Lack of deterrent campaign, impunity responsible

Lack of campaigns for implementing existing laws to prevent violence against women, and the “culture of impunity” enjoyed by perpetrators of such crimes are responsible for incidents of harassment of females at education institutions, said speakers at a views-exchange meeting yesterday.  
They mentioned gender-based courses at primary school level to put an end to different forms of violence against women.
The programme, titled “We Demand Violence and Harassment Free Campus for Women”, was organised by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and the Department of Women and Gender Studies of Dhaka University in RC Majumder auditorium on the campus.
The meeting was a part of a two-week programme arranged by the organisers marking the international fortnightly campaign for elimination of violence against women and Human Rights Day.          
At the programme, most of the students and teachers of the university said they did not even know about the independent sexual harassment complaint committee (SHCC) formed almost a year ago in the university due to a lack of campaigns for the initiative.

Chairperson of Women and Gender Studies Department Tania Haque proposed conducting gender-based counselling sessions at every department of the university to change views of new students on women.   
Referring to the culture of impunity, Ayesha Khanam, president of BMP, said if perpetrators were handed down appropriate punishment then the rate of such crimes would decrease significantly. She emphasised intensified campaigns to stop violence against women.