Reform laws for women’s equal inheritance rights: speakers

Speakers at a seminar yesterday emphasised the need for urgent legal reforms to guarantee equal inheritance rights for women.

They highlighted the entrenched inequality in Bangladesh's inheritance laws, which are still governed by the outdated 1961 family law, and stressed that gender sensitivity and legal equality are essential to building a just and inclusive society.

The speakers criticised the outdated legal framework for discrimination against women across religious communities and called for a uniform, secular family code that guarantees equal property rights for all, regardless of gender.

The seminar, titled "Gender Sensitivity and Legal Equality are Necessary to Build a Non-Discriminatory and Humane Society", was organised by Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha (BNPS) at the Women's Voluntary Association in Dhanmondi.

BNPS Deputy Director Nasreen Begum, in her keynote presentation, stressed the need to secure women's rights to inheritance and property, and to foster a gender-sensitive environment that encourages women's involvement in all spheres of life.

Advocate Deepti Sikder, Bangladesh Mohila Parishad director of legal aid, called for abolishing the discriminatory 1961 family law and introduction of a unified family code to remove inequality in inheritance laws across all religious communities.

Afroza Soma, assistant professor of Media and Mass Communication at American International University –Bangladesh, raised concerns about entrenched societal perceptions of women.

Despite some progress, women are still treated as second-class citizens while facing widespread harassment and marginalisation, she said.

Soma urged a shift in focus from remedial support for victims to changing the behaviour and mindset of perpetrators.

Sultana Begum, president of Green Bangla Garments Workers Federation, pointed out the multiple challenges faced by women working in the garment industry or as domestic workers, including wage disparity, job insecurity, lack of social protection, and vulnerable conditions, and called for the effective enforcement of government policies and the ratification of ILO Conventions 189 and 190.

BNPS Director Shahnaz Sumi said structural change is necessary to strengthen women's economic position, and property rights is key to their social and political empowerment.

Presiding over the event, Dr Makhduma Nargis Ratna, vice-president of BNPS, reminded that a key objective of Liberation War was to establish a secular and equitable society.

She cautioned against misrepresenting the gender equality movement as anti-men, criticised the legal system for failing to protect women's rights, and condemned the proliferation of misogynistic narratives in guise of religious teachings.