Honourable President, Distinguished Ladies & Gentlemen,

Thank you for giving me chance to say about ‘Guranteeing the rights of minority women of Bangladesh’ on behalf of BHBCUC and HRCBM. The general profile of minority women are that they are economically deprived, have less access to resources, are progressively loosing their land and properties, treated as victim to socio-economic and cultural and political exploitation, discrimination and harassment and constantly struggling for their survival and identity. There are exists number of obstacles for development of women issues among the minority community and outside of the community. Poverty, insecurity, lack of access to justice and awareness are common hindrances for development. Forced Conversion to Muslim has also been suffered the Hindu community for getting proper justice and act of needful requirements or special facilities.

The Muslims are the first largest religious people who belong to patriarchal society in Bangladesh. The second largest is Hindu community. Christian, Buddhist and Ethnic people follow them to practice religious rituals and customary performance among the community. All the societal stature is headed by men or oldest male person of the family. The social structure of a patriarchal community generally represents certain typical gender relations manifestation through the number of norms and practices. Patriarchy designed to endorse male domination and hegemony within the household level as well as in the society. This has resulted in superior status of men and preferential treatments towards them in a number of ways.

Women’s role and their activities defined the private matter, which means the domestic affairs and reproduction circle. Although a woman goes to carry out the socially sanctioned duties but women’s movement restricted, veiled and keep seclusion which is socially practiced the improper gender based violence in private - public sphere. Progressive minded men recognized to feel equal share/opportunity at home and outside in psychologically but they also silent in practical field. Men considered women’s performance as head of house hold and perpetrators of family name and lineages. In general power of domination and preferential treatment to inheritance, position, policies and public affairs considered male preserved area. General position of women’s rights, power and position in the country are divided into class, caste and religion. Male dominated social structure and ideology of patriarchy is evident at the national level policy making process, culture and legal instrument. Therefore, existing conflict between man and women make hindrance in gender development and supporting in familial umbrella for rising and pushing traditional boundary. Women issues in Bangladesh are now publicly visible in formal and informal sector. Nonetheless, we observed that economic participation and social perception in women development does not effect in social change or positive respond in share in private or public life.

The area of domestic and non-domestic violence against women including rape, gang rape, sexual harassment, physical assault, fatwa, wife beating, trafficking, dowry, verbal and psychological torture, kidnapping, abduction, force prostitution are high. The received complaints to HRCBM units along with BHBCUC about minority women repression at national level and collected data from the daily newspaper clippings show the increase of nature of violence attached herewith. Generally law and public policy targeted the women sufficiently addressed the issues and need for development. Consequently despite this achievement and progress of women’s position have not changed the social position and attitude towards women. Violence and discrimination continue to pestilence the realization of women’s rights.

At present, social statuses of victim women are not good at all. The nature of aggression varies the condition of violated women. Torture is a common known term as rape, gang rape, and so on criminal offence and systematical torture happens frequently in matrimonial and patriarchal society. The practice of believe in aggression among Muslim women considered as power of female position in within household and tradition. Nonetheless, minority women’s positions are not same. Generally, their (minority women) statuses are social isolation, ritual purification, difficult in arrange marriage and remarriage, increased demand

