The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mohammad Khairul Alam

Teenage is a developmental episode marked by discovery and experimentation that comes with a myriad of physical and emotional changes. Sexual behavior and/or drug use are often a part of this exploration. During this time of growth and change, Teenagers get mixed messages. Teens are urged to remain abstinent while surrounded by images on television, movies and magazines of glamorous people having sex, smoking, and drug use or drinking. Double standards exist for girls who are expected to remain virgins and boys who are pressured to demonstrate their manhood through sexual activity and aggressiveness. And in the name of culture, religion or morality, Teenagers are often denied access to information about their bodies and health risks that can help keep them safe.

As mention by Mr. Sheika Masudur Rahman of the UNICEF in Bangladesh, "Inequalities of age interact with the inequalities of socio-economic background, gender and sexuality to determine young people's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Although age and generation just as strongly influence the vulnerability of young men, not only those who sell or trade sex, but also those who engage in sexual activity as a means of gaining adult status and the privileges it offers."

Teenage Girls are at particular risk. In some of the worst-affected countries of southern Africa, adolescent girls, aged 15 to 19, are infected at rates as much as seven times higher than boys; in parts of the Caribbean, girls are infected at twice the rate. The disproportionate impact is related to widespread sexual violence, coercion, and discrimination against girls, making it extremely difficult for them to protect themselves or to negotiate safer sex. Adolescent girls are also biologically more vulnerable to HIV transmission because of the immaturity of their reproductive tracts and the much higher rates of HIV/AIDS transmission from males to females. Further, their risk of HIV infection greatly increases when other STIs are present.

Girls who are orphaned or from AIDS-affected families are also more susceptible to be lured into commercial sex work; in some regions, including Southeast Asia, girls are also trafficked for the sex trade. In many AIDS-affected countries, including Thailand, men are seeking younger and younger sex workers in the hope that they will be HIV-negative.

Sex workers around the world have dramatically higher HIV prevalence than the rest of the population. UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, has estimated that as many as 50 percent of sex workers in Kenya were HIV-positive; 45 percent in Guyana; and 50 percent in Myanmar (Burma). The stigma and illegality associated with sex work make it difficult for these young women to seek treatment, to report abuses, or to negotiate condom use. As the epidemic penetrates Russia and China, new prevention strategies are essential to target the high-risk groups of female sex workers and intravenous drug users (IDUs).

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV are most common among young people aged 15-24 and it has been estimated that half of all HIV infections worldwide have occurred among people aged under 25 years. In some developing countries, up to 60% of all new HIV infections occur among 15-24 year-olds. (WHO)

Gender discrimination, poor statues of women, sexuality and age are important factors structuring such vulnerability. Unequal power relations between women and men, for example, may render young women especially vulnerable to coerced or unwanted sex, and can also influence the capacity of young women to influence when, where and how sexual relations occur. Recent research in North region's three districts in Bangladesh by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has shown that while provide HIV information with discussions of safe-sex and gender issue may be discouraged for young girls and women because of the ordinary belief that to inform them about sexuality and safe-sex is to encourage sexual activity. Even though that for fear of encouraging sexual activity, mothers deny imperative information about sexual-live, safe sex, reproductive health information from their daughters.

AIDS Researcher Mr. Anirudha Alam said, "There are some forms of risky behavior that directly makes women vulnerable to HIV/ AIDS in the developing countries like Bangladesh.

It should be cornerstone of life to get rid of risky behavior through improving living standard any how. For the greater involvement of vulnerable women in every aspect of curbing epidemic, they have to be able to respond to the epidemic in a meaningful manner."

Rahela Akhter Lima's suffering ended after nearly a month of unimaginable pain after after her assailants left her for dead following rape, cutting-slashing, mugging, and robbery and then came back to torture her some more with acid. She was a strong-willed garment worker-housewife aged only 20 years from Savar. 24 September 2007 marked her third death anniversary.

Has Rahela received any justice after three years by the arrests, convictions, and exemplary punishment of her assailants? Has her death and suffering made women safer in Bangladesh? Or like many other sensational cases, has Rahela been forgotten except by her near and dear ones after the initial stories and demonstrations in August and September 2004? Are her assailants still roaming freely around the streets of Savar, Jahangirnargar University, and Dhaka? As reported by some blogs and websites, some time during the last week of October 2007, there will be a court hearing on her case and her interests will be represented by Ain-O-Salish-Kendra. Will she finally receive justice even though the main accused is still absconding and others are out on bail? People around the world and in Bangladesh are watching to see if Rahela will finally receive justice.

