Another Look Back in Anger

It is not every day that a woman and her dear ones had to worry about her safety
when she steps outside. But in Bangladesh, this has been the case for awhile. We
all can thank eve-teasing for that. For the past few years this term has been used so
many times, it has become a household word with its negativity. Eve-teasing is an
expression mostly used in South-Asian territory that explains the public sexual
harassment, molestation of women by men. It denotes sexual aggression that can
vary from sexually indicated remarks, whistling, and groping. While we try to
define this term Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association shows in a
study the types and percentage of Eve-teasers. Shockingly, 32% of them are
students, 33% are middle-aged men, and 35% are anti-socials. The students being
involved in such a wicked behavior is alarming to our future.
Social Scientists and Psychologists tried to determine why these men behave the
way they do. Frustration, which can be displaced to eve-teasing, is a psychological
reason. Trying to communicate, establishing authority and trying to feed the male
ego are other reasons of eve-teasing. And the most depressing part is that
technology and sky culture are providing influences for them. While technology
and sky culture offers the whole package with virtue and vile, the distorted minds
seem to engulf the vile only. The impact is far-reaching for the women folk, it
makes their whole existence trembling, and the social, psychological pressure can
be too much to carry all along. The sky culture can take most of the blames as well
as the families of the bullies. Our young generation is highly influenced by
Hollywood, Bollywood, Tamil, and our very own Dhakai machismo movies are
offering us. Tamil and Dhakai commercial movies seem to be the ultimate muse
for eve-teasers. They are often seen to pull off heroic stunts the actors play in
movies to impress their love interests. But what they forget is that the girls in real
life are not interested in such cocky behavior. Forgetting real life, their angry
young man stunts lead to rapes, acid crimes and often these oppressions result
into psychological destabilization, social mortification, and sometimes
inconsolably suicide and murder. Besides the impacts of sky culture, other reasons
might be family issues or parenting issues, lack of discipline and moral values, bad
association, lack of recreation can be important reasons igniting eve-teasing.
Family can control this problem by installing moral values, respect for others and

by controlling the usage of recreational technologies like television, computer,

internet. An individuals opinion and perspective toward others grows as a child.
Parents and family members should be careful teaching the religious and moral
values. Because not only we should teach our young ones virtues but also we
should acknowledge the wrongs by not avoiding them. Most of our parents do not
look for parental guides for the television programs, movies on dish channels, and
our Bangladeshi movies and television programs do not even have any system like
that.
This devious problem has been stirring much anger for the last few years, and
much to malefactors dismay Bangladesh government passed imprisonment of 7
years or meticulous imprisonment of 2 years as punishment of eve-teasing in
Women and Children Repression Act-2000. But only to change the Act in 2003
that only physical repression will be punished. Bangladesh National Women
Lawyers Association filed a writ against the 2003 changed version, and High Court
changed the Act in 2009. According to the reformed Act if a person is found guilty
of stalking or harassing would be punished with imprisonment of one year or 50
thousand taka. While punishments can be a way of rectifying the current situation,
the problem lies way underneath our skin. The actual solution to this unscrupulous
dilemma lies in character development of a child. Recreational activities like sports
can install moral values, respect for others, understanding identity of self and
others, and knowledge about the sexuality of self and others. Sports can teach us to
respect the sexuality of others. A research conducted by the National Recreation
and Park Association of America showed the impact of recreation on the young
ones and how it can help develop their character.
Resolving this hurdle will take time and effort from all walks of society. While
educational institutions and government can take steps to solve, the most important
key to solution is in the hands of parents. Awareness and focused parenting can
decrease this heinous act. Character development should be emphasized with
academic performance, which we tend to forget often. And we should be totally
aware about our rights and the laws to protect our rights, in the right moments we
should not be frightened to utilize our rights for the safekeeping of not just
ourselves, our families, friends and dear ones, but of everyone in our society.