compared to the needs. The number of these facilities should be increased and effective police assistance should be provided in each area. In addition, existing services need to be properly promoted. 3. Sections 155 (4) and 148 (3) of the Evidence Act should be repealed. Because, these two sections are against human rights and in doing so the complainant is again the victim of harassment. 4. The trial of torture cases must be completed within the time frame stipulated by law. 5. The Crime Victim Compensation Act, proposed by the Law Commission in 2006, needs to be turned into law. . People at all levels need to be made aware of women`s rights. Education curriculum should include issues of equality, equality, non-discrimination, respect for diversity. . Necessary steps need to be taken to make all those involved in the law and judicial structure gender sensitive. . Inheritance laws need to be amended to ensure women`s equality in property. Besides, the provision of equal rights of husband and wife in immovable and movable property in married life should be included in the law. 9. In case of rape, the 18-point directive of the High Court should be clearly followed and action should be taken in case of deviation. 10. The 16 point directives of the High Court should be widely disseminated and the responsible persons should be properly informed and sensitized. 11. Necessary steps should be taken to ensure freedom of movement of women and freedom of expression of women (both online and offline).

In 50 years of independence, this country has spent more than half of its time in empowering women. Here now the image, statistics and reality of violence against women have to be changed. Although there is talk of gender equality as a constitutional power, the question remains as to how much it is observed in reality. However, I can say with certainty that the government initiatives are working as a tonic in the implementation of women`s rights in the post-independence period. As a result, various measures including the Violence Against Women Act and the Protection of Women Act are playing a big role in preventing violence against women. Since our country is development oriented, not only men should be employed but also women need more modernization in their workplace, free movement and overall development to ensure their work. Many women are subjected to various forms of harassment in their workplace, including sexual harassment. There are some types of violence that can be committed by individuals such as rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, reproductive violence, female infanticide, sex-based abortion, maternity violence, mob violence or riot, ritual or ritual killing to protect honor. Violence including murder, dowry violence or gambling death, female circumcision, kidnapped marriage or forced marriage. Women cannot be kept in solitary confinement for the sake of dress and religion. The development of this country needs to be further accelerated through the joint efforts of men and women. Advising the government to stop violence against women should not be avoided. In addition to government initiatives, non-governmental organizations need to expand their scope of work in this regard. Violence against women can be reduced to a record level if we try to change our mindset with a firm conviction to stop domestic violence against women out of our own responsibilities. Attitudes towards women should be changed, some patriarchal inferiority mentality and filthy mentality towards women should be changed. Socially, everyone must work together to prevent violence against women, to build a happy and prosperous golden Bangladesh free from conflict.

Author: Advocate Md. Raihan Ali is a Columnist and Advocate. He can be reached at Email: md007rayhan@gmail.com