Allocating posts alone can't ensure women's empowerment
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) President Ayesha Khanam yesterday demanded that the government empower women through providing them opportunities to work and exercise their power, instead of assigning them only in certain posts.
“Allocating posts alone cannot ensure women's empowerment. Women should have the actual power to work. Not just postings, we want real empowerment – irrespective of religious and ethnic identities,” she said.
The noted women's rights activist made the remarks at BMP's national council meeting at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital.
Bangladesh is going to be a middle-income country soon. Women have a significant contribution in the achievement, but their contributions are not recognised properly, said Ayesha.
The BMP president urged the government to create a balance in power distribution and ensure gender equality.
Referring to the recent incidents of rape, she said, “Beyond being a physical attack, rape is being used as a tool to suppress women's advancement.”
If women keep moving forward and civil society provides support, no one can resist their advancement, she added.
Swedish Ambassador Charlotta Schlyter, UN Women Bangladesh Country Representative Shoko Ishikawa, and BMP General Secretary Maleka Banu, among others, also spoke at the council, that ends today.
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