There are no women's toilets in the police stations of the capital!

Dhaka Times Desk Separate arrangements are made for women everywhere. And that is the normal rule. When you get on the bus, you will see that it says 6 seats for women. If you go to Kamalapur railway station in this way, you will see that there is a system of selling separate tickets for women. But the police are in trouble as most of the police stations in the capital do not have women's toilets.

It is reported that as there is no separate toilet for women, the arrested women are kept in the men's toilet. Even women are kept in the store room of the police station. Due to this, it has been alleged that the women accused are subjected to unlimited suffering and harassment. Along with the suffering, there are many unwanted behaviors including harassment. There are even allegations of sexual harassment against the police. However, police officials are reluctant to accept these allegations. Their demands are treated with due respect to women accused. Human rights organizations say that the arrested women accused are not being held with respect. Human rights are being violated. Mismanagement has been seen on the ground in some police stations of the capital. Apart from not having a separate toilet for women accused in the police stations, there was also no provision of separate toilets. As a result, the victims said that the female victims have to suffer many ironies while using the men's toilets. Going to Gendaria police station, no women's toilet was found. The women's toilet has been converted into an office. Women accused are kept in the duty officer's room. They spend sleepless nights. Have to suffer various ironies. In this regard, Omar Farooq, OC of Gendaria police station, said that there is a shortage of rooms in our police station. The women's restroom has been converted into office space. Generally there are very less female accused than male accused in the police station. If ever there is a woman accused, then the work of that office room is stopped and the woman accused is kept. We hold them with due respect. Going to Newmarket police station, it is seen that there is no women's toilet. But keeping women in place of children and teenagers. There is no separate toilet. Mirpur, Paltan, Ramna and Gulshan model police stations have women's toilets but they are in poor condition.

As Shah Ali and Darus Salam police stations do not have women's jails, women accused are kept in the duty officer's room. Sometimes they are taken to Mirpur police station at night. Abdul Malek, OC of Darussalam police station, said that the investigating officer of the case brought the woman accused to the women's jail of Mirpur police station. When asked how the remanded women are kept, he said, women are kept in the duty officer's room or in the room of other police officers. Mirpur police station OC Kazi Wazed Ali said, Shah Ali and Darus Salam police stations sometimes leave women accused in Mirpur police station. Going to Pallabi police station, it was found that the woman accused was kept in the store room behind the duty officer's room. Goods are also kept there. OC Abdul Latif of Pallabi police station said that women have to be kept in the store room as there is no toilet. Same situation in Sabujbagh, Uttarkhan and Dakshinkhan police stations. Women convicts are kept under round-the-clock surveillance by duty officers or in other cells. In some cases, it is kept in the room of the officer-in-charge or operation officer and locked from outside. The concerned police officials said that this situation is very troublesome and dangerous for the police. Similarly, it becomes a cause of irony for women accused. Some of the women accused complained that it was very uncomfortable to spend the night sitting among the male policemen. Moreover, they have to be subjected to various unwanted behaviors like verbal abuse, hitting with a stick, pushing and sitting on the corner of the table.

Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation Chief Executive Advocate Elina Khan said, "We have been demanding women's toilets and separate prison vans for women for a long time due to keeping women accused in small rooms or police cells." Concerned authorities have assured to fulfill the demand but it has not been implemented yet. Alleging that women are being molested in the police station, he said that women should be kept in the police station with proper dignity. He demanded that women's toilets should be made urgently in those police stations which do not have women's toilets.

This is how most police stations are functioning without women's toilets. Experts believe that the relevant authorities will take necessary measures in this regard.