Women activists holding posters take part in a protest in front of the Parliament in Dhaka on March 7, 2025, condemning rape and violence against women in Bangladesh. - AFP
DHAKA: Muhammad Yunus finally said what many felt. He said yesterday (March 17) what the incumbent should have said much earlier, long before matters decidedly took a turn for the worse.
In a meeting of the top police officers of the country, Muhammad Yunus put it as plainly as possible. Women are afraid to even walk on the streets, he said. Women are uncertain what clothes to wear. "They don't know whether to look up or look down," said the chief adviser.
Not that it should take the chief executive of the government to state the obvious but yesterday, the Nobel peace laureate had to say what should have been said much earlier. "If your daughter walks down the street, in fear... How can this be acceptable?"
He ordered the policemen, in no uncertain terms, to ensure the safety of women and bring the perpetrators to justice. One can only hope that the police force acts on its orders and provides the people some reprieve from what has become a stifling environment of insecurity.
Granted, the police force needed time to resume their duties to the full extent. But it is also undeniable that criminals have exploited that situation and are wreaking havoc on the streets and sometimes even in people's homes.
This is exactly the kind of direction that one expects from the ministers and it should have come from the interim government long ago. In fact, similar orders might have come from the administration if it didn't have its eyes shut and ears sealed. - The Daily Star/ANN
