The BBC reports that Bangladeshi "mobile courts" are now empowered to prosecute the crime of "Eve teasing", or in more mundane words, the sexual harassment and stalking of women. Conviction brings a year in jail, a fine of $70, or both.
The move comes after the High Court asked the government to address sexual harassment and stalking in the wake of a number of suicides and murders.
As far as I can tell, it's a good idea as long as the courts are reliable. But as Americans have learned, judicial solutions only go so far to counter the effects of prevailing ideology. Bangladesh is a culture in difficult transition:
The longer term question, then, is whether or not the underlying attitudes contributing to this sort of harassment can be challenged. And that's a much more complicated issue.
____________________
Notes:
Ethirajan, Ambarasan. "Bangladesh empowers mobile courts to stop 'Eve teasing'". BBC News. November 10, 2010. BBC.co.uk. November 10, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11728027
Online Women in Politics. "Women's Rights in Bangladesh". (n.d.) OnlineWomenInPolitics.com. November 10, 2010. http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/womensit/bd-w-sit.pdf
Until now mobile courts dealt with less serious crimes, such as traffic violations and hoarding.
"For the first time a social crime has been brought under the jurisdiction of mobile courts," Abdus Sobhan Sikder, the Bangladesh home secretary, told the BBC.
"The idea behind the move is for a speedy trial in cases of sexual harassment and stalking."
Young women often face verbal abuse and taunts in Bangladesh, and sometimes stalked by colleagues at school or other young men.
Some young women, unable to bear the repeated insults, have even gone so far as to commit suicide.
Usually, it takes weeks before these cases can be heard in a normal criminal court and the conviction rate is said to be very low.
Now the government hopes mobile courts can dispose of the cases quickly - and that the punishments they hand out will act as a deterrent to others.
(Ethirajan)
"For the first time a social crime has been brought under the jurisdiction of mobile courts," Abdus Sobhan Sikder, the Bangladesh home secretary, told the BBC.
"The idea behind the move is for a speedy trial in cases of sexual harassment and stalking."
Young women often face verbal abuse and taunts in Bangladesh, and sometimes stalked by colleagues at school or other young men.
Some young women, unable to bear the repeated insults, have even gone so far as to commit suicide.
Usually, it takes weeks before these cases can be heard in a normal criminal court and the conviction rate is said to be very low.
Now the government hopes mobile courts can dispose of the cases quickly - and that the punishments they hand out will act as a deterrent to others.
(Ethirajan)
The move comes after the High Court asked the government to address sexual harassment and stalking in the wake of a number of suicides and murders.
As far as I can tell, it's a good idea as long as the courts are reliable. But as Americans have learned, judicial solutions only go so far to counter the effects of prevailing ideology. Bangladesh is a culture in difficult transition:
A report released by the U.N. Population Fund in September asserted that 47 percent of adult women report physical abuse by their male partner. The Government, the media, and women's rights organizations have fostered a growing awareness of the problem of violence against women.
Much of the violence against women is related to disputes over dowries. According to a human rights group, there were 81 dowry-related killings during the year. Human rights groups and press reports indicate that incidents of vigilantism against women--sometimes led by religious leaders--at times occur, particularly in rural areas. These include humiliating, painful punishments, such as the whipping of women accused of moral offenses. Assailants who fling acid in their faces disfigured numerous women. One human rights organization reported that 181 women suffered acid attacks during the year. The most common motivation for acid-throwing attacks against women is revenge by a rejected suitor; land disputes are another leading cause of the acid attacks. Few perpetrators of the acid attacks are prosecuted. Often the perpetrator flings the acid in through an open window during the night, making cases difficult to prove. Some arrests have been made, and one person has been given the death sentence.
The law prohibits rape and physical spousal abuse, but it makes no specific provision for spousal rape as a crime. A total of 3,516 rapes and 3,523 incidents of spousal abuses were officially reported during the year. Of the spousal abuse cases, 2,814 were related to disputes over dowry. Of the 2,130 alleged rapists that were prosecuted, 63 persons were convicted. The Government reports that other rape cases are under trial. During the year, the Government acceded to the U.N. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Government also has enacted laws specifically prohibiting certain forms of discrimination against women, including the Anti-Dowry Prohibition Act of 1980, the Cruelty to Women Law of 1983, and the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act of 1995, which was replaced by the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act of 2000. However, enforcement of these laws is weak, especially in rural areas, and the Government seldom prosecutes those cases that are filed. According to a human rights organization, there are 7 government-run and 13 privately run large shelter homes available for use by women who are victims of violence. Some smaller homes also are available for victims of violence. However, these are insufficient to meet victims' shelter needs. As a result, the Government often holds women who file rape complaints in safe custody, usually in prison. Safe custody frequently results in further abuses against victims, discouraging the filing of complaints by other women, and often continues for extended periods during which women often are unable to gain release.
There is extensive trafficking in women for the purpose of forced prostitution within the country and to other countries in Asia.
(Online Women In Politics)
Much of the violence against women is related to disputes over dowries. According to a human rights group, there were 81 dowry-related killings during the year. Human rights groups and press reports indicate that incidents of vigilantism against women--sometimes led by religious leaders--at times occur, particularly in rural areas. These include humiliating, painful punishments, such as the whipping of women accused of moral offenses. Assailants who fling acid in their faces disfigured numerous women. One human rights organization reported that 181 women suffered acid attacks during the year. The most common motivation for acid-throwing attacks against women is revenge by a rejected suitor; land disputes are another leading cause of the acid attacks. Few perpetrators of the acid attacks are prosecuted. Often the perpetrator flings the acid in through an open window during the night, making cases difficult to prove. Some arrests have been made, and one person has been given the death sentence.
The law prohibits rape and physical spousal abuse, but it makes no specific provision for spousal rape as a crime. A total of 3,516 rapes and 3,523 incidents of spousal abuses were officially reported during the year. Of the spousal abuse cases, 2,814 were related to disputes over dowry. Of the 2,130 alleged rapists that were prosecuted, 63 persons were convicted. The Government reports that other rape cases are under trial. During the year, the Government acceded to the U.N. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Government also has enacted laws specifically prohibiting certain forms of discrimination against women, including the Anti-Dowry Prohibition Act of 1980, the Cruelty to Women Law of 1983, and the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act of 1995, which was replaced by the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act of 2000. However, enforcement of these laws is weak, especially in rural areas, and the Government seldom prosecutes those cases that are filed. According to a human rights organization, there are 7 government-run and 13 privately run large shelter homes available for use by women who are victims of violence. Some smaller homes also are available for victims of violence. However, these are insufficient to meet victims' shelter needs. As a result, the Government often holds women who file rape complaints in safe custody, usually in prison. Safe custody frequently results in further abuses against victims, discouraging the filing of complaints by other women, and often continues for extended periods during which women often are unable to gain release.
There is extensive trafficking in women for the purpose of forced prostitution within the country and to other countries in Asia.
(Online Women In Politics)
The longer term question, then, is whether or not the underlying attitudes contributing to this sort of harassment can be challenged. And that's a much more complicated issue.
____________________
Notes:
Ethirajan, Ambarasan. "Bangladesh empowers mobile courts to stop 'Eve teasing'". BBC News. November 10, 2010. BBC.co.uk. November 10, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11728027
Online Women in Politics. "Women's Rights in Bangladesh". (n.d.) OnlineWomenInPolitics.com. November 10, 2010. http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/womensit/bd-w-sit.pdf
