Dhaka, June 20 -- It is almost axiomatic, but let's start by saying that women in the Indian Subcontinent have been subjugated for millenia, since time immemorial. That holds true for other regions of the world too of course, but each region sees its particular manifestation of the patriarchy and ours is particularly loathsome for its prevalence of misogyny. Violence against women, which rather pathetically has its own acronym now (VAW), is never too far away - be it on social media, in public transport, or even in our homes.

There is no region of the world where the patriarchy isn't entrenched. Today, there is greater recognition that it isn't simply unjust from women's point of view. By now it is well-established that it has acted as a...