Awareness, monitoring key to implementing HC directives on sexual harassment: Legal experts

Public awareness should be created in order to properly implement the directives of the High Court to eliminate sexual harassment in educational institutions and workplaces, legal experts say. 

To implement the court directives, a social resistance alongside intensifying campaign from the government's part are required, the said at a discussion organised by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) at CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Sunday. 

"Despite the clear directives of the High Court to address sexual harassment in educational institutions and workplaces, there is lack of awareness about this," Prof Biswajit Chanda, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, said.  

Citing lack of accountability and monitoring, he advised to introduce complaint boxes as well as online complaints system while maintaining confidentiality in disclosing identities of both the victim and the accused, punishing persons found responsible for false allegation.  

The legal experts believe that training up teachers and students in educational institutions on gender discrimination and sexual violence, and making the authorities concerned more accountable and increased oversight can pay off. 

Advocate ZI Khan Panna, a BLAST trustee member, said, "Sexual harassment should be dealt with in a non-partisan manner. However, in this case, politically motivated recruitment in educational institutions should be reduced." 

Also, if higher officials take any decision in the interest of justice, then it is time to think about how his and his family's safety can be ensured, he said.

Shahnaz Huda, professor at Department of Law, Dhaka University, blamed the male dominated social system, fear of loss of honor among the women victims of sexual violence, and absence of justice for the failure to implement the court directives.   

The expert laid emphasis on proper implementation of the existing laws by making necessary amendments to those instead of enacting new laws.