November 21, 2011- A Female student allegedly hangs herself
from the window grill.
November 25, 2011- Two teenage girls kill themselves, one by
ingesting pesticide and the other by hanging.
And it does not stop here!
Despite the known fact that Bangladesh is predominantly a
Muslim country and committing suicide is a big sin in Islam, the tremendous
increase in suicide rate is surprising. People are voluntarily killing
themselves that depicts their religious values are not obstructing them; rather
their problems are growing heavier than their beliefs.
The news details show that Bangladesh’s degrading social
situations cause the overwhelming increase in women’s suicide. Suicide problems
prevail in most parts of the country, but measures have not been taken yet. The
stark increase in the number of suicide shouts out loud that this issue should
not be neglected.
What prompts people to commit suicide?
Many female students throw their lives into the darkness of
death, becoming frustrated with their studies. They are likely to kill
themselves being obsessed by the exam tensions.
Females tend to commit suicide more than males because of
eve teasing, a persistent bullying of girls at school and on the streets. This
is a prevalent problem in Bangladesh. For example, according to the Daily Star,
a girl, 13, studying at grade seven, was continuously irritated by a group of
boys on her way back to home. When her father interfered, he was threatened to
kidnap her. Being aggravated by the insult and daily annoyance, she committed
suicide.
Moreover, lack of education and poverty contributes for
several self-murders. The CIA World Fact book records that the literacy rate of
Bangladesh is 47.9 percent; 40 percent of the total population are living below
the poverty line. To refrain from expensive education, many parents and young
girls in rural areas pursue early marriage at the young age of 12-15 years.
However, their problems triple at their husband’s house, when they are forced
for dowry and child birth, causing maternal mortality.
Earlier this year, Rehana Khatun, a 20-year old housewife,
killed herself by taking poison. She was physically and mentally abused by her
in-laws and husband, which made difficult for her to survive. Suicide is common
amongst those women who give their lives for their husbands, but are paid back
with humiliation and hatred. Today, a significant number of housewives are
killing themselves because they are harassed by their husbands and in-laws.
Women are susceptible to domestic violence if they cannot fulfill the wishes of
dowry.
Not only because of dowry, but women also commit suicide if
they cannot control their husbands from doing “monkey business”. For instance,
the death of Kohinur Akhter, a housewife from Koiaddari village of Bangladesh
was because of the failure to restrain her husband from his extra-marital
affair. Hence, these social disputes are threatening the lives of women and
their rights as well.
However,
this problem is not one directional; it is a vicious cycle, where not only
social problems arise suicides, but stark growth in suicide rate also invite
many social problems. By killing one self, people disappoint their family and
relatives; indeed, they affect the society badly. Growing number of suicides
not only hint individual’s dissatisfaction, but also draw attention to the
bigger problems of a country. Attempting suicide is an embarrassing social
issue for a nation that highlights not only social, but also economic and
political drawbacks.
"But
who should be responsible for this cause?
Society?
Government? Or women themselves?"
Certainly, it is government’s duty to eradicate such social
stigmas from the society by reinforcing strong laws and orders. Also, society
forces women to endure such traumas in their lives, and women are the ones who
get victimized.
Therefore, all three should function equally to mitigate these
problems. Women should self-realize and empower themselves to face ordeals.
However, women solely cannot restore their rights and justice; so society
should understand their difficulties and collaborate to resolve them. Likewise,
government should fortify education and employment facilities to help women overcome
their atrocities in lives.
It is high time to make a difference!
Author: Priyanka Shrestha
Source: AUW Spectrum
originally published on Jul 10, 2012
*About AUW Spectrum: Former student-run magazine club in its operation from 2011 to 2014 at AUW
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