Govt contemplates law to 'curb domestic violence'
Friday, 11 December 2009
Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun has said the government is contemplating a new law to control domestic violence in the country.
"There are many laws in our country to control violence against women… the need is for their proper implementation," she told reporters after speaking at the 'Consultation on Regional Arrangement for Creating South Asia Convention on Domestic Violence' in the city Thursday, reports UNB.
Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) and Centre for Social Research (CSR), India, jointly organised the function.
The minister said: "We are trying to find out why the laws are not implemented properly. Our government is working on it."
Women, men and the civil society would have to work together to ensure proper implementation of the existing laws, she added.
Earlier, addressing the function, the home minister said violence against women especially the domestic violence is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh.
Quoting a survey conducted by the UNFPA in Bangladesh and South Asia, the minister revealed that one in every two women is victim of domestic violence. South Asia has the highest domestic violence rate and Bangladesh stands 28th in the world.
About 60 per cent women are subject to torture at the hands of their husbands.
So, it was clear that, violence against woman was not only the problems of developing countries like Bangladesh but developed countries were also facing the same problem, she said quoting the UNFPA survey.
The minister said: "Although the complexity of domestic violence requires multiple strategies compatible with the conditions and resources of our country, still the Law Commission felt that it is justifiable to work out a legal remedy for dealing with the problems of domestic violence and that women should have easy access to the ordinary courts for such violence."
"There are many laws in our country to control violence against women… the need is for their proper implementation," she told reporters after speaking at the 'Consultation on Regional Arrangement for Creating South Asia Convention on Domestic Violence' in the city Thursday, reports UNB.
Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) and Centre for Social Research (CSR), India, jointly organised the function.
The minister said: "We are trying to find out why the laws are not implemented properly. Our government is working on it."
Women, men and the civil society would have to work together to ensure proper implementation of the existing laws, she added.
Earlier, addressing the function, the home minister said violence against women especially the domestic violence is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh.
Quoting a survey conducted by the UNFPA in Bangladesh and South Asia, the minister revealed that one in every two women is victim of domestic violence. South Asia has the highest domestic violence rate and Bangladesh stands 28th in the world.
About 60 per cent women are subject to torture at the hands of their husbands.
So, it was clear that, violence against woman was not only the problems of developing countries like Bangladesh but developed countries were also facing the same problem, she said quoting the UNFPA survey.
The minister said: "Although the complexity of domestic violence requires multiple strategies compatible with the conditions and resources of our country, still the Law Commission felt that it is justifiable to work out a legal remedy for dealing with the problems of domestic violence and that women should have easy access to the ordinary courts for such violence."