Sexual Violance
Nowadays, rape has been turned to epidemic in the society. Every day we witness rape and killing after rape. The most grisly murder of Nusrat Jahan 19, who was burnt with kerosene by the rapist in April, jerks the country.
As per Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) in the last six months at least 592 incidents of rape have occurred across Bangladesh. Three of the victims were killed after rape and 41 children have been raped and three others subjected to attempted rape In May 1 to 8. On an average, 70 children were raped each month in Bangladesh, higher than ever recorded. Additionally, a staggering number of 115 children were raped on April alone.
As the Passengers' Welfare Platform 9 women were gang-raped while 8 others raped inside public transports, mostly buses, across the country in last 13 months.
According to Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) in a statement 37 of the rape victims were girls and four were boys. The rights group also said earlier that at least 271 children were killed or died after they were raped or subjected to sexual and physical abuse in Bangladesh last year.
Additionally, Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) said that a total of 279 children were raped around the nation between January and April this year. The actual number of rapes could be much higher as many such incidents remain unreported.
The above statistics of the various organizations show that the children, girls and women are sexually vulnerable in the society. Of them children are most vulnerable. They are not safe in home, to neighbor even in educational institution. Women also are not safe in any location.
Unfortunately, weak charge sheet, delays in the trial proceedings, lack of witness, pressure from powerful people are responsible for the rise of such crimes.
Types of Sexual Violence
Emotional Abuse
Abuse doesn’t come in a physical form only, emotional abuse can damage and effects the human mind and mental health. Such damage never heals. Most of the time, we face emotional exploitation from home, workplace, and intimate relationship. Such exploitation creates depression and dejected which cause harmful for our mental health.
Emotional is not only related to a broken relationship, rather it is more to a better result, attractive job, expected lifestyle, even if sometimes about one’s getting married. Workplace and educational institutions is also another arena of mental exploitation which may cause of the bad performance of employee and students.
Such exploitation may cause an increase of suicidal tendency among the young generation. A person may become violent gradually while they experience emotional exploitation; this can happen for both male and female. Drug addiction is one of the effects of emotional exploitation. Depression, frustration, stress and such emotional exploitation drive the person for rape, abuse, and any kind of crime and violence. In society, emotional abuse is completely unrecognized, and most of the cases ignored by the abuser and victim as well. Emotional abuse, like any other form of cruelty, thrives in the darkness when no one understands, discusses, or recognizes it.
Use your newfound knowledge and curiosity to shine the light. Practice, not to harm someone's emotion.
Cyber Crime
Globally cybercrime is a buzz word; Bangladesh is not far behind other countries, where the rate of cybercrime is increasing horribly. Over 900 cases have been filed in 2018 on cybercrime in Cyber Security Crime Division but in 2013 cases was only three. The major parts of the victims are women and underage.
Technology rules over the world. Smartphone, internet, hidden camera, become the part of our daily life. Person can communicate, share lives, videos, pictures, through their Smartphone with couple of second. Hence, friendship become easier to the young generation specially adolescents. They developed relationship without even knowing their virtual friend properly. In this context, they share their intimate moments to those unreliable and virtual partners and trapped effortlessly.
There are some other forms of cybercrime identified. Pornography, the very common form of cyber sexual exploitation, which easily can able to attract the adolescent and young. The vague perception of sexuality through pornography may mislead the young generation. This can also promote them to apply on and rape, sexual violence and sexual abuse occur. Sexting is a kind of sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images, primarily between mobile phones, of oneself to others.
‘Webcam Child Prostitution is a concern of socialist because of its emerging spread globally. It is a form of online child sexual abuse which the victim simple sell his/her lives sexual image through voice-over-IP (VoIP) application. ’ Presently, there some Dating apps like “Tinder, Match.com” are getting popular where young girls and boys who are completely unknown to each other, can be introduced aiming to date which is quite unsafe.
Verbal Abuse
Abuse comes in any form in any one’s life. It’s not always physical. It can be verbal too. Verbal abuse is the most devastating for the victims. People do it with the colleagues, friends, and intimate relatives. Even it may happen in romantic relationship as well. According to Dr. Fran Wolfish, Beverly Hills family and relationship psychotherapist and author of The Self-Aware Parent explains, “Even the most skilled, competent psychologist and psychiatrist can 'miss' spotting a well-oiled sociopath.” While not all people who are verbally abusive are sociopaths, they can still be hard to identify.
Samia, a 14-year old depressed girl-child is not good in study, doesn’t enjoy her daily routine because of her mother consider her as a substandard student. She is rebuked by her mother each single day her in front of her other friends and family which makes her feel shy and deprived. The result, she becomes, arrogant, short-tempered and more inattentive to study. She lost her interest having food which effects her physical and mental growth due to malnutrition.
Maliha 31 (disguised name) a lecturer of Dhaka University, has been asked all most everyday about her marry by her parents, friends, relatives and colleagues.. She is getting frustrated and depressed. Her lecture in classes is also affected badly. She has been going to psychotherapist for three years. However, her mental condition remains unchanged, since her family’s mindset is not changed yet.
As Dr. Sherrie Campbell, marriage and family therapist and author of Success Equations: A Path to Living an Emotionally Wealthy Life explains, one sign you’re dealing with a verbally abusive partner is "moodiness where you always feel like you're walking on eggshells any time you have a need of your own to communicate.” She adds that “the fear and lack of emotional availability is emotionally abusive.” The effects of verbal abuse on children, women and men follow the same general principle: verbal abuse causes people to feel fear, depressed, deprived, and unconfident. However, victims may deny or not recognize their anxiety and feelings of wanting to get away as fear of the abuser.
Physical Violence
Physical violence is an aggressive behavior toward the person irrespective of any gender by the power holders of society; the underprivileged are women and children.
The predator can be the intimate partner, relatives, parent, in-laws and even neighbor of the victim. According to WHO, violence is the second leading cause of death in aged 10-19 years. Though there are laws against all form of violence in the country, the laws are not too active to protect them from the hostility. Additionally, a number of women are getting frustrated and suicidal tendency due to physical violence in home.
Not only in home, women and children are abused at any location. They are not safe in their working place too. Even they are tortured physically for the silly reasons as well. Women play significant roles in the upbringing of children and in the maintenance of family harmony. Violence perpetrated on women in the home and outside has an adverse effect on the family consequently the society. Resulted, the socio-economic development is being hampered.
By implementing the above cons unexpected death and injury might be prevented. Children, women who are exposed to violence are more likely to smoke, misuse alcohol and drugs, extra-marital affair, sex, sexual exploitation, engaging in crime and violence.