DT e-Paper 08 March 2017

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14 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 DT Opinion Not just a label Feminism needs to represent all women • Shuprova Tasneem is one of the most hotly contested ideas of “Feminism” the modern age, and the debates around said word become even more intense in the run-up to International Women’s Day. As is the case with such things, the loudest and most privileged voices filter through the ruckus. Can a feminist like Emma Watson do a topless photo shoot? Can you be a feminist in a sexist industry like Bollywood? Should feminists wear makeup? Do feminists believe in marriage? Why can’t you just be a humanist? As a Bangladeshi feminist, writer, and relisher of politically charged arguments, there are two aspects of such debates that I find wildly frustrating -- the fact that so much of our discussions on feminism still fixates on the female body, and so often when we talk of feminism, it seems to be on-the-surface discussions of feminism as a label. I’m not here to tell you these arguments are inconsequential. Far from it -- the way women’s bodies are viewed in public places, and the constant infringement on their personal space, bordering on abuse, is a very real problem. This brings me to my next point -- who really are the “feminists?” These days it seems to be about everybody, from Justin Trudeau to Malala Yousafzai, but what do we actually want? We spend so much time explaining that feminists are not man-haters but people who are fighting structural inequalities, and that feminism is as much about men as it is about women because of the traditional gendered roles it fights, that we completely miss out on telling people that we aren’t all made of the same mould. You can be feminists and differ vastly on your ideas of political governance, or you can identify as or more strongly with people from your racial or cultural group. There is no global sisterhood of women who all agree on everything, and none of us can bear the burden of representing all womanhood. Your position of privilege, not only in terms of sex but race, nationality, and social class, all play a huge role in the level of prejudice that is aimed at you during your lifetime, and shape the battles you fight. After living in a country where marital rape is still legal, where if you’re not Muslim, your marriage and divorce do not actually For any real progress to be made towards equality, we need to engage with the political, legal, and social issues that create these barriers, and focus on feminism which also engages with ethnicity, social class, and other factors affecting inequality There is no global sisterhood that agrees on everything BIGSTOCK The fact that women always have to think twice about what they are wearing before leaving the house is a problem. But by fixating only on these problems, we trap ourselves into the same patriarchal process of thought that dictates that the female body is somehow more real and worldly, more carnal, and more open to be used as symbols of modesty or impure lust. What’s worse, so many feminists walk into this trap, using other women’s bodies as a battleground for their fight for equality. come under the purview of the law, where character evidence is still used in rape trials and the latest laws allow child marriage under special circumstances -- if your main concern is whether models should be selling their bodies in the modern age, and your main source of pride is the achievements of an elite, Western woman like Hillary Clinton, then maybe it’s time you check to what extent your ideas are being filtered through to you through the lenses of Western media. These are only a few of the very real gendered prejudices that are not only ingrained into our societies, but that make our justice system structurally unjust. Only last week, sex workers were not allowed to congregate and demand their rights in Shahbagh. The violence against women from minority groups is a daily reality in Bangladesh. But so often when there is a debate about feminism, it is the same old tired argument about women, their clothes, and their bodies. More people are angry about Trump’s abuses against women than the abuse that occurs next door. Again, this is not an attempt to belittle certain feminist issues in favour of others. One of the reasons feminism can be so tricky is because it lifts the veil between the public and private -- traditional gender roles affect people throughout their lives, whether you’re the little boy being told to “man up” or the working mother struggling with the additional unpaid care work that is thrust upon her. But for any real progress to be made towards equality, we need to engage with the political, legal, and social issues which create these barriers, and focus on feminism that also engages with ethnicity, social class, and other factors affecting inequality. We can’t simply stick on the label of “feminist” and protest from our positions of privilege the oppressions that affect us personally -- we need feminism to be much more inclusive if it is to truly reach the people who need it the most. • Shuprova Tasneem is Deputy Magazine Editor, Dhaka Tribune.
