Since 2009, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP), a non-profit ladies’s group and UN Girls associate, has been advocating for a legislation to handle sexual harassment in public areas, workplaces and academic establishments. Masuda Rosy, a veteran BMP feminist activist has contributed to the draft invoice and is concerned in supporting younger ladies and ladies dealing with violence, abuse and harassment.
“Violence in opposition to ladies is so normalized in our society, that sexual harassment is usually not seen as a criminal offense,” mentioned Rosy. “With no formal legislation, it’s troublesome to carry perpetrators accountable. With UN Girls’s help, and together with different civil society companions and UN companies, we contributed to drafting the ‘Sexual Harassment Prevention and Safety invoice,’ which defines harassment, outlines the reporting steps, and contains penalties, like fines, suspension, or dismissal from job.”
This could be the first-ever invoice on sexual harassment the place civil society and UN companies got here collectively to develop the invoice. The draft legislation was submitted to the Ministry of Girls and Youngsters Affairs for additional consultations and enactment.
UN Girls is supporting the Authorities of Bangladesh and civil society organizations in enacting the brand new legislation to make sure security for girls and ladies. “We should break the silence round sexual harassment in workplaces, instructional establishments and public areas. It should not be normalized. We should all converse up and take motion to forestall sexual harassment. Everybody has a task to play – nobody can stay a bystander,” mentioned UN Girls Consultant Gitanjali Singh. “UN Girls stays dedicated to working with the federal government and civil society companions to help the promulgation and implementation of a legislation stopping sexual harassment.”
Analysis exhibits that legal guidelines matter in altering mindsets and lowering the prevalence of violence in opposition to ladies. As an example, The Gender Snapshot 2024 report exhibits that international locations with home violence laws have decrease charges of intimate associate violence (9.5 per cent) than these with out laws (16.1 per cent).
*Aliases have been used as an alternative of actual names to guard the people from threat of retaliation and violence.
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