Violence against Women– increasing by the year

Every year, as we observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, and as human rights activists prepare themselves for the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (From November 25 to December 10, observing Human Rights Day), all over the world -- we struggle to understand as to why in Bangladesh, the violence seems to have increased in 2016 alone.  

Earlier this year in March, the country was outraged when family and friends of 19-year-old Sohagi Jahan Tonu -- a rape and murder victim -- had to fight the authorities just to prove that she was indeed raped. In May, Shariful Islam, headmaster of Amrakanon High School in Mujibnagar upazila of Meherpur raped a female teacher of the school when they were in Kushtia for a teachers' registration examination. Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members rescued a 12-year-old girl, who was raped, from Rampura area of Dhaka in April. An 11-year-old girl was raped in Dhaka's Khilgaon area in April. A schoolgirl was raped by a local Juba league leader of Laxmipur in April. Very recently, a 5-year-old Dalit girl was raped, not to mention the woman belonging to the Garo community. There have been many more of such barbaric acts in 2016 alone, which probably have gone unreported. 

One of the major challenges of preventing violence against women is surprisingly getting the right people, authorities and organisations to accept the idea of the atrocities still happening in society even today. The society at large is still hesitant when it comes to acknowledging the series of molestation and sexual harassment cases taking places in the streets, on public transport, educational institutes and offices, not to mention the vicious rapes followed by murders that occurred (and still occurring) in the country, this year itself. 

The root cause of the violence that never seems to stop against women in Bangladesh, is patriarchy, and we need to abolish this idea. We need the young people all over the country to rise up against such barbarism and work together to change the society's thoughts. Increasing the number of institutions for girls, which has thankfully been happening in the last many years, is simply not enough to change the existing mental frame work that we as a community seem to showcase. Sons need to be talked to, as fathers to be educated; young girls are to be encouraged and mothers should be empowered further. This is the only way that we can become true global citizens -- something that everyone dreams of becoming one day.