Motivating people to tackle problems at ease
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Md. Shafiullah (Rajwan)
FOR tackling problems of the least developed countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh, the non-government organisations (NGOs) as well as individuals concentrate on the symptoms rather than the causes. The approach neglects environmental issues only to aggravate the situation. It also neglects local culture, belief system as well as financial and technical strength.
The approach cannot solve the problems. Therefore, alternative methods must be found for tackling the problems facing the LDCs.
Family disintegration, dowry, violence against women, juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, street children, children and women trafficking, prostitution and begging, are among the social problems facing the LDCs. The social problems breed other problems.
Why Bangladesh cannot stop violence against women, is a big question. Is it for the lack of enforcement of the law for prevention oppression against women and children, the women cannot be protected from violence? Among the associations which provide legal aid to women, Ain o Salish Kendra and Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association are the most prominent ones. It is quite intriguing that the incidence of crime against women is increasing, despite the stringent law. Acording to a statement of Home Minister Sahara Khatun in parliament, "At least 1,479 women were raped in six months, beginning January 2009. Dhaka range's number of 395 rapes, was the highest to be reported in six months, followed by 390 in Rajshah. At least 3,462 women were violated in 2008 and 3,584 in 2007, she stated.
It speaks of violence against women on the rise. The obvious question is, what went wrong in addressing the problem. The causes of the social problem were not identified. And the tools and approach, adopted to address the problem, were not perfect. In most cases of family conflicts, reported by newspapers, women's associations convinced the victim to file a case against her husband and his family members. The husband, the suspect, and his associates were arrested and detained. In many cases, the woman, victim is ousted form the house of her husband. Her father also ousted her from his house. Shun by father or brothers, she had to take shelter at a centre run by a human rights association.
The example illustrates whether or not the approach followed was correct in addressing the problem. The approach lacked any effort to create friendly relations between the husband and the wife to sustain their marriage. By counseling the husband and the wife, the chief factors that caused the conflict would be found out. The husband could be motivated to follow the example of Prophet Mohammad (SM). How the Prophet treated his wives could be cited to the party, if the husband is a Muslim. If the client, belongs to another religions, he could be counseled from his religious point of view. The people of Bangladesh can be easily motivated with the good teachings of religion.
Punishment cannot always solve problems. There is no reason to ignore the spirit of punishment. The emphasis, in a dispute between a husband and a wife, should be to facilitate the union, rather than break up, of the family. A solution to the problem should touch the belief system, without creating further hostility between the husband and the wife. Punishment should be the last option, when no correction is possible.
Belief system of every society can be useful in addressing problems like drug addiction, child labour, street children, juvenile delinquency, rape, acid throwing, dowry as well as unemployment. For a dowry free society, for example, the teaching of Islam, which does not permit dowry taking by a husband, could be useful for the Muslim society. It can be in the agenda of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of Bangladesh government. No doubt, Faith Based Approach (FBA) can better address social problems in society.
The writer, an undergraduate student of Social Welfare Department of the University of Dhaka, can be reached at e-mail: rajwanasia@yahoo.com
FOR tackling problems of the least developed countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh, the non-government organisations (NGOs) as well as individuals concentrate on the symptoms rather than the causes. The approach neglects environmental issues only to aggravate the situation. It also neglects local culture, belief system as well as financial and technical strength.
The approach cannot solve the problems. Therefore, alternative methods must be found for tackling the problems facing the LDCs.
Family disintegration, dowry, violence against women, juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, street children, children and women trafficking, prostitution and begging, are among the social problems facing the LDCs. The social problems breed other problems.
Why Bangladesh cannot stop violence against women, is a big question. Is it for the lack of enforcement of the law for prevention oppression against women and children, the women cannot be protected from violence? Among the associations which provide legal aid to women, Ain o Salish Kendra and Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association are the most prominent ones. It is quite intriguing that the incidence of crime against women is increasing, despite the stringent law. Acording to a statement of Home Minister Sahara Khatun in parliament, "At least 1,479 women were raped in six months, beginning January 2009. Dhaka range's number of 395 rapes, was the highest to be reported in six months, followed by 390 in Rajshah. At least 3,462 women were violated in 2008 and 3,584 in 2007, she stated.
It speaks of violence against women on the rise. The obvious question is, what went wrong in addressing the problem. The causes of the social problem were not identified. And the tools and approach, adopted to address the problem, were not perfect. In most cases of family conflicts, reported by newspapers, women's associations convinced the victim to file a case against her husband and his family members. The husband, the suspect, and his associates were arrested and detained. In many cases, the woman, victim is ousted form the house of her husband. Her father also ousted her from his house. Shun by father or brothers, she had to take shelter at a centre run by a human rights association.
The example illustrates whether or not the approach followed was correct in addressing the problem. The approach lacked any effort to create friendly relations between the husband and the wife to sustain their marriage. By counseling the husband and the wife, the chief factors that caused the conflict would be found out. The husband could be motivated to follow the example of Prophet Mohammad (SM). How the Prophet treated his wives could be cited to the party, if the husband is a Muslim. If the client, belongs to another religions, he could be counseled from his religious point of view. The people of Bangladesh can be easily motivated with the good teachings of religion.
Punishment cannot always solve problems. There is no reason to ignore the spirit of punishment. The emphasis, in a dispute between a husband and a wife, should be to facilitate the union, rather than break up, of the family. A solution to the problem should touch the belief system, without creating further hostility between the husband and the wife. Punishment should be the last option, when no correction is possible.
Belief system of every society can be useful in addressing problems like drug addiction, child labour, street children, juvenile delinquency, rape, acid throwing, dowry as well as unemployment. For a dowry free society, for example, the teaching of Islam, which does not permit dowry taking by a husband, could be useful for the Muslim society. It can be in the agenda of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of Bangladesh government. No doubt, Faith Based Approach (FBA) can better address social problems in society.
The writer, an undergraduate student of Social Welfare Department of the University of Dhaka, can be reached at e-mail: rajwanasia@yahoo.com