Prof Blinded By Husband In Bangladesh
June 28, 2011 No Comments
Tales of domestic abuse don’t often garner this much attention, but what happened to Rumana Monzur, 33, a graduate student at the University of British Columbia, while she was home for the summer in Bangladesh visiting her husband and daughter could not have gone unnoticed.
She was beaten by her husband earlier this month and her eyes gouged and part of her nose bitten off, all in front of the couple’s five-year-old daughter. Her husband has been arrested and is in jail but she is still in the hospital waiting for plastic surgery and hoping to regain some of her sight.
This attack brings to light the sad fact that in Bangladesh, about 60 percent of women suffer physical domestic abuse, according to We Can, an international alliance aimed at ending violence against women.
Women in this region of the world are far from being seen as equals.
“Our society is a male-dominated society,” explained Gita Das, the vice-president of the Indo-Canadian Women’s Association. “It’s the attitude of a slave owner to a slave. The violence is done to instill fear. ‘I’m the boss who is going to keep you subservient.’”
For Monzur, who is completing a master’s degree in political science at UBC with a specialization in climate change and holds a post as assistant professor in Dhaka University’s international relations department, the attack is particularly traumatic.
“I feel totally threatened and insecure. I am not sure I can protect my daughter. If he can do this to me, he can do this to me, my parents and my daughter, too,” she said. “I am not in a position to protect them – I’m the one they have to take care of now. I can’t feel secure any more because I can’t see.”
A rally was held for her on Sunday afternoon in Vancouver to gather donations and appeal to Bangladeshi authorities to ensure justice for Monzur.
Domestic violence cannot keep flying under the radar.
Contact the author here: sedera@morningquickie.com
