Observers say they are taking advantage of lax law and order situation to conduct moral policing.
Zia Chowdhury and Jesmin Papri/Dhaka
Some women’s rights activists in Bangladesh are saying that religiously conservative elements are exploiting the unstable law and order situation to morally police women in public by questioning their choice of clothing or lifestyle.
Since the previous government of the Muslim-majority country was overthrown by a mass movement in August, activists say there has been a rise in incidents such as harassing women over their attire and vandalizing venues of women’s sporting events.
There has been an increase in harassment of women “in the name of moral policing,” one human rights activist, Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir, told BenarNews.
“Since Aug. 5, a mob mentality has taken root in society, as a section of people, indirectly supported by [conservative] Islamic groups, seeks to dictate women’s mobility and clothing,” he said. “Both the government and the police are under pressure to address these incidents.”
At a March 19 rally in Dhaka to protest these incidents, Makhduma Nargis Ratna, vice president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, a women’s group, said that “many women now feel unsafe” while going about their day-to-day activities.
A BenarNews review of news stories from the past month showed that at least 20 incidents were reported in which women were publicly harangued for what they were wearing.
‘I am constantly watched’
The situation is “unacceptable,” said Aruna Sikta Sachi, a student at the University of Dhaka.
“If I feel unsafe on campus – an institution historically central to our nation’s movements for change – then where can any woman feel secure?,” she told BenarNews.
Police earlier this month detained a Dhaka University employee, Mustafa Arnab Aranya, on suspicion of harassing a student with comments about her clothing.
After his March 5 arrest, a group calling itself Towhidi Janata surrounded the police station all night to secure his release. He was granted bail the next morning, and the group welcomed him with flowers.
The student who had filed the case against Mustafa eventually withdrew her case.
Shaoli Samriza, another student from the university, said such incidents made her feel unsafe.
“Even though I dress modestly, I cannot move freely because I am constantly watched,” she said.
On March 10, police arrested a man, identified as Khalid Mahmud (also known as Hridoy Khan), from Savar, a town outside of Dhaka, for repeatedly blocking the paths of girls and women as he allegedly made derogatory remarks about their clothing.
He was arrested after many members of the public noted that there was clear evidence of the man’s actions, said Shahinur Kabir, additional superintendent of police (Savar Circle).
“After several videos went viral showing him teasing school and college girls, there was growing public demand for action, leading to his arrest,” Shahinur told BenarNews.
Meanwhile, Suraiya Jahan, one of a growing tribe of women in the capital who ride motorcycles, said she was not spared either.
“While picking up my child from school recently, [a man] blocked my path and asked why, as a woman, I was riding a bike. He suggested that my husband should ride instead, leaving me deeply embarrassed,” Suraiya recalled to BenarNews.
Similarly, at least three women’s football matches in various parts of the country were canceled after hardliners protested in rallies or vandalized the grounds because they were upset women were playing the sport.
In a report about the vandalism of a school ground in Akkelpur sub-district in western Bangladesh, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper said the vandals were heard telling people that women needed to be modest.
“If you continue to exploit women for profit, be careful,” one of the vandals said.
“If you don’t stop women’s sports, resistance will be organized.”
Additionally, hardline groups, including Hefazat-e-Islam, the country’s biggest Islamic party, are targeting women in the arts as well.
In recent months the group’s members have prevented some film actresses from events such as inaugurations of stores or showrooms across the country.
Hefazat was banned by the Sheikh Hasina administration days before she was ousted as prime minister. The interim government that took its place after she fled lifted that ban.
Inamul Haque, a spokesman at the police headquarters, said police were taking action when citizens complained.
“In many moral policing cases, the police have taken appropriate measures, including arrests,” he told BenarNews.
“If a complaint is lodged, the police will act according to the law.”
Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus was also moved to address the moral policing issue.
In a national address on Tuesday, he recalled that women had played an exceptionally courageous role in the July-August student-led mass uprising that ousted the authoritarian Hasina.
“We must all work together to address inequality, prevent violence against women, and eliminate discrimination,” Yunus said.
“We have to develop a social movement against those who utter hateful words, harbor a tendency to belittle them.”
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