A village council in the eastern Indian state of Bihar has banned the use of mobile phones by women, saying the phones were “debasing the social atmosphere” by leading to elopements — a move that set off outraged protests from activists.
In addition to the ban, the Sunderbari village council in a Muslim-dominated area some 385km east of Patna, the capital of Bihar, has also imposed a fine of 10,000 rupees (US$180) if a girl is caught using a mobile phone on the streets.
Married women would have to pay 2,000 rupees.
Photo: EPA
照片：歐新社
“It always gives us a lot of embarrassment when someone asks who has eloped this time,” said Manuwar Alam, who heads a newly-formed committee tasked with enforcing the ban, referring to queries from neighboring villages.
Local officials have begun investigations, saying that such bans cannot be allowed in a healthy society, while women’s rights activists called it an assault on freedom that could potentially end up harming women by stripping them of one source of protection from trouble, such as unwanted advances by men.
(Liberty Times)
印度東部比哈邦一個村委員會禁止女性使用手機，指手機導致私奔，「敗壞社會風氣」。此舉引起女權人士的憤怒。
山德巴里村村委會除禁止女性使用手機外，女性若在街上使用手機遭查獲，還會被處以一萬盧比（一百八十美元）罰款。該村位於穆斯林聚居區，在比哈邦首府巴特納以東約三百八十五公里處。
已婚婦女的罰款則為兩千盧比。
負責執行手機禁令的新設委員會負責人穆努瓦．阿蘭，提到鄰近村莊的詢問時說：「每當有人問起，這次又是誰私奔，總讓我們很尷尬。」
當地官員已展開調查，並指出一個健全社會不容許這類禁令。女權人士則表示，這是對自由的侵害，最終可能傷害女性，使她們在遭到令人討厭的男性進犯等麻煩時，喪失一種保護方式。
（自由時報／翻譯：陳成良）
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