Women facing unimaginable barriers in movement, behaviour: Debapriya Bhattacharya

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) distinguished fellow and Citizens’ Platform convener Debapriya Bhattacharya has said women are not getting security in the family, in society, or from the administration, and that compared to before, the kinds of obstacles women now face in their movement and behaviour are beyond imagination.

He made these remarks at a national dialogue titled “Challenging Social Norms and Power Dynamics: Towards a Fair-Free Future”, held at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka on Wednesday morning.

Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) organised the dialogue on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Sharmeen Soneya Murshid, Adviser on Women and Children’s Affairs, was present as the chief guest.

Speaking about the social security of women outside Dhaka, Debapriya Bhattacharya said that the situation in Dhaka is nothing compared to what women face in the districts; women there are living with social insecurity. They are not getting security in the family, in society, or from the administration.

At the event, he also raised the issue of the halt in recruiting music teachers in primary schools.

Debapriya Bhattacharya said that for the past few weeks, the Citizens’ Platform has been holding pre-election meetings outside Dhaka. The purpose of these meetings is to understand people’s expectations of the next government and what they think the Election Commission will be able to achieve.

He said that in the early discussions, good governance and corruption were major concerns for the people. But now security has become the number one issue. Economic, social, cultural, and political—these four types of security are being discussed.

Describing the situation in the districts, Debapriya Bhattacharya said, “You cannot imagine how those women search for a safe space where they can come and speak out… The hijra community, what they say— they have gone into hiding. Other religious minority groups have also gone into hiding. If we want to hold a meeting, they say, ‘Brother, there is no need for a meeting. We prefer to stay under the radar now. A meeting will only create more problems.’”

Debapriya Bhattacharya said that economic and social inequality has increased in the country. According to a recent report by the World Bank, three million people have newly fallen into poverty, and the majority of them are women.

He added that the process of rising poverty, lack of investment at the moment, and lack of employment opportunities for the youth have made women much more financially vulnerable and oppressed.

Speaking about cultural security, he said that it is not only about music programs being stopped; behavioural changes are happening inside families as well. Women’s avenues for full development and their interactions with society are being hindered.

Noting that women feel more insecure than men regarding political ideology, he said that during this period of transition, women are experiencing even greater insecurity when expressing political opinions.