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Why are men’s rights neglected in a male-dominated society?

Published : Tuesday, 19 November, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 511
Md Zillur Rahaman
International Men's Day is celebrated on November 19 in every year. The day is celebrated worldwide as a major occasion to promote gender equality among men, ensure the well-being of boys and men, and promote a positive image of men. Men's Day was first proposed in 1994, but the history is quite old. Red Army and Navy Day was observed in the Soviet Union since 1922. This day was observed mainly to honor the bravery and sacrifice of men. In 2002, the day was named as 'Defender of the Fatherland Day'. This day was observed in the then Soviet Union countries including Russia, Ukraine. It can be said that the day is celebrated similarly to Women's Day. Since the 1960s, writing has been going on to celebrate Men's Day. In 1968, American journalist John P. Harris highlighted the importance of celebrating this day in his writings. In the early 1990s, several institutions in the United States, Australia and Malta organized several events to celebrate Men's Day in February. Later it was decided to celebrate Men's Day on November 19 worldwide.

International Men's Day is also celebrated on November 19 in Bangladesh and some non-governmental organizations organised some events to celebrate this day. An organization called Men's Rights Foundation established in 2016 in Bangladesh is celebrating the day and at the same time the organization provides legal advice and awareness on male abuse. The organization found in their research that almost 80 percent of married men in the country are victims of 'mental' abuse.

It is a common belief that women are oppressed in this male-dominated society, but many do not want to believe that the opposite also happens. Different media naturally serve and promote various types of news like women torture, sexual assault, dowry, acid throwing, divorce, murder and rape with great importance. But the fact that men can be victims of more or less torture, abuse and harassment is rarely revealed in the media.

Although male violence is exceptional, it occurs more or less worldwide. In fact, in the eyes of the law, male or female criminals are equal and both have the right to take recourse to the law. In our country, if women are subjected to torture, they get shelter under Dowry and Women Torture Act, but there are many complaints that men are subjected to extensive abuse or harassment through these laws. Because just as women are oppressed by men in the society, the opposite also happens. When women are abused by men, various human rights organizations become very vocal about it, and the media promotes and serves the issue with great importance.

When men are oppressed by women in the society, many people do not express shame or the society does not accept it positively. The biggest hurdle law doesn't support it at all. Many men feel that if this is revealed, his personality will disappear or his personality will be questioned in the society. Many men in the society are seen expressing their helplessness by being harassed by other women or wives or being harassed in false cases. Many people are silently tolerating these abuses and threats of their wives day after day, thinking about the eyesores and the children of the family. Various organizations working on men's rights say that many men in the society cry silently over the pain of their wives. Go behind people's eyes and wipe their eyes; But there is no one to see, there is no way to tell.

Article 27, 28 and 29 of our constitution mentions the rights of women. On the other hand, there are several laws in the country for the protection of women. Among these, Women and Child Abuse Act-2000, Acid Prevention Act-2002, Domestic Violence and Suppression Act-2010, Dowry Prevention Act-1980 are notable. But unfortunately, even though the laws were made for the protection of true women, these laws are currently being used by some women as a tool to suppress men. Self-interested women are misusing these laws to harass their husbands. On the other hand, the law of 'prevention of male violence' has not yet been created in the country. Due to these reasons, male victims are deprived of legal services.

Many of the cases made under the 'Dowry Prevention Act' of 1980 are false. In the light of personal experience, many people related to law courts jokingly call dowry cases (Joutuker Mamla) as 'joke cases (Koutuker Mamla)'. It is true that many women may not get maintenance properly and there are minor quarrels between husband and wife on various issues, there is tension in the family. Many wives take legal action against the 'husband' only if they are defiled like lime peels in terms of house keeping, child rearing etc.

On December 25, 2017, in the domestic session of the National Judicial Conference at the Supreme Court, more than 40 tribunal judges of the rank of District and Sessions Judges participated in an open discussion under the chairmanship of a judge of the Appellate Division. A 10-point preliminary report was prepared in this regard. 'False cases' are identified as the number one problem as a reason for not settling cases. The judges who participated in that session agreed that in reality, there is widespread misuse of the Prevention of Violence against Women and Children Act. Again, despite stricter punishments and their implementation, the level of crimes like violence against women and dowry has not reduced. For this reason, they recommended some sections of the existing law to be amended on an urgent basis through discussion with the stakeholders. They lamented that in Section 11A of the Act, there is only provision of death penalty for dowry. As a result, sentencing cannot take into account the gravity of the crime, which is against human rights.

To be honest, there is no specific law in our country to prevent male violence. There is a tribunal for women and child abuse but not for men. While they create laws to protect women in male-dominated societies, they do not have their own harassment laws. As a result, it is becoming difficult to provide legal assistance to the victims. Many men, from high-ranking socialites to low-class rickshaw pullers, are turning to various places for legal help after suffering physical and mental abuse.

The writer is a Banker



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