The silence that enables perpetuation

As a nation, we have suffered trials and tribulations; as is true of all nations. Yet the purpose today is not to discuss the commonly debated issues: it is to discuss the trials and tribulations of 58% of our population. Bangladesh is not an overtly gender biased nation: the country has voted into power, women leaders for over two decades now. One can also notice the rising rates of women in all strata of the workforce, in both the rural to the urban settings of the economy. Yet there is a salient problem that exists, despite the strides taken and achieved by women nationwide: this problem, or social disease, is gender violence; which affects women from all segments of society, and one that we as a nation cannot seem to eradicate.

Despite legislations, focusing on each aspect of gender violence, for the last 15 years, gender violence continues to persist. And contrary to popular thought, it is not contained within the lesser privileged, lesser educated, or the rural population.

Gender violence exists everywhere. It only depends on who chooses to speak about it and who does not. It depends on misconstrued ideas of shame and honor; of what society should know and what we deem they should not. Gender violence in Bangladesh is multi dimensional, it perpetuates due to social dogma, which in turn leads to incapacity to implement the laws designed to protect gender rights.

One can draw a connection between social dogma and the incapacity of legal implementation. It is society and its members that ultimately determine social ideology and thereby as well its tenacity towards equity. In a society, where gender disparity is ingrained, not only in social deviance, but also social norms and practice, can equity exist?

In 2012 a graduate of BUET University and a PhD candidate enrolled with the University of British Columbia, was subjected to horrific violence at the hands of her spouse. The attack nearly took her life and led to complete loss of sight. The victim was a highly educated woman, with career aspirations and opportunities that placed her outside of the cliché of those that we deem as the only sufferers of domestic violence. She was neither illiterate, nor was there any reason that could have prevented her from reporting the abuse, which is applicable to the law passed in 2000, “The Prevention of Suppression of Women and Children” as well as the “Domestic Violence Prevention and Protection Act” 2010.  Given the severity of the attack, it can be assumed that this was not the first instance; although the legislation of 2000 does not focus on domestic violence, it does contain mandatory punishment for those that cause bodily harm to women. So what was it that prevented a woman of her credentials to not report such attacks?

In 2015, the victim of likewise violence was a Master's student at Dhaka University, married to an educated service man. This gives the presumption that the malefactor was not from an impoverished background and had some sense of the law. However, the victim had to be admitted into DMHC due to the injuries she sustained after being brutally beaten by her in laws and her spouse. When she called her father and brother for help, they were unable to rescue her and therefore the police were required to intervene in the situation. Fortunately, the victim survived. The abuse was for demand of dowry, a clear violation of the law, which prohibits dowry claims, or acceptance of any form of monetary and/asset gain for the prolongation of a marital relation. So why would an educated service man not be aware of that?

The reason for mentioning these instances is due to the background of the women victimized, each educated, each married to educated men; yet social ideology led to these horrific offenses, and caused these women to remain silent about it till it was too late. If they cannot report abuse what about the hundreds and thousands of women, from lesser privileged backgrounds?

Although I/NGOs and other civil society organisations have tried to do their fair share, with tenacity and dedication, such campaigns will never have the impact unless society believes in them. According to Ain O Shalish Kendra there were an estimated 488 cases of domestic violence last year; and from those 256 women lost their lives.

It is time therefore to ask ourselves, as a society and a nation, what can we do to stop the dogma that allows such actions to persist. Why is the law not implemented to ensure that all cases are tried in accordance to due process? It is time to ensure that dogma that has such tremendously horrific consequences are changed; that women stand up for each other, that gender sensitivity becomes practice, and equity does not remain theoretical. Laws are not legislated so as to remain on paper, they are meant to be implemented so that what is written on paper is reflected in everyday life.

The writer is voluntary consultant for Shetu Bondhon Gori Network: a network for Survivors of Acid Violence