Punishing Victims
Here's a report from Global Voices about the treatment of a courageous young Bangladeshi woman, Jannatul Nayeem Avril, who was victimised for concealing that she was divorced and the victim of a under-aged, unlawful arranged marriage.
All the more remarkable when you consider that Bangladesh is a highly conservative Muslim country where several secular bloggers have been killed in recent years by murderous Islamist extremists.
https://globalvoices.org/2017/10/11/after-disqualification-ex-miss-world-bangladesh-reveals-she-is-a-child-marriage-survivor/
Jannatul Nayeem Avril is a model and biker. Screenshot via YouTube video uploaded by Cox'sbazar Riderz Club
A beauty queen in Bangladesh who was dethroned for hiding the fact that she was divorced is winning praise and sympathy after revealing she was under the legal age of marriage during the wedding in question.
Jannatul Nayeem Avril , a model and biker, was crowned the 2017 Lovello Miss World Bangladesh on September 29. She was supposed to represent the country in the 67th Miss World beauty pageant to be held in late 2017, but on October 4, the organizers stripped Avril of the title for concealing information about her past marriage. The first runner-up Jessia Islam was handed the crown instead.
The controversy started during the September 29 competition evening when another participant was announced as winner instead of Avril, in disregard of the judges’ decision. Later in the event, Avril was declared the winner, and the previous declaration was called a mistake.
Social media erupted, with users claiming that the organizers manipulated the selection. The situation took another turn when an investigative news report revealed that Avril had been married for three months in 2013 and is now divorced, which she had not disclosed. Her attempts to conceal the truth, and not the sheer fact that she is divorced, were what led pageant authorities to disqualify her.
Then in a Facebook post, published perhaps suitably, only a week before the world marked International Day of the Girl Child, Avril explained that the divorce stemmed from a match arranged by her parents and one that was not legal as she was only 16 at the time. She said she was the one to break off the marriage, and then she went on to establish herself as a model.
UNICEF defines child marriage as “a formal marriage or informal union before age 18.” Among Asian countries, Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of marriage under the legal age, which is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. In many cases, the weddings are arranged by parents in which the girl child has little to say.
In this context and considering Bangladesh's conservative society, many deemed Avril's actions to be brave. Abul Hasnat Milton, a Bangladeshi expat writer based in Australia, wrote on Facebook:
Blogger and activist Ajanta Deb Roy also lauded Avril's courage:
Many commenters, however, criticized Avril for hiding the information about her marriage. University student Tasdidul Haque did not agree with Avril's choice to conceal her past, but condemned the trolling directed at her:
Actress Jyotika Jyoti defended Avril characterization of herself as “unmarried”:
Avril came from a rural area, but has become a successful model and a brand ambassador for an international motorbike company. Educator Rasheda Rawnak Khan called it an inspirational story:
After the news of the disqualification, Avril commented on a Facebook Live post that she will work against child marriage:
She already founded a charity called Avril Foundation for this reason.
The Miss World 2017 beauty pageant will take place in November 2017 in China. Jessia Islam will represent Bangladesh.
