Around 1,441 incidents of violence against women and children took place in the country last year, Zinat Ara Haque, executive coordinator of We Can Bangladesh, a platform of civil society, said today.
Of the victims, 996 were women and the rest 445 were children and around half of the incidents took place in Dhaka division during the time, she said while unveiling a report at a round table at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka.
Speakers at the roundtable stressed the need for building awareness and change in mindset to end violence against women and children in the country.
They also said the country’s progress will not be meaningful without ensuring due rights of women and children.
We Can Bangladesh, a platform of civil society members, arranged the roundtable on “Violence against Women: Possibilities to Get Support.”
Sharing the findings, Zinat Ara Haque said violent incidents against women and children are taking place frequently in the country while many of the incidents go unreported.
While seeking justice, many women and families faced challenges like police noncooperation in filing general diaries and getting fair postmortem reports and investigation reports, she said.
Chairing and moderating of the roundtable, We Can Bangladesh’s Co-chair Shaheen Anam said they are engaged in working to end the violence, but sometimes being frustrated because of such violence goes on unabatedly.
“Violence against women is taking place in the manifold. [I] will not go in the debate on whether it is rising or declining,” she said.
She stressed the need for coordination among institutions for strengthening judicial system to check such violence against women and children.
She also called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to undertake a “zero tolerance” policy to put an end to the violence.
Mokhlesur Rahman Badal, chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council’s Human Rights and Legal Aid Committee, said the cases related to the violence against women and children should be dealt at special tribunals set up for them for a speedy trial.
Nasimun Ara Haque Minu, president of Bangladesh Female Journalists’ Association, said changes in textbooks are required to ensure knowledge for children about adversities of the violence against women.
Women’s equal rights will not be established if the country’s existing laws related to the issue is not amended, she said.
Abdullah Al Mamun, director of Department of Social Services, said coordination among different government institutions is needed to make the efforts a success.
