Tasneem Hossain | Dhaka

August 9, 2024 Kolkata: A young trainee doctor, after a grueling 36 -hour shift went to the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata to rest. She didn’t know how her rest would turn into a death trap.

She was attacked by a male perpetrator. She tried to resist, but was tortured, raped and murdered.

What a sad end to a bright girl who could have had a wonderful and beautiful future.

The murder sparked massive outrage in the country, with tens of thousands of people protesting on the streets, demanding justice.

This incident brings back memories of the horrific incident in New Delhi in 2012, when a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern was tortured and gang-raped on a moving bus and left in agony to die.

That incident made global headlines and sparked weeks of protests. It led the government of India to tighten the laws against sexual violence.

Tragically, reported cases of sexual assaults have risen and access to justice still remains a challenge for women.

These aren’t isolated cases. There are many incidents of different kinds of violence against women and girls occurring every moment around the world.

According to National Crime Records Bureau of India, a total of 31,516 rape cases were recorded in 2022, an average of 86 cases per day.

Experts warn that the number of recorded cases are just a fraction of what may be the actual number, because India is a deeply patriarchal country where shame and stigma surround rape victims and their families. They also face delays and backlogs in court and denied justice due to pitfalls in the system.

In India, Bangladesh and in many other Asian countries, women are suppressed and subjugated in a patriarchal society where male violence against women is just another issue

The scenario isn’t much different in other parts of the world, regarding violence against women and social justice.

Cyberbullying Statistics show that 73percent of girls and young women in the USA receive unwanted sexual content and 28.6 percent of US females aged 13-17 are cyberbullied regularly.

This has to stop!  

‘Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all kinds of oppression’- Nelson Mandela

Our Creator created men and women equally with rights and duties equally divided by Him. But men took advantage of their physical power and forced women to be subjugated to their mercy and imposed unreasonable restrictions. Not only that, women became targets of violence of different forms. Worldwide the gender difference and bias places women at a disadvantaged position.

Studies suggest, globally one in three women has been raped, beaten, coerced into sex or abused in her life time; 35 percent women and girls experience some form of physical and or sexual violence. In some countries, the statistics are much higher around 70 percent.  Women comprise almost 50 percent of all human trafficking victims for slavery and sexual exploitation; 650 million women and girls in the world are forced to marry before the age of 18. Female genital mutation crosses 200 million women and girls in 30 countries.  About 15 million girls between 15 and 19 experience forced sex at some point in their lives. Women are victimized by battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide, destroying female fetus, forced sexual acts, child sexual abuse, eve teasing, stalking, cyber- harassment etc. Most women face neglect, discrimination and oppression throughout their lives too.

Violence against women both at home and outside their homes has been a threatening issue through ages.

In India, Bangladesh and in many other Asian countries, women are suppressed and subjugated in a patriarchal society where male violence against women is just another issue.

The causes of male violence against women are perhaps rooted in the dynamics of power domination and traditional control of men over women. Women become easy prey due to their vulnerability. Patriarchal family structure gives an upper hand to men. The social pattern is also a contributing factor where women and girls are made to believe from childhood that they are weak and dependent on men. The glorification of the image of an ideal woman who suffers in silence has enslaved women to live in a culture that allows violence against them both at home and workplace. Marriage also gives men the opportunity to isolate women into captivity at home.

This unequal power relation within the family and the world outside makes women an easy target of male oppression, exploitation and abuse.

Though, 144 countries have laws concerning domestic violence, those are not always enforced properly.

Global situations like war and conflict have further intensified violence against women and girls (VAWG) and worsened risk factors by displacement. Also, climate change is a catalyst. Digitalization is adding online violence against women and girls along with the existing ones. At the same time, anti-rights movements and anti-feminist groups are counter acting against women’s rights organizations, weakening the cause for women.

Though, gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, young girls, older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities are particularly at risk.

Women who experience any form of violence not only suffer from physical injuries but suffer from critical adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences.

Most of the affected women and girls do not seek help. Violence remains largely unreported due to fear and stigma. Though, 144 countries have laws concerning domestic violence, those are not always enforced properly. Silence of the victim and impunity of the perpetrator results in increased violence.

