Nishat Tarannum Toma:
Domestic violence against women has become a common phenomenon in Bangladesh. Even it has become a significant as well as a noteworthy issue in our society. In the perspective of our society domestic violence includes beating the women by their husbands, dowry related violence, rape, acid attack, physical and verbal harassment, sexual harassment and most importantly forced prostitution. According to our country women both in urban and rural area have to face domestic violence. Most importantly, it is the physical toleration which women have to face by their partners. But in our country women habitually tolerate this violence. They don’t raise their voice to thwart this situation. We can give the paradigm of Rumana Manzur an assistant professor in university of Dhaka in our country who was a victim of a horrific attack by her husband Hassan, who tried to gash her eyes out, bite her disastrously and lastly tried to put acid on her face. By this horrendous act of her husband she lost her eyes. However, this type of violence by her husband was not done in one day she was tolerating such pain entire her married life. If we analyze the situation we can straightforwardly understand the stipulation of women in our country. Surprisingly, rather it is happening in urban sector along with such an educated person then what about the women who are living in rural areas?? moreover who are not much educated. These types of violence are assembling women very imperceptibly.
Then comes the most dreadful violence against women which is acid throwing. In a statistics it has been showed that above 54% women have gone through this brutality. The causes of this violence are negation of marriage offers, rejection of illegal works, dowry disputes, and property disputes. As the consequences of this devastating act is very perilous. Lots of women even the children have to lose their lives. But the implication of laws as well as rules and regulations are not agreeable. Many women do not get proper justice in these cases. Afterward, the next cruelty is dowry, which is very elevated in bucolic areas. Dowry is something which is allied with money or expensive gifts which have to given by the bride’s family to the grooms. And if the bride’s family botched to give the dowry then enormous torture starts. Even many teenage girls’ faces a great cruelty for the failure to give the money. At times they commit suicide. In countless situations, many women have to gone through a heinous violence which is rape. This type of violence just shattered the women mental strength. In many cases, women just failed to raise their voice to seek justice. If they come up to go for righteousness, they have to face countless problems in that path. There another part of domestic violence is forced prostitution. The rate of forced prostitution in our country is very elevated. Numerous teenage girls’ are brought in this field illegally. Sometimes they are sold by their own relations or by their husbands. These powerless women unearth no doors open to perceive the sunshine in their life.
In our constitution in Article 27, here has declared that, all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.
But my question is, in actuality does it happening? Do our women are practically entitled to equal protection of law?? I think the answer will not always be buoyant. Presently, in our country there are many NGOs relating to human rights along with several non government organizations like, BNWLA, Mahila Parishad etc. which are working or trying to assist the victims to survive.
Domestic violence against women is a vindictive act for the society as well as for the devotion of humanity. People in our country as most importantly the women have to come forward to stop this violation. They have to raise their voice against this cruelty. Moreover, they have to be much defined for their rights and their abilities to overcome the circumstances. The government has to be very stringent for the implementation of law to circulate them for justice.
Writer: School of Law, BRAC University
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