Motorcycle journey in bangladesh: A dangerous mood of communication for women

Being a Muslim majority country, Bangladesh has various social norms and regulations for its women.  Though all are not permitted by respective authority but neither these are prohibited. Bangladesh has a big population, numbered to about 160 million. In its cities or towns a lot of traffic can be seen at a time. Especially Dhaka and Chittagong are renowned for its heavy traffic. In Dhaka traffic are so huge and cars do not move so easily and peoples are very much tired during travelling.

Risky motorcycle driving in Dhaka city that endangered women's life

With huge cars in road a large number of Rickshaw also exist in Bangladesh. For huge traffic jam many people here ride motorcycle allover Bangladesh. Though a lot of accident happens due to the reckless driving of motorcycle, it is still a popular way of transport. Some of them use it as a way of entertainment such as many motorcycle rider ride it as per their hobby having their girlfriend in backside. Some of them ride it having other female relatives or friends in their back. 

When an accident happens we just sit for searching the cause, why was that bloody accident happened. After that we just forget it as like we had searched the cause. In our country a number of road accident happen for the motorcycle. Sometimes the riders do not follow the speed limit, sometimes they are reckless, and sometimes they are much interested in many other things than riding such as chatting with their friend who is on their back talking over mobile phone etc.

As a lot number of motorcycle carry female passengers and female friendly or female driven motorcycle are not so common in Bangladesh, many of them often become victim of road accident. Why do talk especially about women riders, who become victim of motorcycle accident? Yes, there are certainly some special man-made reason for why they fall into bloody road accident. In the case these motorcycle accident that victimized female passengers, the sitting style of them in motorcycle is prime cause of accident. 

In Bangladesh women are not suggested to sit in motorcycle stressing their legs on both sides. 

We see our male motorcycle riders and female rider do not share similar style of sitting in motorcycle. Male sit in motorcycle behind the driver keeping legs in both sides, that is very comfortable and safe for a rider. On the other hand female riders just cannot do this at the same time with their male co-passenger, the sit in motorcycle by stressing their legs in on side, that is potentially harmful for a rider and this is not a safe sitting style for them. 

When a man sit in a motorcycle behind the driver stressing his legs on both sides he has full control over his body and he can grab the back handle firmly. But a woman, who sit in a motorcycle stressing his legs in only one side, she hasn’t proper control over his body and she cannot grab the security handle properly, consequently they become the prime victim of motorcycle accident.

This is the situation we have created deliberate danger for women to ride over a motorcycle. In our society we often restraint them to come out without a cause of emergency and call them to stay inside the house and serve her husband. These rules made a backward position for a woman to show her ability to take part in the national development, to become wealthier, even to show her choice in public. 

Couple in Dhaka city also enjoy motorcycle riding like hanging style

All these rule and regulations, we have made, was made in the name of religions. As the people of soft heart obey the religious speech we have just blackmailed the soft hearten women. We have made such a situation that, when a woman needs to earn for herself for her child and for her parents but she hasn’t any reliance, she think twice or thrice to enter into a job. 

This cultural and societal restriction often made their life dangerous and do not care whether they live or die. An important example of the defiance of woman safety in our society is the sitting style of woman in the back of a motorcycle. This style is as dangerous that she can fall down or slip at any moment. But who cares? But it cares in case of a man’s life. It cares in case of a valuable thing. But in our society woman is about nothing without a house-servant and a mere component of sex of male, so it’s not so valuable in our society to be safe. 

In 21^st century, time has changed. Culture has developed a lot. Discriminatory rules and tradition have denied. But yet a lot of things have to do. Because about two-thirds percent of our people is not aware about the women safety and rights. Though most of them are rural, but in my firsthand experience I have seen many so-called highly educated persons are behind any kind of modern mental development.

Women race is our mother’s race, our half-part’s race. The most beautiful thing god have ever created in the earth is woman. They are with us in our every steps of joy and sorrow. They inspire us to do the best in life. The made us prepared to captured the summit of success. In return, what are we paying them? They don’t cry for anything but they need only passion and their rights to live happily and properly. Aren’t we ready to give this?

N.B: Writer is an editorial board member of Bangladesh Outlook and this is written exclusively for Bangladesh Outlook