Women's security must get top priority
Photo: Palash Khan
It is a popular notion that peace is absence of war. But is it really the definition of peace? According to the Oxford dictionary, peace means a state of tranquillity, freedom from civil disturbance, observance of law and order, public security and order, etc. The Delhi gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student who died 2 weeks later due to multiple organ failures and brain injuries in Singapore on Dec 29 finally brought to light the degrading and inhuman status of the women in India. This applies to Bangladesh as well. Last year at about the same time a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped in Tangail by 4 men and was left by the side of a rail line, from where her brother found her unconscious. Social stigma prevented her family (and many other families in Bangladesh) from disclosing the brutal incident until we read about it on 3rd January's The Daily Star. In Delhi everything came to a standstill after the gang-rape in a public bus. Nothing will now stop the public until the decision is taken to give capital punishment to the murderers. In Bangladesh too, capital punishment is the only deterrent to prevent recurrence of such crimes. We hope that rule of law will be established by our government and women's security will be given top priority so that women from all walks of life can move about freely with dignity and without fear of insecurity. May we as women request the prime minister to make Bangladesh a safe place for women?
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