Schools and colleges can form a coordinated committee including guardians, teachers, social workers, law enforcement agencies and so on to fight against stalkers. Social awareness programmes should be included in order to create moral values against stalking, writes Taskin Fahmina
Another news of a teenage suicide came up recently. Umme Kulsum Ritu, a 15-year-old student of Class IX at the East Point Education School and College in Khilgaon, Dhaka committed suicide by taking pesticide on September 6. Her family and class mates alleged that Shimul Chandra, a 22-year-old man reported to be a miscreant, along with his friends had been stalking her on the way to school for a long time. The stalkers also started insulting her in front of her house, too.
On September 6, Shimul repeatedly insulted and abused her while she was at home alone. She could not bear the humiliation and it forced her to commit suicide. Her parents, who were apparel workers, were at work when the incident took place. The police still could not arrest Shimul, who is the prime accused.
Along with Ritu, there were cases regarding other girls and women like Pinky, Reshma, Elora, Mukti Rani, Tumpa Akter and many more — with their childhood stolen and dreams shattered. They also had ended their lives by committing suicide and their stories were more or less the same as Ritu’s. According to statistics of Odhikar in 2014, 11 girls committed suicide and two were killed by the stalkers. From the documentation by the same rights organisation, it has been reported that between January 1, 2010 and September 10, 2014, a total of 96 girls and young women committed suicide and 24 were killed by the stalkers. When the victims protested against the stalkers, families of the victims were also attacked by the stalkers and some were injured or even killed by them.
In most of the cases, the judicial process has been extremely slow, many of the people alleged to have been killers even got bail and started to threaten the victim families to make them withdraw the case; therefore, in many cases, it has become hard to ensure justice for the families of victims who lost their dear ones because of the stalkers’ actions.
In the case of Chapa Rani Bhowmik, a sugar mill worker and mother of a young girl, was killed by Debashish Saha Rony, her daughter’s stalker, who drove his motorcycle over her on October 26, 2010 as she protested against him stalking and harassing her daughter. Almost four years after the incident on June 9, 2014, the Faridpur district and sessions judge’s court sentenced Debashish to dealth penalty. However, Debashish has been absconding since he secured bail from the High Court Division on July 8, 2012.
Violence against women is prevalent in Bangladesh and stalking is one of them. Stalking creates enormous mental and/or physical anguish. Majority of the victims are students of schools, colleges and universities. They are generally between 11 and 20 years old. The stalkers mainly stand in front of schools, colleges and by roads and stalk, hurl indecent remarks, intimidate, or physically abuse young girls.
They sometimes pull young girls’ hands or scarves in public to harass them. Some stalkers even threaten to abduct and rape them. It has also been reported that because of the intimidation from stalkers, young girls drop out from their educational institutions. Some parents even marry off their under-aged daughters to protect them from stalkers, which only create further victimisation of the hapless girls as they could not continue with their education and become victims of child marriage.
On January 26, 2011, a division bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court ordered that every incident of stalking-related harassment should be considered ‘sexual harassment’. The court asked the government, law enforcers and non-governmental organisations to refrain from using the term ‘eve-teasing’ as it weakens the seriousness of the offence.
Additionally, the High Court Division bench declared the inclusion of all government and private places in the Prevention of Repression on Women and Children Act 2000 (amended in 2003) as potential areas of sexual harassment along with the educational institutions and work places. Stalking through SMS, e-mail, telephone and mobile are also being included in the law as criminal offences. The court also delivered a judgement that a separate cell or team will be set up in every police station in order to prevent sexual harassment. The team will submit reports on sexual harassment cases every month.
It is unfortunate that the majority of the police stations still have not taken initiatives to comply with the order of the High Court Division, which requires every police station to form a separate team of officers to deal with complaints of sexual harassment or stalking. Even though we have seen that some stalkers are being caught after the High Court directives and are punished with fines or imprisonments, many of their trial procedures are slow as is the case with those who were involved in killing or instigation to commit suicide. Some even got bail or are still absconding, which is very intimidating for families of victims.
Schools and colleges also need professional counsellors to help girls to refrain from dropping out, taking part in early marriages or committing suicide. Schools and colleges can form a coordinated committee including guardians, teachers, social workers, law enforcement agencies and so on to fight against stalkers. Social awareness programmes should be included in order to create moral values against stalking. To promote healthy way of life for youths, employment generation programmes, youth clubs, libraries, play grounds need to be set up. Most importantly, an independent judicial system with proper speed can help reduce this heinous act and save lives and dreams of thousands of young girls.
Taskin Fahmina is a researcher and a human rights activist.
