Empowering our women

I extend my greetings of the International Women's Day to all women of the world. While Bangladeshi women have progressed a lot in the past few years, unfortunately the attitude of the society towards women still remains less than desirable. We need to work tirelessly to eliminate violence against women in our country. 

Are our women aware of their rights? We need massive campaigns to make both men and women aware about women's rights in Bangladesh. While our Honourable Prime Minister is trying to ensure equal opportunities for women, we have to ensure that women can get access to justice, have legal service at every door step, and receive minimum respect and care. A large percentage of both men and women still believe that violence against women is justifiable. Meanwhile, their access to justice is made difficult by uncooperative judicial systems. In celebrating Women's Day, we must stand up for and spread awareness about the rights and roles of women in our society.

Intaz Ali 

Bangabandhu Hall, University of Dhaka