of dowry, indirectly and directly forced to leave habitual place or country, humiliation, unnatural death, murder, psychological torture, etc. Therefore, violated women do not disclose the matter publicly. The social statuses of victim women demand otherwise and destroy the honor and loose the social position due to the negative impact of system. In larger scale, we see the some sensitive matters bear into positive result. Domestic violence does not include as violence in public or create sensation. As a result we see that women’s body is used to several purpose, like child bearing, caring, beating, harassing, sexual victimization, or punishing or treating as lesser human being and undermine feminine identity, grabbing their socio-economical status and controlling the common interest of male groups and dominant muslim practice. In Bangladesh under the Family Courts Ordinances – 1985 section – 5 of the Ordinance provide that subject to the provisions of Muslim Family Law Ordinances – 1961 a Family Court composed of Assistant or Senior Assistant Judge, which have jurisdiction over the limited matters i.e. marriage and dissolution of marriage, restitution of conjugal life (its one kind of decree which can not be executed for) dower, maintenance and guardianship and custody of children. Therefore, the minority women can not access their rights through accesing equal practices of the judicial system. due to practices of hegemonic masculity in judicial process the minority women deprived their rights. Minority women suffer both type of tortue as domestic and non domestic violance. Minority women have no right to claim property (Streedhan) acquired through marriage parctice in Hindu Law before the family court. Because inheritance and partition suits try by the Civil Courts. Nonetheless, 10000 years old Hindu Law does not recognize marriage registration or desolution of marriage or divorce. There is no applycable unform judicial proceddings in family court of Bangladesh. The family Court acts through ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) i.e. mediation, arbitration, conciliation. Section 10 of Family Courts Ordinance as per Section – 2 of Muslim Family Ordinance at first settele the domestic disputes and if it fails to compromise the dispute through settlement than judicial proceedings are continued. According of general law of the land a Muslim woman gets half share of a man. Though Women’s Advancement of Policy has been passed by the cabinet members for equal share of the male-female, but it does not access in practical field. However, in respect of Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Ethnic women are not qualifying the status of sharer of ancestral property. In Bangladesh, Hindu and Buddhist people are ruled by the Ancient Hindu Law. But the Christian people are ruled by the Church. They have no equal share too in respect of family dispute or property matter. Generally we see that women count multi-faced forms of torture / violence. Often women ignore or overlook the minor events which happen in home. As a result the male members count it as their weakness and more stressed on physical assault or abuse as violence. Most of the time we observe, slapping, scolding, illegal blaming, verbal abuse or psychological tortures at matrimonial home that ignored as violence. Women believe that husband’s have right to scold and slap or mistreat their wives because they provide food and cloths. It is interesting that marital rape or forceful intercourse or sexual assault by husband does not recognize as crime against humanity in Bangladesh. Women feel that they are safe husband’s custody, because male people treat as “God” by name of “Pati Devota” or “Sattavan Yudhisthir”.

Nonetheless, a universal picture has been observed by the observer in terms of non-domestic violence in Bangladesh. Rape, gang rape, trafficking, forced marriage, force prostitution, kidnapping, abduction, conversion into Muslim and Christianity from Hindu and Buddhist religion, teasing, physical assault, fatwa, killing after rape, killing, blazed by fire, dowry demand, harassing, etc. are the common incidents cause of women victimhood. Generally we see, Hindu teen aged girls and unmarried women are targeted to embalm other religion and kidnap or abduction by the perpetrators. It considers patriarchal strong hood. It appears social values of marriage between perpetrator and the victim and create unwanted situation among the family and society.

There are lots of national law protecting women community of Bangladesh. But very few practices for the minority women. Thereofore, we demand for guranting rights of minority women in Bangladesh by applying the following suggessions as demand of Bangladesh minority women. The suggestions are:

Family court should be equal for all religion Government should amend religious personal laws, such as: Hindu law of Bangladesh

or Government should enact uniform family code Government should amend customary hereditary laws which accommodate women’s

property inheritance in personal law. Community people should be united to fight against such mal-practice that discrimi-

nate minority women’s rights Government should formulation of national laws to become strong minority women

community Assess needs and adopt measures to provide access to justice and aware adopt holis-

tic behavior approach Govenment should establish seperate rehabilation centre for the minority victim wo-

men Government should set up a Minority Human Rights Commission and a separate

Ministry for Minority Welfare. Government should take action against the perpetritators for any kinds of violation

of minority women’s rights.Lastly, we can say ethnically Hindu, Buddhist, Christians groups and other ethnic groups like Garo, Hajong, Marma, and Hilli People are the minorities in Bangladesh. We are entitled to get all facilities of the State. The Bangladesh constitution guaranteed equal rights without any discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth (Article – 28). We claim justice if anyone violates the fundamental human rights of minority women in Bangladesh.

Enclosed – 1

Minority women’s data: January to October 2011

Sl no.

Criteria Number Source

1 Rape 13 The Daily News Paper

Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM)

Bangaldesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC)

2 Gang Rape 123 Murder after rape 24 Attempt to rape 155 Sexual harassment 26 Sexual assault 18 Acid burnt 49 Death after acid burn 110 Burnt by fire 111 Death after fire burn 1412 Kidnapping / Abduction 10613 Murder for dowry 514 Torture for dowry 1315 Physical assault 5316 Murder 2217 Attempt to murder 418 Provocation for suicide 319 Attempt to suicide 220 Suicide 321 Eve Teasing 722 Suicide for eve teasing 523 Refusal of love 13

24 Fatwa 1625 Child Marriage 426 Torture by police 327 Forced marriage 428 Conversion 3729 Physical and Psychological torture 3230 Psychological torture 331 Marital Rape 13

Total 396