2013-05-23T04:10:10-04:00 Monira Rahman http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=monira-rahman Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Monira Rahman Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2694497 2013-02-15T09:42:54-05:00 2013-04-17T05:12:01-04:00

Monira Rahman http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monira-rahman/ Guardian it is exciting to see that this year's Valentine's Day was a true celebration of love all over the world as people danced, embraced and shouted in the name of women's empowerment.

It is important to mobilise society and break the silence surrounding violence against women. Yesterday I saw that people from all backgrounds have zero tolerance for it. In Bangladesh there is currently a big movement against war criminals and we are linking these huge demonstrations to One Billion Rising, because these men severely violated women and encouraged other men to commit rape during the war. It has been encouraging to meet so many ordinary people during these demonstrations who now want to support us, in addition to members of NGOs or political parties. We are mobilising people to create an environment in which women and men have equal participation across all spheres of our lives, within the family, in work, politics, health and education.

The Acid Survivors' Foundation (ASF) and other women's organisations have already achieved success in many areas in our fight for social justice and equality in the past 10 years. ASF and other charities have campaigned for the government to introduce new laws and raised public awareness of these issues, which has led to an 80% reduction in acid attacks since 1999. We also empower individuals to stand up for their rights, with support from partners like VSO, by enabling our survivors to earn a living, become role models and active citizens.

However, we must not forget that women are still subjected to violence and unable to make decisions about issues which affect their lives. Last month, a girl studying in a college in Dhaka was attacked with acid and stabbed. She is still fighting for her life in hospital.

We therefore hope these peaceful protests will show the government that we need to implement the policies we have, develop new laws to tackle abuse and reform discriminatory legislature such as inheritance laws. I also want politicians from all parties to stand up in public and say that they are against violence against women.

This global movement is gathering momentum at a time when we can influence history. David Cameron and other international leaders are currently deciding what follows the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015. There has been progress across various levels of the MDGs in different countries but not enough has been done to empower or support women. I support international development charity VSO's campaign for a standalone goal on gender equality and women's empowerment. This should include specific targets to address issues like violence against women and indicators to measure the influence of women in decision-making bodies. We must capitalise on yesterday's buzz across the globe to demand a specific goal to help each country push for gender equality.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2177801 2012-11-26T05:19:22-05:00 2013-01-26T05:12:01-05:00

Monira Rahman http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monira-rahman/
Having worked with survivors of acid and petrol attacks in Bangladesh for the past 14 years, I know that violence is a major obstacle for women's ability to access their rights. Until women have real equality, they will continue to not only suffer the most from poverty but also be subjected to violence.

Most of the women and girls I support were attacked by men who viewed them as commodities and therefore believed they were justified in disfiguring them and violating their rights.

The Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) empowers the women we work with by giving them options to rebuild their lives; we provide them with services ranging from free plastic surgery to helping them start small enterprises.

Gender based violence is not only distressing for women; it also affects families, communities and societies. It is therefore vital that we tackle this issue from all corners.

In Bangladesh, through working with the government, the media, donors and international development organisations we have collectively reduced the number of acid attacks by 70%.

VSO volunteers help the ASF by training Bangladeshi medical professionals in treating burns, helping us establish counselling services and teaching women to produce garments to reduce scarring which are now sold by the people the organisation supports.

Patriarchal societies around the world have cultural traditions which force women to be dependent on men and prevent them from exercising choices about their lives. Bangladeshi women contribute to society in many ways but, even at the most basic levels such as by working in farms, industries or in the home, their participation is not acknowledged.

While the legal age of marriage is 18, the majority of girls are married at 12 and they miss out on an education. Women are denied the opportunity to influence community decisions, so it is even harder for them to raise issues with the local government or beyond.

From a personal perspective I have come across similar barriers. When I took over my position at ASF as its Chief Executive Officer I faced criticism because of my gender and age. I had to prove that I had the ability to run the organisation. By helping women escape abusive husbands and take their cases to court I made some people angry. For years I carried a bottle of water with me because I feared my work would provoke an acid attack. However our campaigns for the government to eliminate acid attacks have been successful and compared with 500 attacks in 2002 there were 111 last year.

While most women in Bangladesh are not allowed to leave their homes, let alone participate in an international context, I have recently been working and sharing learning with charities in the UK. My husband has supported me by caring for our two children while I have participated in the three month Commonwealth Professional Fellowship programme, facilitated by VSO. I have gained vital knowledge to take back learning to Bangladesh from working with Acid Survivors Trust International, Refuge, Changing Faces and Interburns.

I want to see more women in leadership positions across all areas of society. The women I have supported are now role models to other survivors of gender based violence and they have become more powerful than they were before. Having overcome physical and psychological trauma, they are now educated, working and proud of themselves. They have found a voice. By campaigning and telling their stories in the media or in their communities they are changing society's attitudes towards violence and disfigurement.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have achieved a great deal in my country. Yet not enough has been done to empower women. Without a specific target on gender equality it is difficult to measure success or ensure states accountability. It is a woman's right to live a life free from violence and free from the fear of violence.

My goal for 2015 is that there will be no more acid attacks in Bangladesh. But even if this happens, it will be crucial to continue improving women's rights to prevent other forms of violence subjugating them. I hope that whatever replaces the MDGs will include targets and indicators which will help and enable women to become more actively involved in decisions which affect their lives. Only by empowering women and ensuring equality we will have a society which has zero tolerance for violence against women.]]>