Incidents of violence against women are increasing in Chittagong day by day, although different rights groups have been continuing campaign to create awareness about the menace.
A recent research conducted by Chittagong Social Development Forum (CSDF) on “Violence against women in Chittagong” revealed 2,367 incidents of torture, rape, kidnapping and violence against women that were recorded by different courts on repression of women and children in Chittagong from January 2011 to November 2011.
Of them, 422 women were raped, 38 kidnapped and 337 committed suicide following torture by family members and the rest were tortured by their husbands or others over dowry.
This research reveals that about 47 percent of women are tortured during their conjugal lives by their husbands and relatives of their in-laws' houses.
The women rights activists said the figures do not show the real scenario of violence against women as the actual number of incidents is much more than the figure recorded in the research. Many of the victims do not even file complaints with police as society is yet to stand strongly by women tortured by men, they said, adding that many women, after being tortured, do not complain against their husbands or other members of their in-laws' houses for the sake of maintaining their conjugal lives.
The research says that incidents of torture against women are not properly addressed as the society is male-dominated. Moreover, lack of exemplary punishment of such incidents encourages the perpetrators to repeat the crimes.
Jesmin Sultana Paru, a human rights activist and general secretary of CSDF, said women have been tortured since the primitive age. “As women now have become more conscious than before they make complaints against this type of unjust treatment to rights activists like us and so we come to know about these,” she said.
Premier University Vice Chancellor Dr Anupam Sen said, “Our society is now a transitional society. It is turning into an industry-based society from agricultural one.”
He said as urbanisation was going on rapidly, tension hammers people in their day to day lives that triggered husbands to torture their wives over trivial matters.
Safia Gazi Rahman, principle of Sunshine Grammar School and College, said it is the duty of institutions to teach people to honour women. As the institutions are not playing proper role in this regard, women are being tortured in many ways and the incidents of torturing are increasing day by day, she said.
Safia said members of her institution are taught about the equal rights of men and women. They are also taught to respect every person irrespective of their race, sex, religious belief and economical or social status, she said.