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Most Bangladeshi women suffer abuse on public transport

About 87 percent face harassment but a huge majority do not lodge police complaints to avoid social humiliation
Lack of respect for women, absence of legal protection, and overcrowding are blamed for the extremely high level of harassment of women in public transport in Bangladesh

Lack of respect for women, absence of legal protection, and overcrowding are blamed for the extremely high level of harassment of women in public transport in Bangladesh. (Photo: Shutterstock) 

Published: August 29, 2022 10:50 AM GMT
Updated: September 01, 2022 07:44 AM GMT

About 87 percent of women in Bangladesh have faced harassment including sexual abuse while using public transport at least once amid a lack of respect for women, absence of legal protection, and overcrowding, says a survey.

The online survey was jointly conducted by the country office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the National Human Rights Commission, and the Center for Research and Information, among 5,187 women from 24 districts in May-June this year. The results were published on Aug. 26.

About 36 percent of women said they were sexually harassed in public transport and about 57 percent of respondents said they find public transport “mostly unsafe” for women.

The survey found that out of 87 percent harassed only 1 percent lodged complaints with the law enforcers after the incident.

The finding also showed that 23 percent of women were harassed on the streets and 11 percent in markets and shopping malls. And 11 percent of women were victims of cyberbullying on online platforms.

When asked why public transports are unsafe for women, about 48 percent blamed a lack of respect for women, 19 percent pointed to overcrowding in public transport and 10 percent cited the absence of appropriate laws as a potential reason.

A 25-year-old female Catholic student at a private university in capital Dhaka who works as a part-time employee in a private company alleged that she has been a victim of harassment in public transport and on the social media site, Facebook.

“I have been living in Dhaka for more than 10 years, I have been sexually assaulted on buses, on the streets, and bullied online about 10 times. But I never had the courage to take refuge in the law,” the victim told UCA News on condition of anonymity.

She said that she didn’t file any cases against offenders fearing further harassment, noting that the country’s judicial system is complex and a time-consuming process, which can offer no remedy for victims like her.

She also pointed fingers at the conservative social system in Bangladesh where a victim of sexual abuse will face questions like whether her clothes were responsible for sexual abuse or rape, she added.

Earlier this month, a non-government organization, Save the Road, published a report that recorded 4,601 incidents of violence against women in public transport, other modes of transport, besides bus and train stations, from 2017 to Aug. 7 this year. It recorded 357 rapes and 27 murders of women this year alone.

Shanta Farzana, the organization’s secretary general, said the reason behind the high crime graph is "the narrow-mindedness of men who treat women as helpless and as commodities. We need to ensure proper punishment and build awareness,” Farzana told UCA News.

Rita Rosalin Costa, the head of the women's desk of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh, said there are various programs organized by the Church for women and youth to encourage them to protest injustice, though it is not enough.

“We not only have to work on ourselves, but we also have to work on making the administration stand by us, we have to work on every level of the society,” she added.

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1 Comments on this Story
TUCK YING CHAN
those gropers are just following the example set by their "prophet"
Asian Bishops
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