Law Watch
Female criminality in Bangladesh
Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon
In Bangladesh women commit much less crime than that of men. The ratio of male-female criminality is around 97:3. At the end of the past century, in 2000, there were 1899 female prisoners in different jails of Bangladesh. Three categories of prisoners, convicted, under-trial, and detainees under safe custody constitute the total number of female prison population. (Ain O Salish Kendro).
In recent years female presence is seen in the business and transfer of different types of drugs, namely heroin, phensidyl, and marijuana etc. Their involvement has been reported in different types of offences, namely, trafficking, hijacking, smuggling, keeping counterfeit currency, carrying illegal arms, etc. Within a time-span of January to December of 2005, 340 reports were published in 12 national and 198 regional newspapers of Bangladesh on women's involvement in criminal activities. 477 women were reported to be involved in different criminal activities, among whom 406 were arrested by police. 108 criminal cases were filed in those incidents. In 2005, different courts gave 13 judgments convicting female criminals; sentences included imprisonment of different terms and fine. (Sangbadpatra Paribikhan 2005: Bangladeshe Nari O Sishu Paristhiti by Mass-Line Media Centre)
Women's involvement in criminal activities is attributed to poverty, paying dower-money, collecting money for release of husband from jail, or for fulfilling the demand of addict husband. Women have been reported to control more than 50 drug spots in Dhaka. In the world of drug business 'drug-queens' have emerged with overwhelming authority side by side their male counterparts. Parul Begum (30) is leading a crime syndicate, of which 50 females are active members. On February 24, 2005 the officers of the Bureau of Drug Control arrested Lipi Begum (25), a so called drug-queen, with 1 kilogram heroin and 2 lakh taka, which she earned from illegal drug business. She was reported to have requested the officers of the Bureau to release her in exchange of one crore taka to be paid in two installments.
In Dhaka, most of the women who are involved in drug business, work at the field-level. Some women became wealthier within very short time. Many voluntarily have chosen this illegal profession; some got involved due to their husband's involvement in drug business.
Women are reported to involve in terrorists activities of extremist religious groups. Dividing in different geographically identified sectors, religious extremists are engaged in subversive activities. In every sector they have trained activists, suicide squad, and women extremists. In all over Bangladesh, more than five thousand women extremists are active to assist their male counterparts, who are well-trained in launching arms and bomb attacks.
The low rate of female criminality in Bangladesh seems to be the result of bio-social factors. In discussing the conduct of male and female, biological difference cannot be overlooked, which is claimed to be functional behind their different behaviour, though society plays the major role in determining their destiny. The society in Bangladesh is predominantly religious and patriarchal, the latter gets stimuli from the former, though patriarchy is wider and deeper than religion in society, which, in the language of Kate Millett, has an extensive design to make women subservient to men.
Here, like most human societies, patriarchy has taken a strong hold, and created a role model for women. Male and female are taught to be masculine and feminine, respectively. A boy is destined to take the role of father, which is translated into all types of responsibilities, including the responsibility to ensure the protection of woman. A girl, on the other hand, is trained up to be feminine, whose responsibility, in most of the families, is confined to giving birth to children and their upbringing and household chores working women have to shoulder double burden, responsibility of work-place and house, where they are joint-breadwinner, though it does not ensure their participation in the decision making.
Of late women's education rate has increased. Socio-economic changes have major bearing on women, for which their tradition-bound lifestyle is changing. Development of western-style democracy has contributed to their freedom, though slow and partial. Large numbers of women are working outside household, particularly in garments, NGO, and corporate sectors. Taking small loan under the scheme of micro-credit many village women have involved in various economic activities and become financially self-reliant. It is an important indicator of women's liberation in our society; nevertheless, the decision-making process is overwhelmingly male-dominated. In the making and breaking of law, female participation is almost zero, though both the leader of the house and leader of the opposition were women.
In Bangladesh female criminality does not seem to increase, as it has happened in USA, with the women's coming out of their home-bound activities. For instance, in 1997 female prisoners constituted 4.09 percent of the total prison population, in 2003 the percentage was 2.8. Among the convicts females constitute only 3.02 percent of the total criminal population. Among the working males and females, who are involved in corruption, 60.1 percent are males and only 2.6 percent are females. (Transparency International, Bangladesh, July 5, 2006.)
Though there is dearth of statistical data, nevertheless, the available data indicate very low rate of women's offending, in comparison with their male counterpart. The cause of this low frequency may be attributed to gender-based, and sexually stratified society. Girls are more closely supervised than boys, determining their destiny to be feminine, which restricts them from entering into the world of dominant culture, and also into the world of crime and delinquency.
The writer is an Assistant Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka.
