Thousands join human chains in Dhaka as part of global movement
Thousands of people took the streets in the capital and elsewhere in the country on Thursday demanding an end to violence against women.
Prominent personalities, rights activists, actors, corporate officials, students as well as NGO representatives joined the protests throughout the country.
From human chains they formed in the capital city and all the outlying district towns they called for ensuring exemplary punishments of perpetrators to stop all kinds of violence against women including rape, gang rape, acid attack, dowry, abductions, trafficking and sexual harassment.
Uddome Uttorone Shatakoti, the Bangladesh chapter of One Billion Rising held the countrywide demonstrations.
In Dhaka the demonstrations took places at Agargaon, Asad Gate, Dhaka-Aricha Highway, Dhanmondi Road- 27, Gulshan Avenue, Jatrabari, Mirpur, Manik Mia Avenue, National Press Club, Kemal Ataturk Avenue, parliament house, Farmgate(main road), Supreme Court and several other locations.
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust formed a human chain in front of the main entrance of the Supreme Court Building.
The protesters said that they want an effective implementation of the existing laws as it would help establish women’s rights.
Former advisor of caretaker government and Campaign for Popular Education executive director Rasheda K. Choudhury told New Age the government needs to ensure speedy trial and punishment of accused to stop all kinds of torture against women.
She said as most cases in Bangladesh go unreported the actual number of women victims of violence would be much higher that the available statistics suggest.
Advocate Sara Hossain, BLAST panel lawyers and attorney general office also joined the protest.
Actionaid Bangladesh formed human chain at Gulshan where its country director Farah Kabir said that Actionaid organized the protests not only in the capital but alsdo at Faridpur, Chuadanga, Bandarban, Gaibandha and Netrokona.
Bangladesh Women Chambers and Commerce Industry also formed a human chain at Gulshan.
Karmojibi Nari formed human chain in front of the National Press Club where Kormojibi Nari executive director Rokeya Rafiq urged all to raise their voice against all types of violence and not to stigmatize the victim.
She said even though ending violence against women had been a focal point of the feminist movement in Bangladesh, the number of violence against women is increasing day by day in the countrty.
Rokeya Rafiq said one in every thousand women is raped in Bangladesh, she said.
Later, the demonstration in the city was followed by a cultural show, discussion, photo exhibition and poster writing at Shilpakala Academy premises.
Uddome Uttorone Shatakoti, the Bangladesh chapter of OBR announced the demonstration at a news conference on 10 February at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
The Bangladesh chapter of OBR is an alliance of rights-based groups, government and private sector institutions, cultural groups, students and activists which was formally launched on September 13, 2012.
Many government and non government organizations, educational institutions, industries, trade union bodies are partners of OBR.
OBR, an international campaign was initiated by V-Day to end violence against women.
Courtesy of New Age
