First Bangladeshi female envoy to Mideast vows to promote women’s cause

The first Bangladeshi woman to become a top envoy in the Middle East, Nahida Sobhan, has vowed to promote gender equality and play an active role to protect Bangladeshi female workers abroad, reports Arab News.

Ambassador-in-waiting Nahida Sobhan will take office on Friday and lead the Bangladeshi mission in Amman, Jordan, the news outlet reported.

"Bangladesh and Jordan have strong similarities in social development, especially in girls' education," Sobhan was quoted as saying by Arab News.

She likened Jordan's high female professional participation to that of Bangladesh, where "women's empowerment and participation have been a major factor" in development and one of the government's 10 priority action areas.

"Bangladesh is perhaps the world's only country where in its national parliament, the leader of the House, the deputy leader of the House, the speaker and the leader of the opposition are all women. In the present parliament, there are 72 female MPs," she said, adding that in local government bodies 33 percent of seats were earmarked for women.

She referred to her own appointment as "ample manifestation" of her government's efforts for gender equality.

Of key importance during her diplomatic service will be promoting and acting for the safety of more than 100,000 Bangladeshi female workers in Jordan.

"I believe my identity as a woman will give me leverage in garnering the trust of female Bangladeshi migrants," she said, highlighting that better communication with workers themselves helped improve their awareness of security while in a foreign country.

"Very recently, right after my appointment as ambassador-designate, BNSK [Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra] led a group of female migrant workers going to Jordan to see me. I spoke to them about their role in promoting safe migration, for them and for others," Sobhan said, referring to a Bangladeshi women's organisation helping female workers.