From 2011 to 2014, the country saw a gradual rise in incidents of violence, including sexual harassment, against women. Such a trend can be seen in recent statistics released by the Women Support and Investigation Division under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
According to the data, there were around 76 incidents of rape last year, up from 28 in 2011. Besides, in 2011, the number of cases related to harassment, acid crime and dowry stood at 14, three and 40, while the figures rose to 35, five and 125 last year.
A 14-year-old girl, who was gang-raped by eight men at Gabtoli bus terminal in the capital on December 27, 2012, has still been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She was raped in an empty bus and became unconscious after the incident.
A Brac study from June 2013 shows 44.68% students were victims of molestation, 49.25% were threatened after rejecting romantic proposals, and erotic comments were thrown at 77.78% while 14.44% were blackmailed through photographs, 12.22% were persuaded into physical relationship, and 66.67% were harassed with text messages or phone calls.
Around 43% girls reported that men tried to touch them. In all the cases, 52% of the victims did not take any measures against harassment fearing public disgrace while 35% discussed the issue with their mothers.
Worse, 25.4% victims dropped out of study after being harassed.
“When we make complaints about harassment we are ashamed as people gossip about us. It becomes tough to cope with the situation,” a female student told the Dhaka Tribune.
When contacted, Senior Assistant Commissioner of the DMP Victim Support Centre Asma Begum Rita said: “Solving a case is a lengthy process. It frequently happens that after cases are lodged the victims and offenders come to a mutual understanding. They then come to us to withdraw the case.”
Executive Director of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers Association (BNWLA) advocate Salma Ali said 95% victims avoid lodging complaints.
“Our major finding is that students are harassed more by teachers and less by other students. As for workplace harassment, bosses are usually the main offenders rather than colleagues. There should be a change in the mindset of our society and stalkers must be punished. Mobile courts should be proactive in this regard,” she said.
Salma stressed the need for frank discussion between children and parents. She said instead of suggesting that daughters ignore stalkers, parents should teach them to face the offenders bravely.
“Boys should learn to respect the opposite sex. They should remember that their mothers or sisters could also become victims,” she said.
Secretary of the women and children affairs ministry Tariq-ul-Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that men were “rogues” by nature. He said an individual with a sound mind could not harass others.
“These cases are tough to handle but we have established one-stop crisis centres in 40 districts and 20 upazilas to reduce the rate. We get 300-400 calls a day and inform the local administration to take actions based on those complaints,” he said.