Tazrif Amin
Women have long been underrated in the South Asian communities because the predominant perception is that they should function as wives and mothers only which was set by our forefathers in the past in some patriarchal union. However, as time moved forth the scenario ultimately changed from the last few decades as women have become aware of their rights and their strength thus a growing realisation among them into their prominence in the society. Despite the fact that the tables have turned regarding certain aspects there are numerous issues yet to be addressed.
The issue concerning women rights is one of the most discussed topics globally, but still this subject is not completely alleviated even after many worldwide protests and campaigns in hopes of mitigating it. The victims of these complications are mostly from the rural areas. From a survey conveyed by the Bangladesh government, it showed that 21% of women are below the poverty line even after this issue was lessened to some extent. Therefore, we can have a vivid image that the utmost reason for this circulation might be their lack of activities in the primary, secondary and tertiary sector. However, they are not the ones to be blamed!
Dreams are one of the toughest things to achieve in life but everyone still loves to pursue it no matter what it takes. But have you ever thought about those individuals who can’t live their life on their own? Well, this is how dreams of innocent girls often get completely shattered due to religious and social stigmas. Also, in some cases families never look back at them which is the main reason for them to get demoralised. Due to sexism in the formal and informal sector, the female job occupants are comparatively less and the recruited ones are often paid less than men.These women are robbed of their rights to raise a voice against what is wrong. They are considered to be “weak”, “emotional” and “vulnerable”, creating a wrong perception in the society by the masterminds. Due to this, the majority of the girls do not receive formal education and have no clue about primary education.
Subsequently, a few girls have the least amount of ideas regarding menstrual health that should be known by every individual. This is the most important factor of a girl’s health, especially in the rural areas as there is a scarcity of sanitary napkins in the countryside. As a result, they use normal cotton clothes during menstruation as their concept about this is indubitably poor. Little do they know that it may cause vaginal infections, urinary infections or rashes which is quite harmful for their health. Apart from this factor, majority of the pregnant women in the countryside are subjected to abortion when families hear that a daughter is to be born; it is the so called “belief” of the family that girls are a burden rather than a blessing. The agony of a mother keeping her child in her womb for about 9 months is undoubtedly incomparable. However, we often do not realise the fact that it is because of women that we have set foot on this world.
However this matter has been mitigated at a drastic scale in the urban areas as the enrollment rate of girls have significantly increased over the course of time. Women's sports have been internationally recognized and events are taking place similarly to the men’s one. Child marriage have been decreased drastically and instead they are being sent to school for procuring formal education. In addition, they also have a separate seat in the House of Parliament where they get to speak about their own demands.
Even though a lot of progress is made regarding this topic it has not been welcomed wholeheartedly by everyone for which the voices are still silenced. We must remember it is obvious that women can definitely contribute actively to the economy, whether directly or otherwise. It only remains for the general public to realise this important but usually neglected fact.
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