Every day, women in Bangladesh are subjected to different types of violence and harassment.
Not only are we failing to give women fair and equitable treatment, we are failing to protect them from attacks of the most appalling nature.
Last week in Gopalganj, an SSC student was forcefully stripped, and then recorded so that she could be blackmailed later -- the reason was that she refused a relationship proposal.
On the same day, there was an incident of acid throwing in another part of the country.
What kind of society are we living in where young boys and grown men think it is OK to treat women like this? What kind of society allows for this kind of behaviour to foment? What kind of society allows for such behaviour to persist?
Clearly, there is a sickness within our society.
Tragically, violence against and harassment of women have become all too common, with culprits getting away scot-free most of the time.
There is, then, an urgent need to address this issue headfirst, and to leave no room for eve-teasers, rapists, and sexual predators to escape the firm hand of the law.
The government must ensure that incidents such as these do not go unreported, and that the perpetrators are always brought to book.
It is the only way women in our society will feel safe enough to come forward about assault and abuse.
Gender-based violence has no place in a civilised society -- the government must take the issue more seriously.
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