Need more women in the House

"Women's representation in the parliament is now at only 21 percent, including the reserved seats. But we have to work on increasing it to 50 percent," said Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury yesterday.

She also said a rethinking needs to be done on how more women can be elected in general seats, removing the obstacles.

She made the comments during her chief guest's speech at an event, titled "Role of Female Parliamentarians in National Development: Meeting to exchange views with female lawmakers".

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) organised it at Parliament LD Hall.

"Reserved seats should be in effect until 33 percent representation and a 50:50 participation of women in politics is ensured," said the speaker.

Awami League lawmaker Meher Afroz Chumki, also chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the women and children affairs ministry, said women have been given the responsibility in five parliamentary standing committees.

Lawmaker Begum Lutfun Nessa Khan said female lawmakers from reserved seats are mostly underestimated compared to those who are elected in general seats.

"When we are elected as lawmakers, we should have a separate orientation programme so that we can learn to actively participate in the parliament," she said.

She also urged the female lawmakers to work on wage discrimination, reduce gender-based violence, recognise unpaid care work of women and female farmers, find out the root behind the increasing numbers of rape incidents in the country and much more.

The event was presided over by BMP President Dr Fawzia Moslem.

Women have a lot of expectations from female parliamentarians and there must be institutional initiatives to solve their problems, she said.

"We must work together to implement all the existing laws to establish equal rights of men and women based on the constitution, implement women's inheritance law and uniform family code," she said.

In her keynote speech, Maleka Banu, BMP general secretary, made some recommendations for female lawmakers, including strengthening the position of women in the national parliament, ensuring accountability at all levels along with the institutional capacity to implement a zero-tolerance policy to prevent gender-based violence, amending the discriminatory family law, formulating gender budgets in the ministries concerned, and recognising women's unpaid care work by including in GDP and more.

All lawmakers from the reserved seats Zakia Parvin Khanam, Syeda Rubina Akter, Advocate Zakia Tabassum Zui, Shamshun Nahar, and Rowshan Jahan Sathi, among others, spoke at the event.

It was moderated by Sima Moslem, BMP joint general secretary.