Since 2009, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP), a non-profit women’s organization and UN Women partner, has been advocating for a law to address sexual harassment in public spaces, workplaces and educational institutions. Masuda Rosy, a veteran BMP feminist activist has contributed to the draft bill and is involved in supporting young women and girls facing violence, abuse and harassment.
“Violence against women is so normalized in our society, that sexual harassment is often not seen as a crime,” said Rosy. “Without a formal law, it is difficult to hold perpetrators accountable. With UN Women’s support, and along with other civil society partners and UN agencies, we contributed to drafting the ‘Sexual Harassment Prevention and Protection bill,’ which defines harassment, outlines the reporting steps, and includes penalties, like fines, suspension, or dismissal from job.”
This would be the first-ever bill on sexual harassment where civil society and UN agencies came together to develop the bill. The draft law was submitted to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs for further consultations and enactment.
UN Women is supporting the Government of Bangladesh and civil society organizations in enacting the new law to ensure safety for women and girls. “We must break the silence around sexual harassment in workplaces, educational institutions and public spaces. It must not be normalized. We must all speak up and take action to prevent sexual harassment. Everyone has a role to play – no one can remain a bystander,” said UN Women Representative Gitanjali Singh. “UN Women remains committed to working with the government and civil society partners to support the promulgation and implementation of a law preventing sexual harassment.”
Research shows that laws matter in changing mindsets and reducing the prevalence of violence against women. For instance, The Gender Snapshot 2024 report shows that countries with domestic violence legislation have lower rates of intimate partner violence (9.5 per cent) than those without legislation (16.1 per cent).
*Aliases have been used instead of real names to protect the individuals from risk of retaliation and violence.