Right at the time when the FIFA Women's World Cup is in progress in the two neighbouring countries across the Tasman Sea --- Australia and New Zealand, four women footballers of the under-17 Khulna divisional football team came under physical attack. They had to be rescued by the members of the football academy under which they train before sending them to the upazila health complex at Batiaghata. Although three of the victims of physical assault were discharged from the hospital after administering primary treatment, a player named Mangali Bagchi had to be kept under watch because she sustained head injuries from iron rod attack, requiring several stitches.
What is the women footballers' crime? Their crime is that they dare wear half pants or shorts for their jersey and play football. The attackers consider playing football a crime. In a country where women's football has seen a kind of social revolution or renaissance courtesy of a remote village named Kalsindur, this incident in Khulna's Batiaghata is a monumental shame and disgrace for the country. Also here is a country, the prime minister of which is a great sports fan and patron.
It is unthinkable that the attackers in Khulna are quite unaware of the success of the women's football team which is the reigning South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) champion. What is remarkable is that as many as eight girls from Kalsindur village were in the national squad that won the championship in Kathmandu, Nepal in September 2022. The eight members of the victorious team was accorded a grand reception on their return to that village in Mymensingh. Clearly, some people of Khulna's Tentultala have also felt inspired but not the attackers.
Those girls from Kalsindur have not made only their villagers happy and proud but also the entire Bangladesh. The girls who practised at Tentultala Primary school playground have been members of the Khulna district champion team. They became champions in the Bangamata Gold Cup and were doing well at the divisional level as well for years. But because of a lack of proper training and other facilities, the footballers could not realise their potential. This year, however, the organisers started their training with renewed vigour and were hopeful of achieving greater success in the next U-17 women's football competition.
So, here is a case of mental backwardness versus enlightenment. Women's empowerment is still an anathema to a sizeable chunk of the population in this country. In this case, a girl of the locality played the role of a villain by sending the picture of a woman player to her family not interested in allowing her to play the game. But the girl had a passion and love for football and trained without her family's knowledge. When four players went to ask the girl (who secretly took snaps to send to the family reluctant to allow their daughter to play) why she did so, she and the members of her family caught hold of the girls and started beating them.
This is unacceptable. They cannot take law into their own hands even if the girl footballers have committed a crime. This country is not Afghanistan and playing football by girls is not declared a social crime. If they do not like the game, they have every right to keep away and if by chance happen to see girls playing may turn a blind eye or look the other ways. But because the girls wear shorts at the time of playing or practising, they have no right to censor them let alone attack.
The sad thing is that although the main accused has been sent to the jail, the other released on bail are now threatening with acid attack on the woman player who lodged the case against the accused. People who can launch a brutal attack on girls for playing football are capable of vicious and uglier acts of crime. Now, the members of the football academy too are apprehending worst attacks.
Bangladesh society is yet to become culturally liberal enough. But the instances of Kalsindur and the rise of women footballers and cricketers must not be allowed to get undermined by people yet to come out of obscurantism. Society must stand together to launch a strong campaign against people who oppose women's emancipation and empowerment.
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