Violence against women hinders the process of equality, development, peace and human rights. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without the elimination of VAWG

‘Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It’s a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance’- Kofi Anan

Through the years, government officials and international leaders have concentrated efforts to curb VAWG. Sadly, it continues to be widespread worldwide.

Despite the adoption of the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) by the UN General Assembly in 1979, VAWG remains a global threat.

Since 1981, women right’s activists observe November 25 as a day against gender-based violence. They chose this day to honor the three Mirabal sisters (political activists) in the Dominican Republic who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. They were brutally murdered on November 25th, 1960.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women on December 20, 1993; their goal was to eradicate violence against women and girls worldwide. Later, on February 7, 2000, the UN officially proclaimed November 25th as the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day starts 16 days of activism, which ends on December 10th, Human Rights Day.

Silence of the victim and impunity of the perpetrator results in increased violence.

The 16 days of activism campaign, led by the UN Secretary-General and UN Women since 2008, aims to prevent and eliminate VAWG around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions on this critical issue.

Unfortunately, there’s still a long way to go. Till now, only two out of three countries have outlawed domestic violence, while 37 countries worldwide still exempt rape perpetrators from prosecution if they are married to or eventually marry the victim; and 49 countries currently have no laws protecting women from domestic violence.

Elimination of violence against women might seem a far cry, but active participation in a large scale can be a strong catalyst in helping achieve this target. It needs coordinated action of feminist groups integrated with justice, good governance, health, financial and other sectors.

‘The theme for the 2024 International Day to Stop Violence against Women is “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”. It focuses on long-term solutions to find the root causes; raise awareness and increase momentum to end violence against women and girls

Hopefully, it will draw attention to the alarming rise of violence against women to rekindle commitments, call for answerability and to take quick and strict action from decision-makers.

Read – Daughters: A Divine Gift

Uniting and supporting the strong, autonomous women’s rights organizations and feminist movements is the key to end VAWG. You can also take part in the UNITE campaign to end violence against women by wearing orange to symbolize a brighter future for women.

Less than 40 per cent of women who experience violence seek help of any sort. They stay silent due to the stigma attached. We need to stand by them and share our voices to speak out loud and clear against these injustices. If you know someone who might be suffering from abuse or any sort of harassment- report it. Challenge beliefs of traditional concept of toxic masculinity. Create awareness against violence and donate for its cause. Join in movements to attract policy makers to make stronger laws to implement preventive measures. Support women’s leadership in decision making.

Violence against women is, perhaps, the most shameful and most pervasive human rights violation. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.

South Africa’s former first lady Graça Machel is a strong advocate for ending gender-based violence (GBV).

During the pandemic the claws of domestic violence choked most women around the globe.

Less than 40 per cent of women who experience violence seek help of any sort. They stay silent due to the stigma attached

In 2020 South Africa’s police commissioner, Bheki Cele, confirmed that there was an increase in cases of GBV during the country’s lockdown period. Cyril Ramaphosa, a resident dubbed it South Africa’s second pandemic.

After this confirmation Machel wrote in the Guardian: ‘A pandemic within a pandemic has been exposed and we are confronted with the horrific reality that millions of women and children in every country are fighting for their survival, not just from COVID-19 but from the brutalities of abusers in the prisons of their homes.’

We have won the fight against COVID -19 pandemic.

Isn’t it time to stand up against this atrocious pandemic too?

Let’s fight this virus of injustice and eliminate violence against women and girls.

Act NOW before it’s too late.

References:

1. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25 November, UNITED NATIONS.
2. Facts and figures: Ending violence against women, UN Women, 27 June 2024
3. Violence Against Women, World Health Organization, 25 March 2024

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Tasneem Hossain, majoring in English Language and Literature is a multi-lingual poet from Bangladesh. She writes poems in English, Urdu and Bengali. She is also a columnist, fiction and op-ed writer, translator, educator and trainer. Her impactful writings appear frequently in esteemed publications worldwide. She is author of three poetry books: ‘Grass in Green,’ ’The Pearl Necklace,’ ‘Floating Feathers’ and a book of articles ‘Split and Splice’. Four more books are underway. She worked as faculty of English Language in Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology. She is the director of a prominent human resource development organization Continuing Education Centre (Bangladesh) and Cansaz Services and Distribution LLC (Canada). She has 27 years of experience as a professional trainer. She runs an international poetry writing project and group named Life in Lyrics. A sportswoman, she also worked as newscaster, commentary reader and radio presenter in radio Bangladesh for 10 years and directed dramas like Shakespeare’s, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

The post STOP! Stop Violence against Women and Girls first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Karachi

Women workers should be given equal wages for same work, and the gender-based disparity in wages should be ended, said the speakers of a consultative meeting of women workers held at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Thursday November 25.