Ambassadors for change Opinion 15 Gender-based violence undermines the progress Bangladesh has made DT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 • HE Julia Niblett, HE Wanja Campos da Nobrega, HE Hajah Masurai Binti Haji Masri, HE Benoît-Pierre Laramée, HE Sophie Aubert, HE Nur Ashikin Mohd Taib, HE Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere, HE Sidsel Bleken, HE Yasoja Gunasekera, HE Johan Frisell, HE Alison Mary Blake, HE Marcia Bernicat, Ms Janina Jaruzelski, Ms Christine Hunter, Country Representative, Mr Iori Kato, Ms Christa Räder No country can afford gender-based violence (GBV). In Bangladesh, the costs of GBV are estimated at 2.1% of the country’s GDP. Each day, violence stops a girl from going to school and prevents a woman from taking a job, compromising their future and the economic and social development of their communities. Survivors are left to deal with physical injuries and emotional scars, while social and legal services struggle to respond. Can Bangladesh continue its much-heralded progress toward middle-income status if its economy is robbed of the invaluable resource of half its population? Achieving gender equality is a top priority for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in improving the lives of women and girls. Primary and secondary schools enroll as many girls as boys. Maternal and infant mortality have declined dramatically, and women form the backbone of the country’s economic development. The ready-made garment (RMG) industry, Bangladesh’s largest export sector, employs four million Bangladeshis, the majority of whom are women. The percentage of females in the sector is waning, however, and as this industry undertakes structural transformations, the role and place of women in the Bangladesh economy must become a priority for policies and programs. The creation and expansion of micro-finance that prioritises women entrepreneurs has increased female participation in economic activities and is among Bangladesh’s most significant contributions to increased global prosperity. Gender-based violence undermines this progress. More than 80% of currentlymarried Bangladeshi women are abused at least once during their lifetime, either by suffering physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse, or controlling behaviour. Approximately twothirds of married women report having experienced violence by a spouse within the past year. Bangladesh’s high rate of child, early, and forced marriage puts millions of girls at increased risk for physical and sexual violence. Ending gender-based violence should be the highest priority Few victims report these incidents because they do not know their rights under Bangladeshi law, or fear reprisal, stigma, or an unhelpful response from law enforcement. Fear of violence in the workplace or the street restricts women’s mobility and limits their opportunities to earn an income. Working women who experience violence at home lose income due to days off and may face costs to access services. Eliminating GBV promotes Bangladesh’s economic progress. Ending GBV is a simple matter of right and wrong; ensuring girls and women can live without fear of violence is a fundamental step in the pursuit of non-violence, not only for girls and women, but for boys and men as well. Stopping the cycle of violence requires raising awareness and engagement at all levels of society. Change can start with local initiatives. One example is the SHOKHI project -- financed by the Netherlands Embassy and implemented by a consortium of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh Women’s Health Coalition, Marie Stopes Bangladesh, and WE CAN Bangladesh -- that trains Ensuring girls and women can live without fear of violence is a fundamental step in the pursuit of non-violence. Stopping the cycle of violence requires raising awareness and engagement at all levels of society women living in 15 Dhaka slums on ways to earn money for their families, linking them to potential employers through job fairs and referrals. Australia and the UK are supporting the World Food Program to develop livelihoods for vulnerable women in Cox’s Bazar district, where women’s self-help groups are starting bank accounts with savings contributed by each participant, and individual women can buy start-up assets and receive entrepreneurial training. Changing the mindset and putting in place the economic fundamentals and necessary institutions to accelerate growth and reduce poverty, leaving no one behind, will be a key part of the formula to achieve middle income status. Improving the social status and rights of women and girls is a crucial part of this transformation. Each of us can take simple steps to accelerate this transformation by refusing to tolerate or excuse GBV, and by offering help to those experiencing abuse. We, the Ambassadors for Change representing the governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the UK, and the United States, as well as UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund, the United States Agency for International Development, and the World Food Program, call upon each of you to stand with us, our Bangladeshi sisters and male allies to end gender-based violence once and for all! • HE Julia Niblett is High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh. HE Wanja Campos da Nobrega is Ambassador of Brazil to Bangladesh. HE Hajah Masurai Binti Haji Masri is High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to Bangladesh. MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU HE Benoît-Pierre Laramée is High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh. HE Sophie Aubert is Ambassador of France to Bangladesh. HE Nur Ashikin Mohd Taib is High Commissioner of Malaysia to Bangladesh. HE Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere is Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh. HE Sidsel Bleken is Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh. HE Yasoja Gunasekera is High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh. HE Johan Frisell is Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh. HE Alison Mary Blake is High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Bangladesh. HE Marcia Bernicat is Ambassador of the United States to Bangladesh. Ms Janina Jaruzelski is USAID Bangladesh Mission Director. Ms Christine Hunter is Country Representative, UN Women. Mr Iori Kato is Acting Country Representative, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Ms Christa Räder is Country Director, World Food Program (WFP).
Page 1 and 2: SECOND EDITION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8,
Page 3 and 4: Arbovirus perform at Joy Bangla Con
Page 5 and 6: Govt mulling 20% pay hike for civil
Page 7 and 8: News 7 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 DT
Page 9 and 10: World Narendra Modi battles for hea
Page 11 and 12: Business leaders for forging partne
Page 13: Opinion 13 Until we break the shack
Page 17 and 18: What's on 17 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 20
Page 19 and 20: Sports 19 DT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 20
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