91pc women face sexual harassment
About 91 percent of women become victims of stalking and other forms of gender violence, experts said quoting a survey report at a workshop yesterday.
The survey was conducted by Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) in 2010.
The experts said the High Court passed a ruling in 2009, calling "stalking" a component of sexual harassment, which was punishable.
The experts however conveyed disappointment at the sentence, which is only a year's jail term or a penalty of Tk 2000. The sentence must be increased to demonstrate the seriousness of the crime, they said.
“Stalking can lead to increased suicide among girls, and therefore has to be treated as a crime, not just as a social problem,” said Giti Ara Nasreen, a professor at Dhaka University.
“Such a high figure shows that stalking and sexual harassment are not only practiced by 'hooligans' as is depicted in the media, but by males in general.”
The workshop, “Role of Media to End Sexual Harassment,” was organised by Brac in the capital.
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