Webinar on “Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in South Asia: Expressions and Strategies”

Gender Justice organized the Webinar titled “Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in South Asia: Expressions and Strategies” on 09 December 2020. The webinar was connected by the speakers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, & Sri Lanka with the idea and purpose of sharing respective jurisdiction’s views and practices in combating Gender-Based Violence.

Gender Justice has arranged this webinar in response to the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Gender Justice has invited individual working on combating Gender-Based Violence: To identify the specific challenges and gaps in combating Gender-Based Violence and getting feedback to mitigate the problems; to develop and set up a networking structure to build working relations with existing human rights networks, to follow up Gender-Based Violence crisis.

Improving networking between Government, the National Human Rights Commission, UN and civil society to implement human rights response strategies related to Gender-Based Violence; and to develop a sustainability plan for the networking platform for 2021.

The webinar was kicked off by the keynote address of Mr. Abdullah Al Noman, Director, Gender Justice & Advocate, and Bangladesh Supreme Court. Noman began his speech by asserting the role of Gender Justice in preventing gender based violence and the agenda of the Webinar. Moderator Audrika Eshna Purbasha began her speech by quoting John Forbess Kerry “Gender-Based Violence anywhere is a threat to peace and security everywhere.”

Nepalese Lawyer Ms. Yogita Rai pointed out how religion and politics are used as tools to commit and trigger Gender-Based Violence.

Gender Rights Activist Ms. Shaguffe Hossain emphasized the importance of abolishing toxic masculinity by urging men to ask them regarding their privileges and realize how much they are benefited and how they are using/misusing them.

Nepalese Human Rights Activist Mr. Dev Mahat stressed the sheer necessity of developing separate Human Rights Conventions and frameworks within SAARC countries. Kolkata High Court Lawyer Ms. Srabanee Chatterjee pointed out the importance of bringing changes in the mindset of individuals and society in combating Gender-Based Violence.

Sri Lankan Attorney Mr. Shihar Hossain stressed poverty, drug and alcohol addiction as vital causes behind gender-based violence. Assistant Professor of Tribunal University Ms. Roshani Podyal focused on the importance of mental/ emotional and psychological violence besides physical violence and talked about marital rape, rape on pregnant women; disabled women are separately recognized and addressed.

Naripokkho Member Advocate Kamrun Nahar pointed out the major challenges such as extreme victim-blaming which are creating hindrances to combat Gender-Based Violence in Bangladesh. Sri Lankan Women Rights Activist Ms. Shyamala Gomez focused on a very vital yet quite an unnoticed topic – sexual bribery as a form of Gender-Based Violence in Sri Lanka. She said, “Sexual bribery is very much prevalent in society, yet this is not a much-discussed topic.”

Bangladesh Supreme Court lawyer Dr. Uttam Kumar Das stressed the importance of regional institutional arrangements in combating Gender-Based Violence.

Lawyers, Rights Activists and researchers from different countries joined in Face book live and enriched the event by posting fruitful comments.