On August 28, a post surfaced on Facebook showing a hospitalized woman with brutal wounds on her face and head. The woman in the picture is Tasnim Sarah Priya, a 27-year-old housewife.
Posted from the profile “Roya Tasnim,” the post quickly went viral and gained the attention of a massive audience. Detailing an incident of domestic violence, where Tasnim Sarah Priya was attacked by her husband and mercilessly disfigured in the process, she claims this incident was not a first and that it was an attempt on her life itself.
Priya filed a lawsuit on May 22 under the Dowry Prohibition Act and the Suppression of Violence Against Women and Children Act against her husband, Mohammad Roni, and three of his associates. Roni, a businessman, married Priya in November 2022. He owns twelve stores in different districts, including Chattogram and Dhaka. Together, they are parents to one child.
But their union quickly descended into abuse, and Priya was subjected to constant emotional and physical suffering. Roni was even more infuriated when Priya sought divorce.
Priya claims she was attacked with a knife, which was used to disfigure her face, and further attacked with a hammer on her head. After receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Priya was transferred to the capital's Health and Hope Hospital, where she spent 20 days recuperating from her serious wounds.
Upon Priya’s post gaining enormous attention on Facebook, the alleged husband Roni went live on Facebook himself, where he denied the actions he was being accused of. Roni further crucified Priya’s character by accusing her of adultery. This led to people on social media to jump on a bandwagon and defend Roni. Even after seeing proof of the violence on Priya’s post, most people justified Roni’s actions, saying he had the right to assault his wife since she was an adulterer. Whereas, others blamed Priya for allegedly marrying a man for his money.
The case of Tasnim Sarah Priya is unfortunately not unique in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of victimization and justification of domestic violence in the world: One in every two married women reports having endured such an experience during their lifetime, and one in every four reports having endured it in the past year (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2016).
Wife transgression is widely accepted as a reason for spousal violence in many parts of the country. But is “wife transgression” really a valid reason for spousal violence on women? Not according to the law. Article 27 and 28 of the Constitution specifically guarantees equal rights of women before the law.
In most cases of violence against women, people focus on “what the victim did to deserve it” rather than focusing on the crime and the criminal
Other acts to protect the rights of women include: The Dowry Prohibition Act (1980; 1986), The Prevention of Women and Child Repression Act (2000), and The Cruelty to Women Ordinance (1983). Furthermore, Bangladesh has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979), which calls for the protection of women from gender-based abuse and negligence.
Sadly, the existence of these laws does not guarantee the safety of women. The growing body of research suggests that spousal violence is highly prevalent in Bangladesh. The overwhelming majority of physical and sexual violence against women was perpetrated by husbands, not by other persons. In order to ensure basic human rights, which women are entitled to, no cause or reasoning can justify violence against a spouse.
In most cases of violence against women, people focus on “what the victim did to deserve it” rather than focusing on the crime and the criminal. Therefore, justifying the crime and further diminishing the victim’s dignity. Be it in the court of law, or the court of public opinion, the victim is villainized and rarely ever gets justice.
The reason victim blaming exists to this day is Bangladesh’s deeply rooted patriarchal and misogynistic mindset. Women are still treated as second class citizens at home, work, and even at education centres. Since there is a social imbalance of power and autonomy between men and women, the narratives of victims are often erased by their dominant counterparts to be replaced with their self-suiting portrayal of the story.
If we are to progress, as a society, we must hold ourselves accountable for questioning victims of abuse or violence. Victim blaming silences survivors and protects perpetrators. Every time we ask, “what was she wearing?” or “why didn’t she leave?” we shift the focus from the real issue -- the crime itself. It's time to change the conversation, protect survivors of abuse and bring justice to the perpetrators.
SM Sharmin Jahan is an intern at Dhaka Tribune.
