Activists for changing people's mindset to tackle harassment of women: speakers
The government already has many laws but their success depends on people’s attitude
Oppression and subjugation of women is rife in the country despite their contributions to domestic and professional work owing to improper implementation of existing laws, rights activists and government officials said.
The government already has many laws at its disposal but proper observance of these by citizens is the deciding factor, government officials said at a discussion.
Gender Platform Bangladesh organised the discussion session on Tuesday at the Daily Star Center in the capital.
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Lawmaker Shamsunnahar Bhuiyan, member of the parliamentary standing committee on labour ministry, Susmita Paik, deputy director at the National Human Rights Commission, Advocate Salma Ali, president of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association, Saidul Islam, additional secretary general of Bangladesh Employers' Federation, and AKM Ashraf Uddin, executive director of Bangladesh Labour Foundation, were present at the event among others.
While new laws on top of existing ones can bolster the fight against harassment of women, focus should be on changing people's mindset, as a significant population still does not recognise occupational harassment as a form of gender-based offence, many participants at the event claimed.
Nusrat Jahan, from the Law and Justice Division, said it is essential that people change their attitudes and start respecting gender-based laws to assist the government in ensuring the success of many existing legislations.
Susmita Paik said despite clear categorisation of gender-based violence by the High Court, many men do not seem concerned about them. For this reason, families have to take up the responsibility to educate children to differentiate between right and wrong.
Saidul Islam backed up the claims saying the High Court directives allows for adequate steps to tackle sexual harassment but everyone in the society must first pledge to stem the offences.
Advocate Salma Ali said everyone should change their views about women and also increase their sense of responsibility.
Ahsan Habib Bulbul, joint coordinator of Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad, said women are facing harassment at workplaces, transport and many other places, which is impacting their long-term productivity and hurting the overall economy's growth prospects.
Women's contributions in the economy is praiseworthy, and yet they are facing harassment everywhere from educational institutions to workplaces. As such, everyone including the media and government should come together to tackle the crisis, speakers said.
