Once at a discussion the present Queen of the Chakma community said, "In Bangladesh, women are disadvantaged compared to men. Indigenous women are further marginalised than Bengali women, thus making indigenous women the most disadvantaged group in the country,".
There are so many reasons behind the marginalization of indigenous women and undoubtedly violence against them is one of the prominent reasons.
Violence against indigenous women in Bangladesh is not new. It's been going on since the militarization in CHT, at least the records suggest it. To raise voice on behalf of all the Jumma women, a group of politically conscious female students of Chittagong University founded an organisation on 8th March, in 1988 named " Hill Women's Federation". The history of this organisation is a part of the history of the Jumma people's struggle.
Objectives of this organization are : (a) To foster zeal and enthusiasm in the women society for greater unity among the indigenouscommunity; (b) To preserve culture, heritage, practices, rites and rituals of the indigenous societies; (c) To establish a compact society free from chauvinism of all forms, discrimination and exploitation.
Hill Women’s Federation (HWF) is basically a wing organization of Parbatya Chattgram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS). At the beginning, all of its activities were confined within the university campus. But, HWF was able to expand its activities in the CHT after the fall of the military dictator General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. It held its very first successful central conference in Khagrachari in 1995. More than one thousand enthusiastic Jumma women took part in it.
HWF focuses on raising awareness among the Jumma women about their own rights along with their duties and responsibilities as the most repressed section of the Jumma community in the CHT. This organisation is highly vocal against military repression on the Jumma women and organises protest demonstrations against every incident of human rights violations against Jumma women.
In 1996 HWF came into national and international limelight when its organising secretary Kalpana Chakma was abducted by one Lt. Ferdous from her house. The HWF along with other Jumma organisations launched a massive campaign against this heinous act of the military leading to forcing the government to form an inquiry committee.
HWF has been raising voices and stuggling incessantly for peace and freedom of the indigenous women since its birth and vows to carry on the struggle for the right to self determination.
(Source : www.pcjss.org)
Hozzászólások