‘Fundamentalism new challenge for women empowerment’
Religious fundamentalism is an emerging challenge to women empowerment, said academics and women rights activists today.
Bangladesh has made significant progress in women empowerment in the spheres of education, health and economic aspects, but gender inequality still remains a major challenge, they said.
There is no lack of political efforts in countering extremism but the ruling party is still maintaining good connection with “Tetul Huzur” which is alarming, said Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (Campe). She was referring to the government’s recent communication with the Hefazat-e Islam’s Bangladesh leader Shah Ahmad Shafi.
“They [Hefazat] are intervening in the national curriculum of our text books. Communal thoughts of who is Muslim and who is Hindu are being instilled into children’s brains…these are the challenges that we need to counter,” Rasheda, also adviser to a former caretaker government, added.
They were speaking at the launch of a report “Human Development in South Asia 2016: Empowering Women in South Asia”.
Mahbub ul Haq of Centre of Pakistan prepared the report that was launched by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development of BRAC University at BRAC Inn Centre in the city.
Violence against women costs some 2.4 percent of GDP, said Professor Mustafizur Rahman, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue.
There have been many laws framed in Bangladesh to ensure gender equality but the enforcement of the laws remains a big concern, he said.
He also noted that use of technology to spread fundamentalism is a huge challenge for women empowerment.
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