Six Bangladeshi Men Jailed for Street Harassment

by Brittany Shoot · 2010-05-15 07:00:00 UTC
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If you're a woman reading this, there's a decent chance you've been harassed, followed, or leered at in your lifetime — if not very recently. But did you ever think there would be a legal solution to the problem? In what is perhaps a landmark victory for many activists and organizers, six Bangladeshi men were recently arrested and sent to jail for sexual harassment in a public place, Asia News reports. The men were sentenced earlier this month by a judge hoping to send a message — and set a precedent.

Sarah Menkedick previously wrote about how street harassment — or eve teasing — has become a serious problem in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, even leading to several suicides by women desperate to escape the unwanted attention. According to police sources for the Asia News article, a staggering 44 women have committed suicide to escape harassment and molestation in the last 6 months alone. Activists who work on issues related to street harassment know this to be all too true, and India's Blank Noise Project has been combating public space sexism and eve teasing for years.

When you look at the problems of street harassment in the U.S., you'll find more than a few women who think street harassment ought to be illegal. And why not? Harassment in the workplace has long been illegal, and domestic violence isn't protected by law. Why should women feel safe everywhere but in public?

Obviously, cultural differences play into these things enormously, and the incident in Bangladesh is in many ways far removed from women's experiences in other countries. But having been harassed in well over 6 countries and probably 25 states, I'm personally inclined to think that after a certain point, feeling unsafe and threatened is just that.

Can the incident in Bangladesh set an example for other countries, or does it seem like an isolated incident? Will it really change people's ideas about acceptable public space behaviors? Only time will tell.

H/T to Holly at Stop Street Harassment

Photo Credit: Ahron de Leeuw

Brittany Shoot is a freelance writer, editor and critic. She's one of the editors of the Feminist Review blog and a frequent contributor to a variety of progressive publications.
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