3,043 killed, 2634 injured last yr

A total of 54,954 women were repressed in different ways in different incidents in this period, the report added.

83,75,500 children fell victim to violence and repression in different incidents and among them 4125 died and 2,891 were injured during the period, the report showed.

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Shahab Uddin Nipu and Khan Md Robiul Alam, programme officers of MMC, presented the report at a seminar on "Woman and child rights situation in Bangladesh" organised by MMC at LGED auditorium at Agargaon in the city yesterday.

The MMC officials prepared the report by analysing 12 national daily newspaper reports and 198 local newspaper reports from January to December 2005.

The report said that during that time 1041 women committed suicide.

Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, the chair of the seminar, said, "In order to prevent violence against women and children, we have to establish a secular and democratic country where equal rights of all citizens will be ensured."

The children of our country fall victim to repression for three reasons as they are born in a poor family, as they are female and finally as they are children, he added.

Sultana Kamal, executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, said the government has to take steps to stop violence against women if it wants to ensure democracy, peace and development in the country.

Ayesha Khanam, general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said there are many cases of women and children rights violation besides these newspaper reports presented by the MMC but it is a good job done by the organisation.

The main cause of violence against women in our country is social degradation, she said adding that men's chauvinist mentality is growing up in the country and the state is patronising this mentality in different ways.

She said we must change our family culture along with enacting laws to stop violence against women.

She demanded that the government reserves one-third seats for women in the parliament and holds direct elections in those seats.

Shaheen Anam, team leader of Manusher Jonno, said enacting laws and enforcing them is not the solution to stop violence against women but the perception of the society about women has to be changed.

Prof Sakhawat Ali Khan, women leader Maleka Begum, Chittagong University Mass Communication and Journalism department teacher Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Chittagong Bureau chief of Bhorer Kagoj Omor Kaiser also spoke at the seminar.