1. Honourable President, Distinguished Ladies & Gentlemen,
Thank you for giving me chance to say about ‘Guranteeing the rights of minority women of
Bangladesh’ on behalf of BHBCUC and HRCBM. The general profile of minority women are
that they are economically deprived, have less access to resources, are progressively
loosing their land and properties, treated as victim to socio-economic and cultural and
political exploitation, discrimination and harassment and constantly struggling for their
survival and identity. There are exists number of obstacles for development of women issues
among the minority community and outside of the community. Poverty, insecurity, lack of
access to justice and awareness are common hindrances for development. Forced
Conversion to Muslim has also been suffered the Hindu community for getting proper justice
and act of needful requirements or special facilities.
The Muslims are the first largest religious people who belong to patriarchal society in
Bangladesh. The second largest is Hindu community. Christian, Buddhist and Ethnic people
follow them to practice religious rituals and customary performance among the community.
All the societal stature is headed by men or oldest male person of the family. The social
structure of a patriarchal community generally represents certain typical gender relations
manifestation through the number of norms and practices. Patriarchy designed to endorse
male domination and hegemony within the household level as well as in the society. This
has resulted in superior status of men and preferential treatments towards them in a
number of ways.
Women’s role and their activities defined the private matter, which means the domestic
affairs and reproduction circle. Although a woman goes to carry out the socially sanctioned
duties but women’s movement restricted, veiled and keep seclusion which is socially
practiced the improper gender based violence in private - public sphere. Progressive minded
men recognized to feel equal share/opportunity at home and outside in psychologically but
they also silent in practical field. Men considered women’s performance as head of house
hold and perpetrators of family name and lineages. In general power of domination and
preferential treatment to inheritance, position, policies and public affairs considered male
preserved area. General position of women’s rights, power and position in the country are
divided into class, caste and religion. Male dominated social structure and ideology of
patriarchy is evident at the national level policy making process, culture and legal
instrument. Therefore, existing conflict between man and women make hindrance in gender
development and supporting in familial umbrella for rising and pushing traditional boundary.
Women issues in Bangladesh are now publicly visible in formal and informal sector.
Nonetheless, we observed that economic participation and social perception in women
development does not effect in social change or positive respond in share in private or
public life.
The area of domestic and non-domestic violence against women including rape, gang rape,
sexual harassment, physical assault, fatwa, wife beating, trafficking, dowry, verbal and
psychological torture, kidnapping, abduction, force prostitution are high. The received
complaints to HRCBM units along with BHBCUC about minority women repression at national
level and collected data from the daily newspaper clippings show the increase of nature of
violence attached herewith. Generally law and public policy targeted the women sufficiently
addressed the issues and need for development. Consequently despite this achievement and
progress of women’s position have not changed the social position and attitude towards
women. Violence and discrimination continue to pestilence the realization of women’s rights.
At present, social statuses of victim women are not good at all. The nature of aggression
varies the condition of violated women. Torture is a common known term as rape, gang
rape, and so on criminal offence and systematical torture happens frequently in matrimonial
and patriarchal society. The practice of believe in aggression among Muslim women

