Justice hindered due to use of influence

Violence against women is on the rise and justice is being hampered due to increasing use of influence, speakers told a discussion yesterday. 

Cases are filed after such violence, but when the perpetrator negotiates with the victim the case comes to an end, they said.

The roundtable titled, “Demands for stern steps to prevent violence against women”, was jointly organised by the Prothom Alo and Institute of Informatics and Development (IID) at the newspaper's office in the capital.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad General Secretary Maleka Banu said if a perpetrator is an influential person, law enforcers do not want to register cases involving abuses or harassment of women.

Prof Sadeka Halim of the sociology department of Dhaka University said the root causes of violence against women have to be found out.

Dr Sayed Saikh Imtiaz, chairman of women and gender studies department of DU, said education can eliminate this vice. Schoolboys are curious to watch pornography on smartphones, which shows violence against women, he said.

Emphasising education, Barrister Sara Hossain said law is not the only weapon to root out such violence. Law enforcers have to be held responsible for not taking the cases, she said.

Ali Asghar Shopon, public prosecutor of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-5, said a victim files a case with strong determination. But, in many cases, she loses interest to get justice at the end, he said.

Ishrat Sharmin Rahman, clinical psychologist of National Trauma Counselling Centre of Women and Children Affairs Ministry, said women are suppressed because they cannot raise their voice in front of their male counterparts.

Rafiath Rashid Mithila, head of early childhood development and girls' education at Brac International, stressed the need for sex education in schools. 

Nurul Islam, technical adviser to Economic Empowerment for Women in Asia, The Asia Foundation, emphasised a holistic approach to eliminate violence against women.

Humaira Farhanaz, national programme officer of gender, adolescent and youth at UNFPA, said national curriculum can play an important role in fighting this social malaise.

Sayeed Ahmed, chief executive officer of IID, said women should not be objectified.