Women, HR bodies demand scrapping of review body

Samajik Protirodh Committee, a platform of 40 women and women rights organisations, yesterday submitted a five-point memorandum to the chief adviser demanding immediate dissolution of the review committee of the Women Development Policy and scrapping of the committee's recommendations.
Asking the government to take steps to stop political activities at religious establishments, the Samajik Protirodh Committee asked the government to announce programmes to implement the policy, a realistic step towards constitutional provisions for equal rights to men and women.
Demanding the government make a pledge before the nation to establish equal rights as mentioned in the constitution, the committee urged the caretaker government to clarify its position regarding the Women Development Policy by issuing a press note.
A number of Islamist organisations started demonstrations on streets violating the state of emergency immediately after the chief adviser announced the Women Development Policy, 2008 on March 8, the committee said and added that the government failed to take any action against the organisations and remains lenient towards them.
"During the past few decades, this specific group has opposed and created obstacles to not only women's human rights but also to women's social development programmes," read the memo signed by Ayesha Khanam, president of Bangladesh Mahila Samity, on behalf of the committee.
"This is the identified group that has been opposing almost all women and social development work including women's education, work, participation in social activities, free movement and family planning," the memo said. The committee said the April 11 violent demonstrations of the organisations prove that their objective is something else, not opposing the women development policy.
When people recently raised the issue of trial of war criminals and the group's murky role, this group tried to mount pressure on the government by destabilising the situation on different pretexts for strengthening their political position, it said.
"We condemn these violent activities."
"How could the group run criminal activities from a place of worship," the memo said, adding, "This is not only the issue of women movement, it is deeply linked to the future of Bangladesh's democracy and stability."
The committee questioned the rationality of forming a committee to review the policy 15 days after the chief adviser had announced it.
“If a discussion was so urgent, it could have involved adviser for women and children affairs ministry and women's rights and rights organisations, development organisations and representatives of citizens' bodies. Discussion may have also been on how to implement the policy. But, why the committee was formed with the Khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque as the head?" the memo read.
Saying that the review committee's recommendations would virtually push back society to the middle age, the memo said, "Members of the committee are trying to establish fundamentalist politics that go against the spirit of the Liberation War of Bangladesh and its constitution."
Asking for an explanation on how a few advisers formed the review committee, the memo said many negative reactions can be seen across country due to such "controversial and weak roles".
It said there are attempts being made from different mosques across the country to propagate untrue and abusive statements and impose restrictions on women, the memo said the weak role of some members of the present government has created the ground to push the progress of equal rights for women 50 years back.
A total of 139 women and rights activists signed the memorandum.