US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat said sexual harassment and gender-based violence not only happen in Bangladesh, but women in the US also become victims of sexual harassment on the streets.
Referring to a recent study, the US envoy said about 96% of women became victims of sexual harassment on the streets.
Bernicat made this observation while addressing a roundtable titled “Sexual harassment, gender-based violence and the Role of Media” at Daily Star centre in the capital yesterday.
The roundtable was co-sponsored by Protecting Human Rights (PHR) Programme and Women Journalists’ Network, Bangladesh (WJNB). The PHR programme is generously supported by USAID and implemented by Plan International Bangladesh in partnership with Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA).
The US ambassador said the behaviours of 86% girls changed drastically after they became victims of sexual assaults.
Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of the Daily Star, presented the keynote paper at the event. He said violence against women dis-glorify our achievement in different sectors.
Eileen O’Connor, Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said the mindset of males should change first to check violence against women in society.
Sharing her journalism experiences, she said female journalists not only were harassed by outsiders, but also harassed by their male colleagues.
Bulbul Monjurul Ahsan, editor-in-chief and CEO of Boishakhi Television, said each and every media house should have gender sensitive rules and regulations so that female staff are not deprived of their due benefits.
Ensuring exemplary punishment against the people who sexually assault women would curb these types of criminal activities in society, he said.
Dr Gitiara Nasreen, professor of the Mass Communications and Journalism department, Dhaka University, in her speech said women’s participation in the media indicates that entrance was not a big challenge, but position matters as female journalists could not take part in the decision-making.
Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori, said: “We should respect everybody as human beings, not females or males.”
Senait Gebregziabher, country director of Plan International Bangladesh, Dr Hamida Hossain, human rights activist, Mohiuddin Alamgir, editor of daily newspaper Nayadiganta, Sukanto Gupta Alok, CEO of Desh TV, Farida Yesmin, general secretary of the National Press Club, and Angur Nahar Monty, diplomatic correspondent of the daily Bhorer Kagoj, among others, spoke on the occasion.