Stalkers on the prowl: Social resistance needed
Rafiqul Islam | Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Rafiqul Islam
Incidents of stalking and murders by the criminals have taken an alarming turn across the country creating a sense of insecurity among the parents and guardians of school and college- going girls. Some recent incidents of murders of guardians by the stalkers in different parts of the country have evoked much commotion and concern among the citizenry, particularly the parents and social thinkers. This unhealthy situation and lawlessness reflect the degradation of moral values in the society. The society has become so 'selfish' and "coward' that nobody dares protest the heinous act that occurs publicly and does not come forward to help the victims of the stalkers for their own safety. Inaction on the part of the law enforcers and lack of mass awareness are to be blamed for the surge in the crimes by the stalkers. Stalking and murders of guardians of the victims have marked a considerable rise even after the government formed mobile courts to prosecute the offenders and the High Court (HC) gave directives to protect women from sexual harassment. Moreover, lax enforcement of laws and a number of social factors including fear of further harassment have stood in the way of effectively curbing sex-related crimes. On November 26 this year, a school teacher and freedom fighter Zinnat Ali, 58, of Barisal district was brutally knifed to death near his residence for protesting stalking of his college going daughter by drug peddler of the same locality. Press reports have it that, Anik, the drug peddler used to stalk Zinnat's daughter on her way to college. The father protested Anik's immoral act. Being enraged, the criminal threatened Zinnat with dire consequences over phone. On November 26 last when Zinnat was returning home by a motorcycle, Anik and his accomplices intercepted his bike and stabbed him to death. Earlier in October, 2010 a stalker killed the mother of a girl at Madhukhali Upazila in Faridpur for protesting stalking of her daughter.The stalker, son of a liquor trader ran his motorcycle over her resulting in her death. Police arrested the culprit after extensive coverage of the incident by both print and electronic media. Another guardian (father) of a school going girl was hacked to death by a stalker at Bahadurpur village under Motlab upazila in Comilla on December1, 2010. Rights activists, lawyers and educationists blamed lack of initiatives to implement the High Court orders, corrupt practices of law enforcement agencies, political influence in favour of stalkers and lack of protection of the victims for the situation.It is more alarming that in a number of cases of stalking and rape in recent times, the offenders happened to be school or college teachers. Parimol Joydhar a teacher of Viqarunnisa Noon school in the capital violated a student of the school which created uproar in the capital and shocked guardians of other students of the school. A school teacher in Tanore, Rajshahi was arrested recently on charge of violating a student of the institution. According to Odhikar, a rights body, 446 girls and women were sexually harassed in the last eight months from January this year. The High Court on January26, 2011 gave a landmark verdict defining sexual harassment and identifying 11 acts as sexual offences saying it was expected to prevent growing sex crimes in workplaces, educational institutions and other public places. The court ordered installation of a separate unit or cell or a team at every police station across the country to prevent sexual harassment. The court also asked the government, law enforcers and NGOs not to use the phrase 'eve teasing' for stalking or sexual harassment, observing that the use of the phrase makes the offences less grievous. The society is now passing through a critical juncture in terms of moral values, ideology and honesty. Taking the advantage of the absence of these virtues, criminals under the shelter of political godfathers and vested interest groups are destroying the social fabrics endangering security of life of people and polluting the society. This is high time we took collective initiative both by the government and the members of the civil society to unite the people to resist the heinous crimes like stalking, sexual harassment and murders to present an ideal society to the next generation.
Incidents of stalking and murders by the criminals have taken an alarming turn across the country creating a sense of insecurity among the parents and guardians of school and college- going girls. Some recent incidents of murders of guardians by the stalkers in different parts of the country have evoked much commotion and concern among the citizenry, particularly the parents and social thinkers. This unhealthy situation and lawlessness reflect the degradation of moral values in the society. The society has become so 'selfish' and "coward' that nobody dares protest the heinous act that occurs publicly and does not come forward to help the victims of the stalkers for their own safety. Inaction on the part of the law enforcers and lack of mass awareness are to be blamed for the surge in the crimes by the stalkers. Stalking and murders of guardians of the victims have marked a considerable rise even after the government formed mobile courts to prosecute the offenders and the High Court (HC) gave directives to protect women from sexual harassment. Moreover, lax enforcement of laws and a number of social factors including fear of further harassment have stood in the way of effectively curbing sex-related crimes. On November 26 this year, a school teacher and freedom fighter Zinnat Ali, 58, of Barisal district was brutally knifed to death near his residence for protesting stalking of his college going daughter by drug peddler of the same locality. Press reports have it that, Anik, the drug peddler used to stalk Zinnat's daughter on her way to college. The father protested Anik's immoral act. Being enraged, the criminal threatened Zinnat with dire consequences over phone. On November 26 last when Zinnat was returning home by a motorcycle, Anik and his accomplices intercepted his bike and stabbed him to death. Earlier in October, 2010 a stalker killed the mother of a girl at Madhukhali Upazila in Faridpur for protesting stalking of her daughter.The stalker, son of a liquor trader ran his motorcycle over her resulting in her death. Police arrested the culprit after extensive coverage of the incident by both print and electronic media. Another guardian (father) of a school going girl was hacked to death by a stalker at Bahadurpur village under Motlab upazila in Comilla on December1, 2010. Rights activists, lawyers and educationists blamed lack of initiatives to implement the High Court orders, corrupt practices of law enforcement agencies, political influence in favour of stalkers and lack of protection of the victims for the situation.It is more alarming that in a number of cases of stalking and rape in recent times, the offenders happened to be school or college teachers. Parimol Joydhar a teacher of Viqarunnisa Noon school in the capital violated a student of the school which created uproar in the capital and shocked guardians of other students of the school. A school teacher in Tanore, Rajshahi was arrested recently on charge of violating a student of the institution. According to Odhikar, a rights body, 446 girls and women were sexually harassed in the last eight months from January this year. The High Court on January26, 2011 gave a landmark verdict defining sexual harassment and identifying 11 acts as sexual offences saying it was expected to prevent growing sex crimes in workplaces, educational institutions and other public places. The court ordered installation of a separate unit or cell or a team at every police station across the country to prevent sexual harassment. The court also asked the government, law enforcers and NGOs not to use the phrase 'eve teasing' for stalking or sexual harassment, observing that the use of the phrase makes the offences less grievous. The society is now passing through a critical juncture in terms of moral values, ideology and honesty. Taking the advantage of the absence of these virtues, criminals under the shelter of political godfathers and vested interest groups are destroying the social fabrics endangering security of life of people and polluting the society. This is high time we took collective initiative both by the government and the members of the civil society to unite the people to resist the heinous crimes like stalking, sexual harassment and murders to present an ideal society to the next generation.