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Ending Violence against Women

Families must ensure equal rights

Discussion organised by The Daily STAR UNFPA told

Staff Correspondent
Families must ensure equal rights of girls and women to prevent violence against them, speakers said at a discussion in the capital yesterday.
The crusade for dignity of women must begin in the family, said Dr AJ Failsei, country representative of Engender Health.
The Daily Star with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organised the discussion on "Ending Gender-Based Violence" at the daily's office.
Parents must treat their children equally, said Laila Khondkar, director of child protection at Save the Children.
There is a good number of laws in the country to fight violence against women but
there is no implementation, said Dhiraj Kuma Nath, a former caretaker government advisor.
Around 87 percent of the married women in the country suffer violence at home, he said citing Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, but only 2.36 percent of them take legal steps against their husbands.
About 65 percent of women were married before they reached the minimum marriageable age of 18 years, he said citing Bangladesh Household Survey.
Globally, 600 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not considered an offence and one in every five women are raped, said Nath citing the UN. UNFPA Country Representative Argentina Matavel said commitment both at family and social levels is crucial for stopping such violence, adding that the culture of denial of grim state of women by officials is a great barrier.
Education, awareness and action are badly needed for fighting violence and deprivation of women, she said.
Economic and political empowerment of females is essential, said Quazi Suraiya Sultana, executive director of RHSTEP, a sexual and reproductive health service provider organisation.
Ending violence against women is absolutely central to the development and crucial to the future of the country, said Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher ofThe Daily Star.
Dr Halida Akhter, chief of party for NGO Health Service Delivery Project said that an inter-ministerial committee with a time-bound action plan and accountability and a coalition ofNGOs are a must to achieve tangible results.
Kafil Uddin, director general of family planning; Dr RuchiraTabassum Naved, seniorscientist ofICDDR; and Dr Md Enamur Rahman, a lawmaker, spoke among others while The Daily Star Managing Editor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed moderated the discussion.