A SERIES of attacks on and harassment of women and the government鈥檚 failure to attend to the issues are a worrying sign. A significant number of women, especially players, athletes, celebrities and sex workers, have been attacked by people and groups with Islamist bent, weaving a pattern of the right wing rearing its head in the absence of deterrent government action. Women鈥檚 football matches were marred in the wake of attacks and protests by Islamists in Dinajpur, Jaipurhat and Rangpur. Although one match was later held, no case was filed over any of the incidents. Sex workers have been attacked in many places. Islamist groups have protested against the distribution of reproductive health products in stalls in the Ekushey book fair ground, which forced the closure of two stalls. Many women are reported to have been in a fearful situation because of heckling of women in public places. While all this happens, the law enforcers, the government for that matter, hardly appears serious about taking stringent measures to stop such happenings.
The pattern that surfaces in such attacks on and harassment of women entails harm in that all this could be antithetical to women鈥檚 empowerment. Bangladesh is noted to have made noticeable improvement in women鈥檚 development. But women鈥檚 development could be seriously thwarted if such incidents continue to happen, with the government not lifting the finger high enough stop them. The failure to stop such incidents is also a sign of decline in law and order. In a few incidents, the government issued condemnation. But only condemnation is not enough unless it is well substantiated with concrete government action. Besides, it is the duty of the government to ensure women鈥檚 safety and security so that they can make progress in all spheres of national life. Experts and rights activists say that no effective action on part of the government to stop such incidents would encourage the incidents to recur, pushing women out of public spheres. There is no scope for the government to view such incidents as something isolated, as the string of such incidents that have so far happened has already woven a pattern, which could eventually be harmful for individuals, society, the nation and the government.
The government should, therefore, show the political will to attend to the issues and put in enough efforts to stop such incidents from recurring. The government should also hold the perpetrators of such incidents to account to set precedents and to deter further happening of the incidents. If the government makes delay in taking effective, deterrent action against the perpetrators, the issues could worsen to a point beyond reparations.