ASK launches initiative at AIUB to prevent sexual, gender-based violence

The Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has launched an initiative at American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and promote a safe, dignified and inclusive campus environment.

As part of the initiative, an inception meeting titled "Preventing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence" was held at the AIUB campus today (20 August).

The initiative is part of a project being implemented at five selected universities in Bangladesh with support from UN Women and funding from the European Union.

The project aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of higher education institutions to prevent and address sexual and gender-based violence and to help change harmful social and institutional attitudes that contribute to such violence.

University authorities, teachers, members of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee (SHPC) and other relevant stakeholders attended the meeting.

The meeting aimed to brief stakeholders about the project and begin the process of developing a university-specific action plan for AIUB.

ASK Executive Director Tahmina Rahman delivered the welcome address. She spoke about the growing challenges of misinformation, online harassment and offline violence in a technology-driven world.

"Sexual and gender-based violence in Bangladesh is increasingly becoming a matter of concern and taking multiple forms," she said, stressing the need for coordinated efforts by individuals, institutions and society to prevent such violence both online and offline.

Tahmina Rahman said ASK is implementing the initiative at five universities in Bangladesh as an implementing partner of UN Women.

She said the initiative aims to strengthen universities' capacity to prevent and address sexual and gender-based violence while ensuring a safer and more inclusive learning environment for students, teachers and staff.

AIUB Vice Chancellor Prof Saiful Islam said the world is going through a rapidly changing and uncertain period, requiring educational institutions to adapt their approaches and practices to effectively respond to emerging challenges.

UN Women Unit Manager Shrabana Dutta discussed how a "Whole-of-School Approach" can engage the entire university community in preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence.

She stressed the need to strengthen institutional mechanisms and ensure coordinated participation from stakeholders at different levels of the university.

Prof Farhin Hasan expressed hope that the project would bring meaningful changes in the attitudes and perspectives of the university community and help create a more positive environment based on mutual respect, dignity and inclusion.

Participants stressed the need to raise awareness, ensure effective complaint and redress mechanisms, and engage stakeholders at all levels of the university in preventing sexual and gender-based violence.

They also shared suggestions on making AIUB's existing institutional mechanisms more effective and stronger.