Outdated and faulty information plague the knowledge bank Tottho Apa, a government-run online project that offers easily accessible information on gender-related issues.
Inappropriate material, outdated statistics and misspelled words were overlooked by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Jatiyo Mohila Sangstha, the two authorities in charge of the Tottho Apa website.
The website’s knowledge bank section, which is offered only in Bangla, contains misogynistic suggestions that female victims are responsible for inciting male perpetrators.
For example, an article on eve teasing mentions the “vulgarity of ultra-modern girls” as a reason why women are harassed.
In 2011, a High Court ruling asked the government to treat eve teasing as a form of sexual harassment and include the offence in the law.
Salma Ali, executive director of Bangladesh Jatiya Mohila Ainjibi Samity, said: “It is very irresponsible to explain eve teasing like this.”
Geeti Ara Nasrin, a journalism professor at Dhaka University, also voiced her concern.
By mentioning “lack of enforcement of religious norms” as a reason for eve teasing, the Tottho Apa website ignores the fact that sexual harassment is also prevalent in many countries where religious doctrines were strictly enforced, she said. Geeti Ara said such remarks also encouraged the establishment of the rule of religion in our country.
It even mentions textbooks as a source of materials inciting men to commit eve teasing.
Geeti Ara said such information amounted to an admission that government textbooks contained immoral lessons.
The website is riddled with outdated facts. The latest statistical data regarding dowry is from 2003, while a 2010 issue of a newspaper is the latest information available under an article on domestic violence.
A number of women’s rights activists said they were sceptical about how useful such outdated information would be to the women seeking help from the Tottho Apa website.
There are also a myriad of spelling errors and discrepancies of information in different categories. An article on dowry extensively details the issue but does not mention the fact that providing or asking for dowry is a punishable offence. The website points out the negative effects of child marriage but fails to mention the punishment for such an offence.
The Tottho Apa website is available at http://www.totthoapa.gov.bd/
