Law letter
Women's Rights
Even as the country celebrated yet another Woman's Day amidst the usual high-sounding rhetoric, the sad truth is that such ritualistic observance means little to a majority of our women, shackled by poverty, illiteracy and social bias. Women who constitute half of the country's population continue to get a raw deal in different spheres even after three decades of independence. Much as governments may boast about 'achievements' on various fronts, the abysmal human development indices for women make a mockery of such tall claims.
At the root of all forms of discrimination against the fairer sex is the irrational gender inequality, which starts even before she is born, and continues to fetter her till death. The irony is that women are treated as second-class citizens in a country which has an enduring tradition of revering women as the very embodiment of power. Women continue to find themselves in vulnerable positions -- at the workplace, in their access to basic needs like health, education and employment, and even in their own homes.
Along with the discrimination - which seems to be entrenched deep in the psyche of a male-dominated society - the rising level of violence against women is another disquieting concern. Violence against women in the form of rape, sexual abuse, dowry, female feticide, etc., continue to be rampant. Even the proliferation of laws supposed to check such crimes has made little positive intervention. Along with laws and proper implementation, what we need is a social transformation something that can ensure equality and justice.
If the plight of our women is to be ameliorated, a beginning has to be made by addressing some basic issues. The challenge posed by a grossly skewed sex ratio, low level of female literacy, reduced access to economic activities, low female life expectancy, and high fertility rates has to be met on a war footing. The failure to bring down fertility rates and infant and maternal mortality rates in spite of incurring huge expenditures on family welfare and population control measures is attributable, to a great extent, to the low female literacy rate and low level of women education.
Of equal importance is to have a sustained campaign at the grassroots to make women aware of the need to pursue education and income-generating activities so that they become aware of their rights and assert those. Government agencies obviously have not done a great job in this, and therefore NGOs can play a critical role in disseminating information and educating women at every level.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam
National Tourism Worker
