Sexual Harassment on Young Women in Old Dhaka: A Reflection on Realities

Sexual harassment on women, especially on young women, is a very common phenomenon worldwide. It is a gender-based crime and thus a serious violation of human rights of women. Most of the women in Dhaka city, especially in old Dhaka, often experience sexual harassment due to lack of protection, lawlessness, knowledge, existing patriarchal-norms and mindset etc. With a view to studying the reality, Finkelhor's ‘Multi Factor Model' and ‘The Feminist Approach' had been combined to serve as the conceptual base of the present study. The theoretical contribution of the study lies on the fact that it portrays a comparative analysis on the legal instruments available for the women to deal with this issue and whether the existing instruments are sufficient or not. At the primary level, using questionnaire survey, the study aims to explore the main causal factors behind the incidents of sexual harassments on young women in old Dhaka. The major findings, firstly, indicate that about 53% of the female respondents expressed of being harassed in different spheres of their life, secondly, more than 60% of the participants did not know about their legal entitlements, and thirdly, more than 80% of the victims did not report or took legal actions against such harassments. This article sheds light on the existing weaknesses in the legal instruments that must be addressed to ensure rights of the women.