No scope to leave women behind: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for equal development of the country's womenfolk as there is no scope to leave them behind in the name of religion.

“There's no scope to leave one behind or keep one ignorant in the name of religion,” she told a function at the city's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The women and children affairs ministry organised the programme to mark the International Women's Day.

Hasina described various contributions of Hazrat Ayesha, Bibi Khadiza and Hazrat Sumaiya to society.

“It's Islam which has ensured women's rights to the property of their parents and husbands, which has not been done by any other religion.

“It's impossible to take forward the society by prioritising its one section and neglecting another. We must develop all the sections of a society for sustainable development,” she mentioned.

The PM called upon the womenfolk to build their own fate shunning dependence on others. “You'll get the dignity when you'll be able to build your own fate and move ahead with self-confidence.”

With efforts from all people, Hasina said, it would be possible to build the country as a poverty- and hunger-free Golden Bengal as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The government has been working to further uphold the dignity and honour of the country's women by creating opportunities for them, she added.

Hasina said women have become successful everywhere in Bangladesh and they are in equal status with their male counterparts in education, sports and creative works.

She said country's women are now working in higher positions in all sectors like education, the administration, the judiciary, the armed forces and law enforcement agencies.

Mentioning that her government made women secretaries, DCs and SPs, the PM said she had to face a lot of obstacles from different quarters in doing so. She pointed out that female officers have a lower tendency to be corrupt than their male colleagues.

The country's two golden daughters recently won gold medals for Bangladesh in weight lifting and swimming in an international competition in India, she went on saying.

Earlier, a documentary on women development was screened at the function.

Christine Hunter, country representative of UN Women, spoke at the programme as a special guest, with State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze in the chair.