‘Oppression against indigenous women’: Activists demand separate human rights commission

Activists of Adivasi Chhatra Sangram Parishad today demanded a separate human rights commission to prevent "oppression against indigenous women".

They placed the demand during a rally protesting the rape of a woman from Hajong community in Sunamganj on August 14. They also demanded exemplary punishment of the rapist.

Adivasi Chhatra Sangram Parishad held the protest rally in front of National Museum in Dhaka this morning.

The rally also protested the "conspiracy" of the forest department to cut down crops of Garos at Sreebordi upazila in Sherpur and evict people of Garo and Khasia communities from Sahebtila of Moulvibazar.

Prof Khairul Chowdhury of Dhaka University's Department of Sociology, who attended the programme expressing solidarity with the Parishad, said, "Incidents of torture and oppression against indigenous women are happening repeatedly in the country. And we are protesting only. I think it is time to form an indigenous human rights commission to solve their problems. And we also demand formation of a land commission for them."

Patriarchal society and culture of injustice are the main reasons behind such incidents in Bangladesh, said Zobaida Nasreen, a teacher of Department of Anthropology of Dhaka University.

She said it is not possible to tackle such crimes only through protests. "For this, everyone in society should be united and fight against rape," Zobaida Nasreen said.

Alik Mri, general secretary of Adivasi Chhatra Sangram Parishad in Bangladesh, raised several other demands at the rally.

President of Bangladesh Adivasi Youth Forum Ananta Bikash Dhamai, General Secretary of Hajong Students' Organization Ashish Hajong and others were also present at the rally.