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Call for more investments to combat gender-based violence

FE REPORT | May 13, 2023 00:00:00


At a learning and sharing event organised by UN Women Bangladesh on Wednesday at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), speakers emphasised the prevention of violence against women by increasing investments in relevant areas.

During the event, they called for transformation and cost-efficiency of prevention programming based on global data.

The programme showcased the remarkable results achieved by the Combating Gender-Based Violence (CGBV) project, which received funding from the Government of Canada.

The project aimed to develop effective strategies for preventing violence against women (VAW) in the country, and through extensive research, monitoring, impact evaluation, and innovative approaches, it made significant strides in promoting institutional and behavioural change, ultimately leading to a violence-free environment.

"The time for transformative action by all of us is NOW - no one can remain a bystander," said Gitanjali Singh, Country Representa-tive of UN Women Bangladesh, in her opening remarks.

Recognising the cost-efficiency of prevention programming on gender-based violence compared to response efforts, UN Women has been implementing the CGBV project since 2018.

One notable outcome highlighted during the event was the Evidence (Amendment) Act 2022, presented by the Programme Coordinator, Shrabana Datta.

Through concerted advocacy by civil society, female rights activists, and the Rape Law Reform Coalition, which was supported by UN Women, the law now prohibits the questioning of a rape victim's character during cross-examinations and allows the submission of digital evidence in court.

According to global data, around 736 million women, or almost one in three, have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence at least once in their lives. In Bangladesh, at least 50 per cent of women have faced physical or sexual violence from their male counterparts during their lifetimes.

"The more we involve men in these programmes, the easier it will be for us to achieve equality and reduce violence," said Md Muhibuzzaman, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

He added, "We want to work together - government, non-profit organisations, and civil society organisations. We want to involve everyone in the process of reducing VAW."

Furthermore, the results highlighted the institutionalisation of the Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment policy in 12 public and private workplaces, the establishment of 15 Complaint Committees in educational, public, and private institutions, and the formation of an additional 78 committees in compliance with the High Court directive of 2009.

Lilly Nicholls, High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh, who was present as the chief guest, applauded UN Women's efforts, saying, "The project was exceptional in terms of achievement in such a short period of time. We have to work in a holistic fashion, we have to work in coalition, with an intersectional approach, which means we have to include people of every gender and belief to achieve change."

Former adviser to the Caretaker Government Sultana Kamal said, "We have to create a culture of good humanity and belief. If we can do that, only then will we be able to reduce violence against women in numbers."

Melissa Alvarado, Program Specialist at UN Women, Asia and the Pacific, said in her closing remarks, "This programme has helped us produce new knowledge and evidence, which would help combating VAW. We cannot leave the duty of achieving gender equality to future generation, it should be within us. We should act on it now."

The event showcased valuable insights and experiences gained throughout the duration of the CGBV project. Grassroots participants shared their transformative journeys, underscoring the importance of understanding the root causes of gender-based violence for effective prevention.

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