Women's empowerment

Photo: Amirul Rajiv

The Holy Quran says-"O people! Be careful of (your duty) to your Lord, who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind) and spread from these too many men and women." The Constitution of the people's Republic of Bangladesh declares: 28(2) No citizen shall, on grounds of only religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, be discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office in the service of Republic.
The position of women in Bangladesh is much worse than that of men. Theoretically men and women are equal in Bangladesh. Women represent a half of the country's human resources and thus a half of its potential. Women should have knowledge and resources, greater autonomy in decision making, greater ability to plan their lives, greater control over the circumstances that influence their lives and free themselves from chains imposed by customs, prejudices and practices. So, only collective efforts by the government, NGOs and international organisations can accelerate the pace of women's development and their empowerment.