Urgent Call for Protection Against GBV!

Around 14 years ago, I was working as a young careerist for a national NGO in Bangladesh. At the time, a case story by one of my colleagues working under the Violence against Women and Girls (VAW) component, caught me one day. What I found really gruesomely disturbing at the time was the fact that a destitute girl with disability was made to marry her rapist. To me it showcased, an even more alarmingly perpetuating vicious cycle against survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) in Bangladesh. What were her families thinking? Were they so concerned about saving the girl’s family from so-called-shame and dishonour? Or was her family forced into compliance instead to save the heinous criminal’s family from shame? That’s an untold story I never had the chance to dig deep enough into though …

Similarly, in the recent Magura 8-year-old child rape case, we saw that her family felt compelled to send their daughters to the untoward in-laws' house even though they were aware about his sinister character. Regressive social stigma, along with difficulty in obtaining justice are key factors in perpetuating GBV offences. Bystander inaction have also been the subject of severe escalating GBV offences such as gang rapes and molestation in public transport.
On the other hand, increasing societal gender insensitivities and GBV continue to be observed through moral policing and mob attacks. Shutting of sanitary napkin booths at the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela also signals limited access of women and girls to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) essentials.

Most survivors of sexual violence in Bangladesh struggle to getting justice from their families, communities, societies, workplaces and educational institutions, due to the harmful socio-cultural gender norms. They also face power imbalances and indifference from law enforcement agencies as well as both traditional and legal justice systems that perpetuates impunity for the perpetrators. Most often, the justice seeking system is lengthy and complex, leading to “justice delayed is justice denied”. The recent legal amendment to completing rape investigations within 15 days and ensuring trials conclude within 90 days is an apt change that needs to be urgently put into action.

This reminds one once more also of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 of Bangladesh, which was criticised by both the national and international community alike earlier with no fruitful way out. The legislation has a special provision allowing a boy or a girl to get married before reaching the statutory age in some exceptional cases. A number of opponents had pointed out earlier that it could not only condone child marriage but also ease pathways for the risks of rape marriage, and exoneration of the rapists from prosecution. It’s also time to call to action to revisit such backward looking laws once more.

Children of all genders are highly vulnerable to sexual violence due to their inability to resist or give informed consent. In many cases, the perpetrators are not strangers but are those who are quite known or familiar to the child, including family members and educators. Alarmingly, around 55% of children experience sexual harassment within their own families, while boys are more frequently affected than girls. (Manusher Jonno Foundation and INCIDIN Bangladesh, 2021).

Experts advocate for comprehensive sex education to enhance awareness of “good touch and bad touch,” emphasize the significance of consent in relationships, and educate students on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
In the increasingly tech savvy world where online classes or interactions have become quite the new norm for children, guardians also need to be aware that child exploiters also evade the cyberspace to network for child sex tourism, pornography, prostitution, and trafficking.

Several countries have brought chemical castration under legislation for convicted paedophiles and / or repeat sex offenders, either as a mandatory or voluntary condition for release – including Indonesia, Moldova, Poland, South Korea, and certain states in the United States.

Bangladesh can also learn from Megan's Law and the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act in the United States, along with related state laws and international law, that mandate their government agencies to publish publicly available information about paedophiles and / or sex offenders. The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and several other countries also have similar systems.
In this regard, the first ever sex offenders’ registry has been rightly launched in Bangladesh by Shocheton.org. However, such bona fide initiatives also need to be strengthened further through collaborations with government department(s) or law enforcement agencie(s) to avoid potential misuse such as false accusations.

Majority of countries have enacted strict legal provisions to safeguard the identities of survivors of sexual violence from being published in the media. Such public attention could not only socially stigmatize the victim(s) and put their safety and securities at further risk, but also traumatize them. In this regard, section 14 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 of Bangladesh bans print and digital media platforms from publishing and broadcasting names and photos of victims of rape and sexual assault. Whether its citizens’ journalism by netizens on social media, or professional media journalism, there is increasing need for responsible journalism and ethical sensitivities.

Some critics also continue to question whether the “safe custody” system in Bangladesh for detaining women, children, and adolescents in jails or safe homes for the sake of their safety has conducive gender responsive environment. In the past, police have many at times also been alleged the violation of the norm that none other than the court can take anyone into safe custody.

One Stop Crisis Centres (OCCs) have been established across Bangladesh by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, for not only emergency response against GBV but for supporting in preserving forensics. However, greater sensitization about OCCs and their toll-free VAW Helpline 109, the Child Helpline 1098 under the Department of Social Services, and the national emergency helpline 999 is crucial.

As a response to recent alarming VAW events, the Police Headquarters have also launched the following hotline numbers: 3333, 01320002001, 01320002002, and 01320002222. Additionally, there is the Police Cyber Support for Women Facebook page, to respond with legal and protection services to women victims of cybercrime.

Unfortunately for a female, gender-based discrimination in South Asia quite often starts in the womb - whereby the worldly society thinks that they could live without the female force of nature and continue to neglect them. If the child is someone of the third gender, the fate that awaits them may be even worse.

But for those of us still rising strong willed women and girls, we repeatedly increasingly reiterate – “Imagine a world without us! The world cannot live and breathe without us!”

As Bangladesh passes 54 years of independence history, whereby we still have big mountains left to climb to achieve equality, I end with a memorable quote of freedom fighter Halima Parveen from Jasshore, "Neither a freedom fighter nor a tortured woman ever gives up easily”.

Mehzabin Ahmed, the author, is a development professional.