Local public representatives, government officials, police and youths took an oath in a multilateral dialogue at Subarno Char in 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 on Monday.
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 policy makers to ensure safe movement of women in and out of the workplace to end all forms of violence against women. They demanded end of anti-woman speeches in all kinds of meetings including 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) and ActionAid Bangladesh with the support of the United Nations Population Fund as part of a 16 Days of Activism, global campaign to prevent violence against women.
In the event, conducted by PRAN CEO Nurul Alam Masud, Additional District Commissioner of Noakhali Torikul Alam, Additionalp Superintendent of Police Khaled Ibn Malek, Subarno Char UNO AHS Ibnul Hasan, Deputy Manager of ActionAid Bangladesh Taslima Akhter and Upazilla Vice Chairman Salma Chowdhury were present while, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh Farah Kabir virrually joined the dialogue.
According to the organizers, over the past few years, violation, 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 violation in Noakhali. 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 that Subarnachar Upazila has been highlighted a significant number of times in the last two years due to the recurrence of violence against women.
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, 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, they added.
Including Chairman from the eight 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.
