Stand by Them

One of the most uplifting scenes when you are on the streets of any city, village or town, anywhere in the world, is the sight of hordes of girls in crisp school uniforms, a spring in their step, their faces glowing with carefree youth, as they prance forward in the beautiful journey called life. When you see them you may feel a pang of wistfulness, thinking of your own golden days, those giggling fits over every little thing, voraciously munching on unhygienic but mouthwatering street food, sharing secrets, the absurd, obsessive crushes – all those wonderful experiences every young girl should be entitled to. You also feel an inexplicable sense of optimism that is hard to articulate in words. Girls in school uniforms denote progress for any nation, definitely for Bangladesh. With increasing enrolment rates and an overwhelming number of girls scoring brilliantly in board exams, we are definitely on the right track. 

But an ominous shadow lurks above these rainbow thoughts. There are other pairs of eyes on these young women who, given half the chance, can be the scientists, pilots, teachers, astrophysicists, painters, musicians – anything actually - they may set their hearts on. These eyes watch their every move, waiting in the dark shadows, for the opportune moment, to put an end to those wondrous, exhilarating moments of growing up, for good.

When we read headlines like 'schoolgirl raped and killed', 'primary school girl raped by staff', girl abducted and raped' we are disturbed but soon these cases pile up in the dust of forgetfulness. We do not get to see the look of terror, shame and then total blankness on that girl's face. We do not see the devastation of her parents whose only desire in life is to see that she is equipped to stand tall among the crowds. We cannot feel the physical pain and mental trauma of being tortured so brutally. We cannot fathom the sheer bleakness ahead—of facing hostile, apathetic law enforcers, being probed by strangers for 'evidence' of that ghastly experience and then appearing before a courtroom mainly consisting of men, where the rapist has the right to question the victim's morality (!). We cannot imagine the feeling of helplessness, dejection and utter despair when, even after reporting the rape, a girl will most likely have to watch her rapist go scot free. We will never know how many of these girls have stopped going to school out of fear and shame.

A research by The Daily Star based on news reports has found that 82 percent of victims of rape are below 20. They are mostly minors. Many of them were accosted while going to school, taken to a secluded area and then raped or gang-raped. The study further points out that in a large number of cases the rapists were known to the victim - stalkers, thwarted admirers, relatives, neighbours etc. This means these culprits could easily be identified, caught and brought to book. But in the backdrop of a society that shuns the victim while being almost indulgent towards the rapists, the raped rarely get to see their assaulters punished. 

The reasons for why that is so are known. We are a society that endorses the philosophy of 'do what you want, just don't get caught.' It also tacitly treats sexual violence as an acceptable misdemeanor of men who 'just can't help themselves'. In contrast, the raped girl or woman becomes tainted by some invisible taint of shame and can no longer be treated as a 'normal' member of the community. Such twisted logic compels many victims to be silent about the crime. And those who have risked dire consequences and reported their rape have faced the humiliation of law enforcers refusing to take their cases or going through agonising delays in getting justice, if at all. 

But just blaming a flawed legal system is escaping our own responsibility. There is something inherently wrong with a society that does not know how to protect its girls and women from rape or any other kind of sexual harassment. When unruly youths harass schoolgirls on the street, why is the neighbourhood silent?  Why are mobs not as 'enthusiastic' about catching a rapist as they are about catching a thief and beating him to a pulp? Why do most people stand apart when girls and women are groped in a crowd? 

These are no doubt naïve questions in a country that allows religious clerics to publicly compare women to mouthwatering tamarind and that thinks that the legal marriageable age of girls should be lowered to 16. This regressive mentality has seeped into the most unlikeliest of corners – inside university campuses that were once the bedrocks of democratic movements and in board exam questions where a girl wearing western clothes is projected as 'indecent'.

These are signs of a society moving backwards where the convenient solution to stop sexual crime is by stifling the women and girls. But clipping those wings that were meant to fly will not make sexual predators go away. It will only help them to carry out their depraved acts with greater ease and frequency. We must learn to loosen the chains that choke our girl children from the very moment they come to this world. We must know how to set them free. We must also know how to protect our girls by publicly shaming stalkers, by constantly demanding justice for the victims and making sure that every case of harassment, rape and abuse is reported and followed through. So that we can always have streets full of boisterous, confident, school girls in their smart uniforms, as they walk past us, fearless of the unknown, beautiful future that they will create for themselves.

The writer is Deputy Editor, Editorial & Op-Ed, The Daily Star.