March for equality held at city’s historically inaccessible location
Women of Dhaka celebrated International Women's Day by participating in the 'March for Equality', which took place in a historically inaccessible location of the city, Gulbagh.
Certain sections of society raised complaints due to the area having a strict policy of only letting in registered rickshaws and customs-evading civilian Hummers.
The event's organisers told the press that they chose the location due to its reputation for being "nice and quiet." Though there were reports of march attendees being stopped and frisked at numerous police checkpoints along the way, it was considered a necessary inconvenience for the greater good of public safety.
Other candidate locations for the march included the National Parliament, which was deemed too pedestrian, and Dhaka University, which was discarded due to the unavailability of coffee places within walking distance.
In observance of International Women's Day, female garment workers held a protest rally in front of the National Press Club to demand workplace equality through ensuring maternity leave and anti-harassment laws at factories.
One of the participants at the March for Equality said "I couldn't find it on Facebook events. I wish their publicity had been better, because it would have, like, totally blown up."
Bangladesh Association of Female Garment Owners (BAFGO) also observed International Human's Day on March 8th. All human employees of garments factories were given a chance to shake hands with the president of the association. They were not given pay raises or workers' rights, as "everyone needs rights, not just garments workers," according to the president. "Unless we can ensure rights for everyone, we can't ensure rights for anyone," she added.
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