– See more at: http://newagebd.net/49802/stalkers-must-be-stopped/#sthash.QJzi3gBC.dpuf
Schools and colleges can form a coordinated committee including guardians, teachers, social workers, law enforcement agencies and so on to fight against stalkers. Social awareness programmes should be included in order to create moral values against stalking, writes Taskin Fahmina
Another news of a teenage suicide came up recently. Umme Kulsum Ritu, a 15-year-old student of Class IX at the East Point Education School and College in Khilgaon, Dhaka committed suicide by taking pesticide on September 6. Her family and class mates alleged that Shimul Chandra, a 22-year-old man reported to be a miscreant, along with his friends had been stalking her on the way to school for a long time. The stalkers also started insulting her in front of her house, too.
On September 6, Shimul repeatedly insulted and abused her while she was at home alone. She could not bear the humiliation and it forced her to commit suicide. Her parents, who were apparel workers, were at work when the incident took place. The police still could not arrest Shimul, who is the prime accused.
Along with Ritu, there were cases regarding other girls and women like Pinky, Reshma, Elora, Mukti Rani, Tumpa Akter and many more — with their childhood stolen and dreams shattered. They also had ended their lives by committing suicide and their stories were more or less the same as Ritu’s. According to statistics of Odhikar in 2014, 11 girls committed suicide and two were killed by the stalkers. From the documentation by the same rights organisation, it has been reported that between January 1, 2010 and September 10, 2014, a total of 96 girls and young women committed suicide and 24 were killed by the stalkers. When the victims protested against the stalkers, families of the victims were also attacked by the stalkers and some were injured or even killed by them.
In most of the cases, the judicial process has been extremely slow, many of the people alleged to have been killers even got bail and started to threaten the victim families to make them withdraw the case; therefore, in many cases, it has become hard to ensure justice for the families of victims who lost their dear ones because of the stalkers’ actions.
In the case of Chapa Rani Bhowmik, a sugar mill worker and mother of a young girl, was killed by Debashish Saha Rony, her daughter’s stalker, who drove his motorcycle over her on October 26, 2010 as she protested against him stalking and harassing her daughter. Almost four years after the incident on June 9, 2014, the Faridpur district and sessions judge’s court sentenced Debashish to dealth penalty. However, Debashish has been absconding since he secured bail from the High Court Division on July 8, 2012.
Violence against women is prevalent in Bangladesh and stalking is one of them. Stalking creates enormous mental and/or physical anguish. Majority of the victims are students of schools, colleges and universities. They are generally between 11 and 20 years old. The stalkers mainly stand in front of schools, colleges and by roads and stalk, hurl indecent remarks, intimidate, or physically abuse young girls.
They sometimes pull young girls’ hands or scarves in public to harass them. Some stalkers even threaten to abduct and rape them. It has also been reported that because of the intimidation from stalkers, young girls drop out from their educational institutions. Some parents even marry off their under-aged daughters to protect them from stalkers, which only create further victimisation of the hapless girls as they could not continue with their education and become victims of child marriage.
On January 26, 2011, a division bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court ordered that every incident of stalking-related harassment should be considered ‘sexual harassment’. The court asked the government, law enforcers and non-governmental organisations to refrain from using the term ‘eve-teasing’ as it weakens the seriousness of the offence.
Additionally, the High Court Division bench declared the inclusion of all government and private places in the Prevention of Repression on Women and Children Act 2000 (amended in 2003) as potential areas of sexual harassment along with the educational institutions and work places. Stalking through SMS, e-mail, telephone and mobile are also being included in the law as criminal offences. The court also delivered a judgement that a separate cell or team will be set up in every police station in order to prevent sexual harassment. The team will submit reports on sexual harassment cases every month.
It is unfortunate that the majority of the police stations still have not taken initiatives to comply with the order of the High Court Division, which requires every police station to form a separate team of officers to deal with complaints of sexual harassment or stalking. Even though we have seen that some stalkers are being caught after the High Court directives and are punished with fines or imprisonments, many of their trial procedures are slow as is the case with those who were involved in killing or instigation to commit suicide. Some even got bail or are still absconding, which is very intimidating for families of victims.
Schools and colleges also need professional counsellors to help girls to refrain from dropping out, taking part in early marriages or committing suicide. Schools and colleges can form a coordinated committee including guardians, teachers, social workers, law enforcement agencies and so on to fight against stalkers. Social awareness programmes should be included in order to create moral values against stalking. To promote healthy way of life for youths, employment generation programmes, youth clubs, libraries, play grounds need to be set up. Most importantly, an independent judicial system with proper speed can help reduce this heinous act and save lives and dreams of thousands of young girls.
Taskin Fahmina is a researcher and a human rights activist.
