Treating females like human beings
Friday, 29 April 2011
Shafiqul Alam
The recent death of a minor girl, after struggling to survive for about ten days, in Jamalpur has made us wonder that what kind of society is this where we live in. According to media reports, the girl was assaulted by a man and the message was conveyed to her grand mother but it is a matter of utter dismay that no one paid any heed to the matter; rather, an arbitration meeting was arranged to blame that girl and free the culprit for money. Earlier, a taxi driver, being refused by a female student of Titumir College, stabbed that student to death in the capital last month. Females are also human beings and they are also entitled to enjoy the same human rights as their male counterparts do. But who cares about it? Still, many think that the females would act like the voiceless and also act in accordance with what the as males wish. Another appalling matter is stalking which is nothing new and this has led many schoolgirls to commit suicide. Such social crimes are going on unabated, in spite of the government's repeated declarations that such activities will not be tolerated. Many teachers and guardians have been killed or tortured for protesting the eve-teasers in various parts of the country, according to various dailies. Such humiliation of females has turned out to be one of the most serious social problems, though the government has launched several awareness programmes, and the police have been told to be cautious and take unyielding action against the offenders. Needless to say that stalking has a long lasting effect on females. Female students' drop-out rate can be increased, especially in rural parts, while many guardians can consider their daughters' early marriage. However, the induced mental stress due to this censured activity can not be ignored. Again, attempt to irritate a girl or attract her attention through a whistle, clap, uncouth comments etc., in public places, are a growing concern in the country as well. It is appalling that such perilous practices have become regular stories -- something that the women are supposed to just tolerate that. Many treat this as eve-teasing but today it is definitely harassment. Sometimes, women are blamed for alluring eve-teasers by their seductive dresses or make-ups; these are nothing but perverted thoughts. In reality, the majority of the girls who become the prey to eve-teasers are from rural areas and they are more conservative in wearing dresses as compared to their counterparts in the urban areas. Moreover, the male domination of the rural society is so absolute that the crimes committed by men are often condoned or overlooked in arbitration meetings. The poor women have to suffer silently for the wrongs done to them. The killing of Hena is a perfect example of that. In many families, sons are better treated than daughters. Again, men misbehaving with their own wives are unfortunately ignored as it is considered to be their 'domestic' affair. Men who get into the habit of dominating and being aggressive with their wives, feel that they can misbehave with other women, too. To bring about a change in the male's attitude towards women or the patriarchal mindset, the values and norms of respect and solidarity must be injected during the teenage years of every male member of a family. Over the years, there has been a focus on efforts to reduce the gender segregation in the society so that children of both genders can know each other well. Civil society organizations and women's groups arrange public awareness campaigns round the year. Again, day by day, the percentage of educated people is increasing but there is no change in the attitude towards women and they are still oppressed. Should we not ask ourselves, why is there no respite from stalking, eve-teasing and gender violence and what sort of respect do females deserve from males? Only the law is not enough to eliminate such problems. What we need is to treat a female as a human being and to change our mindset towards the females. Again gender balance should not be considered in terms of number of men and women, but in the context of a balance of rights between these two sexes. Otherwise, all the steps that are taken to end discrimination against, or harassment of, women would be exercises in futility. The writer can be reached at e-mail: shafiq@iidfc.com
The recent death of a minor girl, after struggling to survive for about ten days, in Jamalpur has made us wonder that what kind of society is this where we live in. According to media reports, the girl was assaulted by a man and the message was conveyed to her grand mother but it is a matter of utter dismay that no one paid any heed to the matter; rather, an arbitration meeting was arranged to blame that girl and free the culprit for money. Earlier, a taxi driver, being refused by a female student of Titumir College, stabbed that student to death in the capital last month. Females are also human beings and they are also entitled to enjoy the same human rights as their male counterparts do. But who cares about it? Still, many think that the females would act like the voiceless and also act in accordance with what the as males wish. Another appalling matter is stalking which is nothing new and this has led many schoolgirls to commit suicide. Such social crimes are going on unabated, in spite of the government's repeated declarations that such activities will not be tolerated. Many teachers and guardians have been killed or tortured for protesting the eve-teasers in various parts of the country, according to various dailies. Such humiliation of females has turned out to be one of the most serious social problems, though the government has launched several awareness programmes, and the police have been told to be cautious and take unyielding action against the offenders. Needless to say that stalking has a long lasting effect on females. Female students' drop-out rate can be increased, especially in rural parts, while many guardians can consider their daughters' early marriage. However, the induced mental stress due to this censured activity can not be ignored. Again, attempt to irritate a girl or attract her attention through a whistle, clap, uncouth comments etc., in public places, are a growing concern in the country as well. It is appalling that such perilous practices have become regular stories -- something that the women are supposed to just tolerate that. Many treat this as eve-teasing but today it is definitely harassment. Sometimes, women are blamed for alluring eve-teasers by their seductive dresses or make-ups; these are nothing but perverted thoughts. In reality, the majority of the girls who become the prey to eve-teasers are from rural areas and they are more conservative in wearing dresses as compared to their counterparts in the urban areas. Moreover, the male domination of the rural society is so absolute that the crimes committed by men are often condoned or overlooked in arbitration meetings. The poor women have to suffer silently for the wrongs done to them. The killing of Hena is a perfect example of that. In many families, sons are better treated than daughters. Again, men misbehaving with their own wives are unfortunately ignored as it is considered to be their 'domestic' affair. Men who get into the habit of dominating and being aggressive with their wives, feel that they can misbehave with other women, too. To bring about a change in the male's attitude towards women or the patriarchal mindset, the values and norms of respect and solidarity must be injected during the teenage years of every male member of a family. Over the years, there has been a focus on efforts to reduce the gender segregation in the society so that children of both genders can know each other well. Civil society organizations and women's groups arrange public awareness campaigns round the year. Again, day by day, the percentage of educated people is increasing but there is no change in the attitude towards women and they are still oppressed. Should we not ask ourselves, why is there no respite from stalking, eve-teasing and gender violence and what sort of respect do females deserve from males? Only the law is not enough to eliminate such problems. What we need is to treat a female as a human being and to change our mindset towards the females. Again gender balance should not be considered in terms of number of men and women, but in the context of a balance of rights between these two sexes. Otherwise, all the steps that are taken to end discrimination against, or harassment of, women would be exercises in futility. The writer can be reached at e-mail: shafiq@iidfc.com