‘999’ helps reducing violence against women

When a call comes in to the helpline, set up by the administration, to seek help from people in distress particularly women it is received with utmost importance.

The helpline is supervised by an expert team consisting of all concerned including police. Usually, they respond to everything and respond in the appropriate way.

Nowreen (not real name) was married off to Saidul before 10 years ago. Before the marriage they had an affair. After the marriage the couple had a happy time for two years. At one stage of their married life, Saidul demanded Taka 10 lakh from Nowreen to do business.

Nowreen thought that her husband was making fun with her. But after a few days, she realised that it was not a fun. Even Saidul started torturing Nowreen for the money and asked her to tell her father about the matter. Nowreen told him that her father was unable to manage the money.

As physical and mental torture increased, she (Nowreen) dialled the national helpline number ‘999’ and sought help as her husband and brother-in-law beat her indiscriminately.

The number of calling to the helpline for lodging allegations against husbands has increased two and a half times which is more than 174 percent. A total of 3,348 calls have been received in 2021 in the ‘violence by husband’ department while the number was 1,223 and 388 in 2019.

Chief of the National Emergency Service 999 Mohammad Tobrak Ullah said people have confidence on the national service. For this, the number of calls has been increasing day by day, he added.

He said people from different walks of life know about the national emergency helpline number. “The journey of the number started on December 12 in 2017. Roughly 8000-10000 calls were received per day in 2018 while currently about 30,000 to 35,000 calls are being received everyday.

Rasheda, one of the victims by her husband, said, “My husband used to beat me everyday for dowry. My husband’s brother and mother also instigated him to beat me. I was really hopeless. One day, my neighbour, a college student, suggested me to call the number ‘999’. As per her advice, I dialled the number. Only after two hours of the call, police arrested my husband and his brother. And now, the case is ongoing.”

Chief executive of ‘Amrai Pari Paribarik Nirjatan Rodh Jote’ Zinat Ara Haque said in most cases the victims claimed that they solve their problems within the family though they dialled the number for lodging the cases.

She hoped that the number of repressions on housewives will be reduced if police take steps instantly.