Local public representatives-administration-police and youth took an oath in a multilateral dialogue at Subarno Char Noakhali to prevent violence against women. This Dialogue titled ‘In search of Strategies to Protest-Prevent-Resist Violence Against Women’ was held at the Subarnachar Upazila Complex Auditorium in Noakhali today December 7, 2020. Participants in the dialogue called for grassroots action as well as citizens’ active involvement, to wait upon own duties of concerned law enforcement, administration, and policymakers to ensure safe movement of women in and out of the workplace to end all forms of violence against women. They demanded the end of anti-woman speeches in all kinds of meetings and conventional religious gatherings, and to start judicial investigations in cases of sexual harassment.
This Multilateral Dialogue was jointly organized by Participatory Research Action Network (PRAN), Bandhan and ActionAid Bangladesh with the support of the United Nations Population Fund as part of a 16 Days of Activism, the global campaign to prevent violence against women. The dialogue started at 11:00 am at the Subarnachar Upazila Complex Auditorium. Facilitated by Nurul Alam Masud, CEO of PRAN, Torikul Alam- Additional District Commissioner Noakhali, Additional Police Super Khaled Ibn Malek, AHS Ibnul Hasan- UNO of Subarno Char Upazila, Taslima Akhter- Deputy Manager of ActionAid Bangladesh, Upazilla Vice-Chairman Salma Chowdhury were present on the event.
According to the organizers, over the past few years, rape, gang-rape, kidnapping, sexual harassment, dowry, death by husband’s torture, murder, and other forms of violence against women have increased at an alarming rate. This picture is more horrible in Noakhali. In October alone, there were 41 incidents of violence against women, including 19 rapes in Noakhali district. Protests erupted across the country after a video of a woman being tortured in the district went viral on social media. It should also be added here that Subarnachar Upazila of Noakhali district, has come under discussion a significant number of times in the last two years due to the recurrence of violence against women.
In order to prevent violence against women, the speakers said that violence against women is having a negative impact on the lives of all, including both men and women, thus all in Subarnachar. The incidence of torture in the region is on the rise due to various reasons like lack of justice, the harmful practice of power, patriarchal attitude, lack of family education and social awareness, etc. There is no alternative to socially protesting the disease with the direct participation of people from all walks of life. At the same time, in accordance with the directions of the High Court, the implementation of the anti-violence cell in all public and private institutions, including educational institutions, the signing of the CEDAW and its full implementation, and the abolition of all discriminatory laws and practices against women. This social movement must be taken forward by the inclusion of criminologists and gender experts in the Tribunal and also by expeditious disposal of all pending cases by increasing the number of tribunals. It is important to ensure that women who are victims of violence should not be subjected to repeated psychological abuse by socializing in their own community and ensuring legal security.
Including Chairman from the 8 union Parishad of Subarno Char Upazilla, different individuals from rights-based development organizations, students, local government representatives, religious representatives, community women, and journalists working in different areas of the district participated in this multilateral dialogue on preventing violence against women.
