Women for Peace, Non – violence and Equality, a coalition of Women’s Rights activists is stressing that women being a vulnerable part of society are victimized at a time of political and social crisis.
At a media briefing yesterday (23), the activists brought to light several instances where women were marginalized and victimized in the aftermath of the current crisis.
Ermiza Tegal, a senior lawyer said that following the ban on face coverings, many Muslim women were subjected to different forms of harassment.
“It was only 20 days after declaring emergency, we saw the proscribed organizations. The difference of how easily the rulers came to ban the face coverings versus the time taken to proscribe these organizations is something that should be looked into,” she said.
Tegal noted that in the wake of the face covering ban, even women wearing any forms of Muslim clothes including Abayas were subjected to harassment.
“They were asked to remove their Abayas which they wear over the clothes at public institutions. Some teachers were not able to enter the schools wearing the Abayas. So we ask the authorities to reconsider the ban unless it is absolutely necessary for verification,” she said.
” A woman was arrested by the police for wearing a dress with symbols which they thought looked like ‘Darmachakraya’. These are the arbitrary instances where laws are used”, she added.
Commenting on the responsibility of the media in this regard, Dilrukshi Handunetti, a journalist and lawyer, pointed out that media organisations have a collective responsibility to publish news in an ethical manner which does not harm the peace and reconciliation in the country.
(Republic Next)