The first ever Bangladesh International Model United Nations (BIMUN) conference began in the capital yesterday, aiming to end violence against women.
Around 300 representatives from twenty countries, most of them students, are attending the four-day conference to discuss the issue and eventually reaching an international youth consensus to resist violence against women globally.
The event is underway at the Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University. The participants come from Bangladesh, UK, USA, Malaysia, Portugal, Turkey, Albania, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Morocco, Nigeria and Pakistan, among others.
Speaking at the inaugural programme, UNFPA Country Representative in Bangladesh Arthur Erken termed violence against women a violation of human rights and laid importance on awareness campaigning among people to eliminate the crime.
Women are falling victims to different forms of violence, including domestic violence and sexual harassment, in the society, he said.
Bangladesh has to be attentive to establishing human rights, especially the rights of women, said UN Resident Coordinator Neal Walker, as the country is pledge-bound to the UN's human rights charter.
Education, good governance, democracy are the prerequisites for establishing human rights, he said, and Bangladesh has to ensure these for the welfare of women.
The conference is being hosted by the United Nations Youth and Students Association of Bangladesh, United Nations Information Center and UN System, Dhaka University, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.
It will end on Saturday with a declaration on the consensus of the participants on the issue of violence against women.