2. considered as power of female position in within household and tradition. Nonetheless,
minority women’s positions are not same. Generally, their (minority women) statuses are
social isolation, ritual purification, difficult in arrange marriage and remarriage, increased
demand of dowry, indirectly and directly forced to leave habitual place or country,
humiliation, unnatural death, murder, psychological torture, etc. Therefore, violated women
do not disclose the matter publicly. The social statuses of victim women demand otherwise
and destroy the honor and loose the social position due to the negative impact of system. In
larger scale, we see the some sensitive matters bear into positive result. Domestic violence
does not include as violence in public or create sensation. As a result we see that women’s
body is used to several purpose, like child bearing, caring, beating, harassing, sexual
victimization, or punishing or treating as lesser human being and undermine feminine
identity, grabbing their socio-economical status and controlling the common interest of male
groups and dominant muslim practice.
In Bangladesh under the Family Courts Ordinances – 1985 section – 5 of the Ordinance
provide that subject to the provisions of Muslim Family Law Ordinances – 1961 a Family
Court composed of Assistant or Senior Assistant Judge, which have jurisdiction over the
limited matters i.e. marriage and dissolution of marriage, restitution of conjugal life (its one
kind of decree which can not be executed for) dower, maintenance and guardianship and
custody of children. Therefore, the minority women can not access their rights through
accesing equal practices of the judicial system. due to practices of hegemonic masculity in
judicial process the minority women deprived their rights. Minority women suffer both type
of tortue as domestic and non domestic violance. Minority women have no right to claim
property (Streedhan) acquired through marriage parctice in Hindu Law before the family
court. Because inheritance and partition suits try by the Civil Courts. Nonetheless, 10000
years old Hindu Law does not recognize marriage registration or desolution of marriage or
divorce. There is no applycable unform judicial proceddings in family court of Bangladesh.
The family Court acts through ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) i.e. mediation,
arbitration, conciliation. Section 10 of Family Courts Ordinance as per Section – 2 of Muslim
Family Ordinance at first settele the domestic disputes and if it fails to compromise the
dispute through settlement than judicial proceedings are continued. According of general
law of the land a Muslim woman gets half share of a man. Though Women’s Advancement of
Policy has been passed by the cabinet members for equal share of the male-female, but it
does not access in practical field. However, in respect of Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and
Ethnic women are not qualifying the status of sharer of ancestral property. In Bangladesh,
Hindu and Buddhist people are ruled by the Ancient Hindu Law. But the Christian people are
ruled by the Church. They have no equal share too in respect of family dispute or property
matter.
Generally we see that women count multi-faced forms of torture / violence. Often women
ignore or overlook the minor events which happen in home. As a result the male members
count it as their weakness and more stressed on physical assault or abuse as violence. Most
of the time we observe, slapping, scolding, illegal blaming, verbal abuse or psychological
tortures at matrimonial home that ignored as violence. Women believe that husband’s have
right to scold and slap or mistreat their wives because they provide food and cloths. It is
interesting that marital rape or forceful intercourse or sexual assault by husband does not
recognize as crime against humanity in Bangladesh. Women feel that they are safe
husband’s custody, because male people treat as “God” by name of “Pati Devota” or
“Sattavan Yudhisthir”.
Nonetheless, a universal picture has been observed by the observer in terms of non-
domestic violence in Bangladesh. Rape, gang rape, trafficking, forced marriage, force
prostitution, kidnapping, abduction, conversion into Muslim and Christianity from Hindu and
Buddhist religion, teasing, physical assault, fatwa, killing after rape, killing, blazed by fire,
dowry demand, harassing, etc. are the common incidents cause of women victimhood.

3. Generally we see, Hindu teen aged girls and unmarried women are targeted to embalm
other religion and kidnap or abduction by the perpetrators. It considers patriarchal strong
hood. It appears social values of marriage between perpetrator and the victim and create
unwanted situation among the family and society.
There are lots of national law protecting women community of Bangladesh. But very few
practices for the minority women. Thereofore, we demand for guranting rights of minority
women in Bangladesh by applying the following suggessions as demand of Bangladesh
minority women. The suggestions are:
• Family court should be equal for all religion
• Government should amend religious personal laws, such as: Hindu law of Bangladesh
or Government should enact uniform family code
• Government should amend customary hereditary laws which accommodate women’s
property inheritance in personal law.
• Community people should be united to fight against such mal-practice that
discriminate minority women’s rights
• Government should formulation of national laws to become strong minority women
community
• Assess needs and adopt measures to provide access to justice and aware adopt
holistic behavior approach
• Govenment should establish seperate rehabilation centre for the minority victim
women
• Government should set up a Minority Human Rights Commission and a separate
Ministry for Minority Welfare.
• Government should take action against the perpetritators for any kinds of violation
of minority women’s rights.
Lastly, we can say ethnically Hindu, Buddhist, Christians groups and other ethnic groups like
Garo, Hajong, Marma, and Hilli People are the minorities in Bangladesh. We are entitled to
get all facilities of the State. The Bangladesh constitution guaranteed equal rights without
any discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place
of birth (Article – 28). We claim justice if anyone violates the fundamental human rights of
minority women in Bangladesh.
Enclosed – 1
Minority women’s data: January to October 2011
Sl
no.
Criteria Number Source
1 Rape 13 The Daily News
Paper
Human Rights
Congress for
Bangladesh
Minorities (HRCBM)
Bangaldesh Hindu
Buddhist Christian
Unity Council
(BHBCUC)
2 Gang Rape 12
3 Murder after rape 2
4 Attempt to rape 15
5 Sexual harassment 2
6 Sexual assault 1
8 Acid burnt 4
9 Death after acid burn 1
10 Burnt by fire 1
11 Death after fire burn 14
12 Kidnapping / Abduction 106
13 Murder for dowry 5
14 Torture for dowry 13

4. 15 Physical assault 53
16 Murder 22
17 Attempt to murder 4
18 Provocation for suicide 3
19 Attempt to suicide 2
20 Suicide 3
21 Eve Teasing 7
22 Suicide for eve teasing 5
23 Refusal of love 13
24 Fatwa 16
25 Child Marriage 4
26 Torture by police 3
27 Forced marriage 4
28 Conversion 37
29 Physical and Psychological torture 32
30 Psychological torture 3
31 Marital Rape 13
Total 396