A CLASH that resulted from an incident of the harassment of a group of women at Kendua in Netrakona on June 10 has left a man, in his early forties, dead and five others wounded. Reports have it that a group of women of a family were on their way back home after bathing in a pond beside their house in the afternoon when a group of five young men approached the women, made indecent remarks and sang suggestive songs. As the women stood in protest and the head of the family lodged protests, the young men went on the offensive. Villagers standing nearby stepped in, managed to turn away the group of young men and contained the situation for the time being. But, what ensued later was a violence clash. The young men pulled up a team of 10 to 15 men in the evening, attacked the family and vandalised the house, leading to a violent clash which left six wounded. One of the injured died from his injuries in hospital late that evening. The police reached the place and brought the situation under control.
The police say that they were taking legal steps in this regard. This has been a good development as many such incidents have been reported where either the victims stopped short from reporting the incident to the police fearing reprisal or the police refused to file any case. But only legal steps taken after such incidents have not been able to stop the harassment of women and girls. Such a situation warrants that the government should do more to stop such crimes. Incidents of the harassment of women have also been reported earlier and many of the incidents resulted in the injury, and even death in some cases, of the people who stood up in protests. The harassment of women, which is an issue that calls for extensive discussion and action, should stop as it leaves detrimental effects on the well-being of women and girls and holds back societal progress. Women and girls keep facing harassment in public places, in public transports, online and at work. And, such incidents cause trauma, anxiety, depression and, even, physical injuries. Such incidents can also make women avoid public space, reduce their participation in the work force and hinder their development, personal and professional.
The government should, in such a situation, put in place strong legal protection to ensure the accountability of the perpetrators. The government should create awareness of all forms of harassment and its impact. The government should also empower women with education and economic opportunities and engage the community in all this.