The meeting was hosted by the Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) which also demanded end to harassment of women at workplaces. They demanded that at every workplace, anti-harassment committees should be established so that gender-based violence against women workers can be done away with.

This day is observed in the memory of the three great revolutionary sisters who are remembered in the history as Mirabal Sisters. These three real sisters emerged as the symbol of democratic independence, change and self-reliance. They continued to raise voice against the oppression of dictatorship till their last breath. As the result of their struggle and sacrifice, people of Dominican Republic got freedom from dictatorship.

In 1999 the general assembly of the United Nations announced to celebrate the day of November 25 as the international day for the elimination of violence against women.

The speakers said that this day has lost its political importance and it is being observed just symbolically. Sadly, many people do not know about the importance of the day, and they not know that this is the day to remember the struggle for restoration of democratic values and human rights.

They said that though on this day speeches are made about the atrocities meted out to women, but the problems faced by the working women and gender-based discrimination against them are seldom discussed. They said that in Pakistan for a long time the number of women workers in informal sector is on the rise; however, due to Covid these women workers are also the mostly affected.

Sharing their experience, women workers said during work they face different types of violence and discrimination, which cast negative effect on their social and economic life. Even today there is disparity between the wages of male and female workers, as the wages of female workers are less than male workers. This difference is about 40 to 50 percent. A lot of women workers work under contract system where they are not registered under social security institutions. They do not get pension. The incidents of violence against women workers are not even reported. They said that discrimination and violence against women is the violation of law and constitution. They said the government of Pakistan in 2010 passed a Bill against harassment at workplace, and under this law the affected women could file their complaints with the provincial and federal ombudsmen, but due to prevailing social attitudes and injustice these cases are just lingered on.

The speakers said that even today the women workers face indecent treatment at their workplaces but there is no remedy available to them. No actions are taken at the governmental or factory level. The wages are female workers are lower than their male counterparts. Most of the female workers are compelled to work under contract system. The work is rapidly shifting to informal sector, in which female workers are deprived of their legal rights. The contractors give wages as per their sweet will. The workers are threatened of being sacked if they demand raise in wages. In many sectors, especially home-based and domestic workers despite working day and night could not manage two square meals for their families. They are not given the minimum wages and growing price hike has hit them hard.

They said that the food inflation is rising in Pakistan and almost 60 percent population lives beneath the poverty line. After every fifteen days fares of transport are raised due to which prices of all commodities are rising sharply.

The meeting observed that the rights of working women are in fact human rights and without understanding them gender equality could not be brought to society. The prevailing economic crisis and negative social attitudes are worsening conditions for working women, while the women working in informal sector are compelled to work on very low wages. To avoid this situation the only way is that the working women raise voice for their rights and struggle after properly organizing themselves and joining trade union in a large number.

The consultative meeting demanded ending all discriminatory laws against women; government of Pakistan should ratify the ILO Convention 190 and make proper laws in its light; the anti-harassment laws at workplace should be made a part of labor laws and women workers should be given proper protection; baby care centers should be established in factories and workplaces; women workers should be given paid leaves for pregnancy and law for home based workers should be implemented immediately. In media and curriculum anti-women content should be checked.

Those spoke include Zahra Khan of HBWWF, Saira Feroze of United HB Garment Workers Union, Nasir Mansoor of National Trade Union Federation, Dr Shershah of Pakistan Medical Association, Shaher Bano of Journalists Union, Nuzhat Sheerin of Sindh Commission for Status of Women, Mehnaz Rehman of Aurat Foundation, Karamat Ali of National Labour Council, Saeed Baloch of Pakistan Fisher Folkforum, political activist Akram KaimKhani, Seemi Sahir of Garment and Textile women workers, Saeeda Khatoon of Baldia fire affectees association, Nasir Parveen of Lady health workers and others. (PR)

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