During that long month in 2004, she survived long enough to bravely name two assailants, Linton and Delwar-former college classmates--and two other miscreants-Akash and Kabir-- who took her belongings, raped her, slit her tendons and cut into her spinal cord, and left her in a Jahangirnagar University garden on 22 August 04. They returned on 24 August 04 and found her still alive; they added further insult to her injuries by pouring acid on her! After three days and two nights of suffering, a gardener found her and police took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where she struggled against infected wounds, severed spinal cord, and paralysis until she died on 24 September 04.

As often occurs, despite her mother Rokeya filing a case with Savar thana, the accused men absconded, and Liton reportedly disappeared into India. Police arrested only his brother who had helped him escape. During September, many women's and labor organizations in Savar and other locations protested violence against women, recent rapes of garment women workers, and in particular, the gruesome treatment of Rahela and that her attackers continued to roam freely (Mahila Parishad, Karmajibi Nari, Ain-O-Shalish Kendra, Samajtantrik Mahila Forum, Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Jote, Nari Sramik Jote, Sammilita Nari Samaj, Bangladesh Legal Services Trust, and National Garment Workers Federation among others. After a 25 Sept 04 Daily Star article, no further articles appeared on her case or reported any progress on apprehending Liton and others.

Rahela's case seemingly disappeared among the articles on the September and October floods and monsoon rains as have many other cases of violence against women since then. Except recently when reports and news about her case started appearing in Bangla and English blogs, Facebook, Google and even video on Youtube, for example, see Rezwan, http:// www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/10/25/ bangladesh-bloggers-mobilise-against-domestic-violence/ among others.

Given the ongoing violence against women in 2004, these organizations moved on to protest other cases and lax law enforcement. Speakers and researchers from the One-Stop Crisis Centre reported that garment workers and students are particularly vulnerable to such assaults, sexual harassment, and eve-teasings as they move about from home and work. Ironically, these women are the future and earners of Bangladesh, but still face the dangers of the streets going to and from work and school.

Despite the monthly litany of newspaper reports and clippings on violence against women in Bangladesh by various women's and advocacy groups, who is conducting any follow up or monitoring these cases?

Who is monitoring the police, prosecutors, and justice for the victims and punishment for the eve-teasers (whose actions have led to suicides among their targets), domestic abusers, rapists, and murderers?

Will Rahela and any of her forgotten departed sisters ever receive justice? Hopefully your newspaper will cover the proceedings of her case and so that her suffering and sacrifice will not be forgotten!

On her death anniversary, today and other years, I remember her courage to name her assailants, her strong will to live despite her injuries, and extraordinary struggle and sacrifice as I work to end violence against women, children, and men. I hope that her soul has found some peace.

(Dr. Kathryn Ward, Professor of Sociology & Women's Studies, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL USA. This piece has been based on English newspaper clippings from August and September that I collected while in the USA waiting to go to Bangladesh for my Senior Fulbright Fellowship and to conduct research on women workers and violence against women. (clippings from New Age, Daily Star, New Nation, among others-available on request). Rahela's story touched me very much. When I left USA on 22 September 2004 Rahela was barely alive. She died some time during my journey to Bangladesh.)

Geneva - Women in predominantly Muslim countries are struggling to compete for jobs, win equal pay and hold political office, falling behind the rest of the world in eliminating discrimination, a report By Frank Jordans Associated Press.

Nordic nations, by contrast, received the best overall grades for gender parity in education, employment, health and politics, according to the review of 128 countries compiled by the World Economic Forum.

The United States received mixed marks.

"The purpose of the rankings is to bring out where a country stands in terms of dividing the resources that are available between women and men," said Saadia Zahidi, one of the report's three co-authors.

Sweden, which has more women than men holding high political office, topped the list, followed by fellow Nordics Norway, Finland and Iceland. New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, and Spain round out the top 10.

Zahidi said religious and cultural reasons are important in understanding why men have economic, political, education and health advantages over women in much of the world.

Ex-Soviet nations with a Muslim majority, such as Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, were in the middle of the field, but nearly all countries in the Middle East place in the bottom third. Pakistan, Chad and Yemen were at the bottom.

Women living on the Arabian peninsula receive nearly as much education and health benefits as men there, Zahidi said, "but they're held back on political participation and economic empowerment."

The annual study does not take into account a country's overall level of economic development: women in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Cuba and Lesotho all fared better - relatively speaking - than women in industrialized nations such as Japan, Switzerland and the United States, which fell eight places from last year's study to 31st.

The U.S. scored lower because the percentage of female legislators, senior officials and managers fell in 2007, and the pay gap between women and men widened, the report said.

The world's most populous nations - China and India - were hurt in the study by the preference of many parents for boys, which has led to abortions and infanticide being directed primarily against girls.