Bangladesh authorities have dropped plans to open a beach reserved exclusively for women after an outcry on social media accused them of acquiescing to hard-line Islamists. On Thursday, the world’s longest natural sea beach in Cox’s Bazar was opened exclusively for women and children. After hours, they announced they were dropping the plan.
Several conservative women had requested that the beach be segregated, officials had said. ‘(The women) requested a dedicated beach section for themselves, because they felt shy and insecure in a crowded place,’ Abu Sufian, a senior official in Cox’s Bazar, told AFP.
As part of the move to open an exclusive beach, a woman was gang raped in Cox’s Bazar last week, sparking outrage over women’s safety in the area. Critics took to social media to criticize the government, accusing it of caving to hardline Islamists who have recently organized massive rallies urging workplace and factory segregation.
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A commentator referred to the segregation on the beach as ‘Talibistan’, a reference to the Taliban Islamists who, in recent months, have restricted women’s rights in Afghanistan. The largest tourist attraction in Bangladesh is Cox’s Bazar. Numerous tourists visit during festive seasons, and the tourism industry has boomed in recent years. To provide security to the growing number of tourists, the authorities have created a tourism police unit to patrol beach towns.
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