By Md Faiz Ullah
The most shocking and shameful but common and silent form of violence against women in Bangladesh is rape which continues to rise alarmingly. Rape is not only violence against women but also a disease breaking out across the country. In recent time, we, human, have become dumb and speechless hearing the brutal physical torture to and fro to women without whom we can’t imagine our existence.
Rape is a sort of sexual intercourse carried out against a person without the consent of that person. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault. Rape, according to section 375 of the penal code 1860, occurs when a man has sexual intercourses with a woman against her will, without her consent, or when her consent has been gained by putting her in fear of death or hurt.
It has become a term that can be seen in daily news in Bangladesh like almost all of the countries around the globe. When a particular disease is broken out, almost all age groups become victim of it. In the same way, no age group is safe from rape in Bangladesh such as baby girls, minor girls and elderly women. Moreover, we live in a society where victims have to go through extreme mental and social constraints since rape is degrading, humiliating and painful experience. Some rape victims go through years of trauma, nightmares and suicidal feelings.
There is an age old question: Who is guilty in rape incident? The answer: Rape is always guilt of rapist. “In real life, however, rape victims are brutalized, ignored and harassed by the system designed to help them. They are traumatized, stigmatized or shamed for life if they are not killed during the attack.” P. 262 (The Encyclopedia of Rape)
The women who report the rapes do not outweigh those who never do it due to the lack of protection for victims and witnesses. It is unimaginable that less than two percent of rape cases filed in the country over the last five years have ended in conviction. Legal experts point out that because the legal process is so humiliating, the bulk of cases end in out of court settlements. According to police data, 18,668 rape cases were filed during the last five years and there were only 22 convictions. The bulk of rape victims shy away from pursuing cases because it is simply too embarrassing.
A recent UN report revealed that one in eight women in rural Bangladesh admit to having committed rape. Although it is a punishable crime by death, there are no accurate government figures for rape in Bangladesh, largely due to social stigma and a failure by local authorities to investigate alleged crimes.
It is also alleged that women members of police too face sexual harassment by their male colleagues. Suicide of Constable Halima is a case in a vivid example. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiatives (CHRI) revealed last November that at least 10 percent female constables, three percent female Assistant sub-inspectors and two percent sub-inspectors, are victims of sexual harassment.
10 percent of urban and 14 percent of rural men in Bangladesh had been sexually violent with women at one time or another in their life. 77 percent of urban and 81 percent of rural men shared the belief that “sex is men’s entitlement”. 29 to 35 percent of them had sexually abused women to channel their anger or punish the women, and 57-67 percent had done it “just for fun”, according to a study by UNFPA and icddr,b.
To sort out this epidemic problem, we have to turn back to moral education. The education is taught in our family. Family works as a stepping stone of our lives based on which we become criminal or well-doer. Thus, children should be given moral lessons from their tender age, and parents should maintain tension-free communication with their children. Many parents of Bangladesh hold the notion ‘Children are too young to be told about rape.” Should children are taught morality from their homes, they will consider other girls and women as they do their sisters and mothers.
The government ought to take some steps to strengthen family bondage, and without peace and tranquility inside a family, we can’t have a peaceful country as family is the smallest entity of a nation. Parents should keep a close eye to what kinds of books their children read as well as what internet site they browse.
The government can have a halt on accessing porn sites as watching pornography creates sexual desire among porn viewers. Later, the desire leads them to develop illegal sexual relationship or attempt to rape. Likewise, culprit should be given exemplary punishment which will be handy in future. The government should ensure that none of the culprit feel free after doing the crime and get bail without punishment. What is more, we, individually, should realize the agony of a victim who is tortured as well as visualize our stand if our sisters, daughters or mothers become the victim.
If we fail to do so, our next generation will more likely to have a society where our mothers, sisters and daughters will often commit suicide to save their invaluable lives, and we will fail to create a safe environment for women in Bangladesh.
The writer is an educator.