Men's mindset towards women needs to change

No matter how far ahead a woman is in her career, she has to prove her capabilities at every step while the capabilities of men are taken for granted, said Shamsunnahar, police superintendent of Chandpur yesterday.

Being in a position widely considered to be suitable only for men, she talked about what it was like to be a police officer as a woman at a discussion.

"Whenever a question of giving responsibilities to a female member of police force pops up, my male colleagues ask whether a woman is fit for the job; sometimes my male subordinates raise questions about the capabilities of their female colleagues in front of me," she said.

As a rights activist brought up the topic of sexual assault on women on Pahela Baishakh, last year, she admitted, "Even I would feel helpless in a situation like that. Is police protection enough in such situations? The mindset of boys needs to change. Until then, I think girls would have to be careful."

The discussion titled "Experience of Professional Women" was organised by United Nations Association of Bangladesh (UNAB) at an auditorium of Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) in the capital.

Shamsunnahar led the Police Week 2016 parade on January 26. She was the first woman to do so.

Commenting on her personal experience in the police force, she said she always strived to do her job with perfection. "I don't want anybody pointing fingers at me and say that I had got the job because I am a woman but didn't have the efficiency to do it."

She added that women had successfully defied traditional gender roles, but it is the perspective of men that needed to change.

She also initiated the Women and Children Repression Prevention cell in the district police office. "About 10-15 women with different crises come to our cell everyday. Seeing the distressed women trusting me is a fulfilling experience," she added.