Bangladeshi TV takes aim at violence against women
16 August 2007
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Bangladesh country profile
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Millennium Development Goal 3: Gender
Moner Janala is a popular drama series on Bangladeshi TV. With a title that
translates as “Window on the Mind”, its plots revolve around the problems faced
by women in today’s Bangladesh, revealing how violence and discrimination are a
daily reality for many.
When, in March 2007, the country’s
 Caretaker Government asked for DFID’s help in
creating a publicity campaign about women’s rights, it was decided that Moner
Janala offered an excellent opportunity. By broadcasting powerful media spots
around the show, the campaign could reach a captive audience with its message
that gender equality is vital for Bangladesh's future. Giving women the same
opportunities as men gives them a better chance of leading fulfilling and
productive lives; when inequality prevents women from realising their potential,
not only individuals but the country itself stands to suffer.
Spreading the word about women's rights
 Episodes
of Moner Janala have shown female characters struggle against violence in the
home and abuse and discrimination in the workplace, and have shown too how an
unfair legal system can stand in the way of justice. More subtle
violations of women's rights have also fed into the storylines: in one episode,
for example, a mother-in-law blames her son's wife, a mother of two healthy
daughters, for not producing a male child. She then tries to force her son to
take a second wife - one who will provide the all-important male offspring.
The media spots, which DFID supported the production of and helped to get on
air, deliver clear and forceful messages about issues like domestic violence,
sexual harassment, dowry-related violence and early marriage. In one, 30 year
old Muktee, who was tortured because the dowry supplied by her family when she
got married was considered to be too small, urges all men and women to stand up
against this barbaric practice.
As part of its support to the Government's media campaign, DFID is also
backing a series of interactive TV talk shows. These invite the audience to
participate in discussions about the state of women's rights in Bangladesh. As
with the spots around Moner Janala, the aim is to get the public thinking and
talking about gender equality and so generate a popular commitment to combat all
forms of violence against women.
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Women's rights are human rights
Research has been commissioned to see if the campaign has hit home with
audiences. It is hoped that a planned Domestic Violence Bill will benefit from
the public support for women's rights that the TV spots have tried to foster. Working with the German aid organisation
GTZ,
DFID is also helping the Government to identify how policy can improve the
status of women, particularly in the eyes of the legal system.
The media campaign demonstrates how DFID can pull together with other donors,
non-governmental organisations (such as
Oxfam, who have also been involved) and
the Government itself to get essential information to a large number of people.
Information, after all, that could change attitudes across Bangladeshi society
and empower women to lead the lives they deserve.
Geeteara Choudhury, in charge of
Women and Children’s Affairs in the interim
Government, has thanked the UK and its partners "for extending their hands of
cooperation to establish women’s rights in Bangladesh." And she has summed up
the importance of this task when she states that: "Public opinion has to be
moulded to ensure women get their due rights in all spheres. Women’s rights are
human rights."
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Key Facts
- DFID provided £90,000 to support the Caretaker Government's eight
month publicity and media campaign around women's rights.
- Over the past three years DFID has spent over £350 million in
Bangladesh. The UK’s development programme remains a significant part of
the UK’s relationship with Bangladesh.
- DFID's Country Assistance Plan for 2003 to 2006 was titled
‘Women
and Girls First’
(683 kb). It focused DFID's programmes in Bangladesh on
advancing the position of women, in light of the past failure of poor
women and girls to benefit fully from development.
- DFID is finalising its Interim Country
Assistance Plan for Bangladesh - which covers the currently expected period of
the Caretaker Government. This strategy sets
out the UK’s analysis of economic, social and governance issues, and how
its development work will be directed in the country. DFID expects to publish
a full Country Assistance Plan during 2009, following the planned
elections in 2008.
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