The unhealthy obsession with what women wear

From the plot of Begum Rokeya's Sultana's Dream where a woman roaming freely in a big city was a fantasy, to modern women actually travelling the entire world, womenfolk of this subcontinent certainly have come a long way. But the journey also feels endless.

Women still have to justify each of their actions, that too to those who add zero value to their lives. 

Starting from something as trivial as a 'tip' on the forehead, every choice of women is still subjected to unsolicited attention and judgement.

The Narsingdi incident where a girl was harassed for wearing 'indecent' clothes is yet another example of how little freedom and security women have in society.

On Friday 27 May, a group of women travelled to the Narsingdi Railway Station to hold a peaceful protest against the assault, and called it Ahingsho Agnijatra (non-violent procession of resistance). The participants protested by wearing clothing of their choice. 

We reached out to three female activists in the country, including one of the organisers of the protest, to delve further into the incident. 

'Because we went as a group, the locals were politer than usual'

Trishia Nashtaran, Founding President, Organising Gender Narratives for Inclusivity and Equity (OGNIE) 

Nothing will change overnight and if we want solutions to a problem, at first, we have to accept that the problem exists and then uncover its root causes. 

What happened on 18 May at the Narsingdi rail station is not an isolated incident. Misogyny or violence against women lies at the core of patriarchy. I think it is vital for men, women and people of all gender to consciously come together and work hand-in-hand in challenging patriarchy.    

I did not send special invitations to others to join me in the peaceful protest. Everyone joined willingly and spontaneously. 

I believe everyone has an obligation in bringing positive change and all the protesters believe this as well, which is why their participation made the protest more meaningful.

To be honest, once we arrived there we sensed the same kind of curiosity we usually witness everywhere in the country, including Dhaka, but perhaps, because we went to the rail station as a group, the locals were politer than usual. It might have been a different experience if we went individually.        

'Like men, women are also insecure about independent women'

Shahana Huda Ranjana, Senior coordinator, Manusher Jonno Foundation

Based on their choice of clothes, we have categorised women into two classes – the good girls and the bad girls. And to some of us, it seems perfectly okay to shame the bad ones publicly because we believe this is what they deserve.

Labelling is something we are comfortable with, and with existing prejudice, we are quick to justify those labels as well. 

If you have seen the incident, you must have noticed how it was initiated by an older woman. That woman had certainly not gone to the girl with benevolent interest; it was simply out of insecurity. 

Like men, women are also insecure about women who decide to lead their lives their own way. Independent women appear like a threat to those who have very little or no voice in their personal lives. 

Hijab was never in our culture in the first place. We had burkha and only a niche segment of women used to wear it. 

It came into our culture in the early 2000s when the country saw a rise in migrant workers to the Middle East. Men started gifting hijabs to their female family members and insisted they wear them.

Back in the early 1990s, when I was in university, I remember only two or three girls who wore burkhas. If you visit any public university classroom now, I bet you will find more than half of the girls covering their heads with a hijab. 

This is not because they really believe in it but feel obligated to do it; although, of course, some of us do. But the majority wears a hijab just to stay on the safe side, to show people that they are doing the right thing and express their self-righteous opinions, which nobody asked them for.

'The incident showed how a section are aggressively against women's freedom'

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan. Sketch: TBS

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Chief Executive, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association

What happened in Narsingdi is like a nightmare. We grew up in a more conservative environment and even then, we could not believe such a thing could happen. 

I cannot fathom how it happened in a society which is now so much more open and flexible; such intolerant behaviour is really shocking and beyond belief. 

The event indicates how sections of the society are so aggressively against women's freedom. 

When the girl was being harassed, the way other people gathered around her and joined in the harassment was shocking. Why were there no other people protesting against it? Barely anyone seemed to be protesting against it. 

Through the incident, we also saw how men still expect women to dress a certain way. Who are these people drawing these limits on what women should wear? 

We must have a thorough psychological analysis of what happened at Narsingdi and hold proper, open discussions about it, instead of hiding it. The more we discuss, the more resilient the society will become. At the same time, the [perpetrators] should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law.