For a girl or s woman living in Dhaka city, the possibility of being sexually harassed is a reality she has lived with from a very early age. Our archaic laws and the cryptic wording of penal codes where section 509 of the penal code 1860 defines sexual harassment as “gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, utters any word, makes any sound or exhibits any objects, intending that such word or sound shall be heard or that such gesture or object shall be seen by such woman”- does not make it any easier for sexual harassment to be identifiable.
Since these aren’t the only words that cause more chaos than clam for a woman, section 10 from the prevention of woman and children repression act 2000 mentions,” Criminalizing the act of someone who touches a woman or child (with any part of their body or an object)”-it also uses the term “woman modesty” about sexual harassment, thus promoting a gender bias in our legal framework and the victimizing of complainants.
In a 2018 report from the Daily star on women’s safety outdoors, the number of sexual harassment victims was mammoth. A survey showed that 94% of women were being harassed in different ways, resulting in uncomfortable situations that led 20.5% of them to avoid using public transport. Being harassed for their clothes is also among other inconveniences that women have faced daily; this further caused them to dress more conservatively to keep stalkers at bay (45.4%) although even doing that does not necessarily ensure protection.
About 942 women were raped from January to December last year. But within the last 6 months of the current year (January- June), the number of the raped incidents reached 731. The total number of violence against women was 3918 last year, but in half of this year, it came to2083, which is alarming. Of the rape victims, 113 were gang-raped, and 26 were murdered after the rape. Besides, at least 123 others were made victims of rape attempt, and 70 were harassed sexually.
Be it physically harassed or verbal; the research also showed that 74% of women were victimized in their daily commute and 26% while walking on the streets. Public vehicles such as buses, tempos, rickshaws & auto-rickshaws were red-flagged as unsafe as well.
In connection to this ordeal, the BRAC research paper titled “Safe road for a woman: Reducing sexual Harassment and Road crash in Bangladesh” found that the majority of perpetrators harassing a woman in the streets or public transport are between the ages of 41-60; 66% of woman has admitted to being harassed by men of this age group.
Moreover, incidents like the 2015 Pohela Boishakh sexual harassment case reduces our faith in the law enforces for not paying heed to the severity of the situation. The nation is baffled as to how despite witnessing the sexual harassment of 20 women by 30-40 men in the TSC area, the police remained unstirred from their stations. In other instances, police themselves have contributed to harassment.
While offices & educational institutes have received guidelines from the judiciary on this issue, public spaces are still devoid of such rules. It is time to hold our lawmakers to account for the lack of effort to reduce sexual harassment. As days go by without provisions such as CCTV cameras in public spaces, messages in public transport conveying the need for decency & decorum, or necessary interventions from law enforcement authorities, we fail to make women feel safe & included that public spaces.
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