– See more at: http://newagebd.net/49802/stalkers-must-be-stopped/#sthash.QJzi3gBC.dpuf
Schools and colleges can form a coordinated committee including guardians, teachers, social workers, law enforcement agencies and so on to fight against stalkers. Social awareness programmes should be included in order to create moral values against stalking, writes Taskin Fahmina
Another news of a teenage suicide came up recently. Umme Kulsum Ritu, a 15-year-old student of Class IX at the East Point Education School and College in Khilgaon, Dhaka committed suicide by taking pesticide on September 6. Her family and class mates alleged that Shimul Chandra, a 22-year-old man reported to be a miscreant, along with his friends had been stalking her on the way to school for a long time. The stalkers also started insulting her in front of her house, too.
On September 6, Shimul repeatedly insulted and abused her while she was at home alone. She could not bear the humiliation and it forced her to commit suicide. Her parents, who were apparel workers, were at work when the incident took place. The police still could not arrest Shimul, who is the prime accused.
Along with Ritu, there were cases regarding other girls and women like Pinky, Reshma, Elora, Mukti Rani, Tumpa Akter and many more — with their childhood stolen and dreams shattered. They also had ended their lives by committing suicide and their stories were more or less the same as Ritu’s. According to statistics of Odhikar in 2014, 11 girls committed suicide and two were killed by the stalkers. From the documentation by the same rights organisation, it has been reported that between January 1, 2010 and September 10, 2014, a total of 96 girls and young women committed suicide and 24 were killed by the stalkers. When the victims protested against the stalkers, families of the victims were also attacked by the stalkers and some were injured or even killed by them.
In most of the cases, the judicial process has been extremely slow, many of the people alleged to have been killers even got bail and started to threaten the victim families to make them withdraw the case; therefore, in many cases, it has become hard to ensure justice for the families of victims who lost their dear ones because of the stalkers’ actions.
In the case of Chapa Rani Bhowmik, a sugar mill worker and mother of a young girl, was killed by Debashish Saha Rony, her daughter’s stalker, who drove his motorcycle over her on October 26, 2010 as she protested against him stalking and harassing her daughter. Almost four years after the incident on June 9, 2014, the Faridpur district and sessions judge’s court sentenced Debashish to dealth penalty. However, Debashish has been absconding since he secured bail from the High Court Division on July 8, 2012.
Violence against women is prevalent in Bangladesh and stalking is one of them. Stalking creates enormous mental and/or physical anguish. Majority of the victims are students of schools, colleges and universities. They are generally between 11 and 20 years old. The stalkers mainly stand in front of schools, colleges and by roads and stalk, hurl indecent remarks, intimidate, or physically abuse young girls.
They sometimes pull young girls’ hands or scarves in public to harass them. Some stalkers even threaten to abduct and rape them. It has also been reported that because of the intimidation from stalkers, young girls drop out from their educational institutions. Some parents even marry off their under-aged daughters to protect them from stalkers, which only create further victimisation of the hapless girls as they could not continue with their education and become victims of child marriage.
On January 26, 2011, a division bench of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court ordered that every incident of stalking-related harassment should be considered ‘sexual harassment’. The court asked the government, law enforcers and non-governmental organisations to refrain from using the term ‘eve-teasing’ as it weakens the seriousness of the offence.
Additionally, the High Court Division bench declared the inclusion of all government and private places in the Prevention of Repression on Women and Children Act 2000 (amended in 2003) as potential areas of sexual harassment along with the educational institutions and work places. Stalking through SMS, e-mail, telephone and mobile are also being included in the law as criminal offences. The court also delivered a judgement that a separate cell or team will be set up in every police station in order to prevent sexual harassment. The team will submit reports on sexual harassment cases every month.
It is unfortunate that the majority of the police stations still have not taken initiatives to comply with the order of the High Court Division, which requires every police station to form a separate team of officers to deal with complaints of sexual harassment or stalking. Even though we have seen that some stalkers are being caught after the High Court directives and are punished with fines or imprisonments, many of their trial procedures are slow as is the case with those who were involved in killing or instigation to commit suicide. Some even got bail or are still absconding, which is very intimidating for families of victims.
Schools and colleges also need professional counsellors to help girls to refrain from dropping out, taking part in early marriages or committing suicide. Schools and colleges can form a coordinated committee including guardians, teachers, social workers, law enforcement agencies and so on to fight against stalkers. Social awareness programmes should be included in order to create moral values against stalking. To promote healthy way of life for youths, employment generation programmes, youth clubs, libraries, play grounds need to be set up. Most importantly, an independent judicial system with proper speed can help reduce this heinous act and save lives and dreams of thousands of young girls.
Taskin Fahmina is a researcher and a human rights activist.
