UNB, Dhaka :
Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof Mizanur Rahman on Wednesday said communal politics and fundamentalism are the stumbling blocks to the country’s women empowerment.
“In our country, communal politics and fundamentalism are the main obstacles to women’s progress,” he told a seminar at Cirdap auditorium in the capital.
NHRC organised the seminar titled, ‘Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh: Expectation and Achievement’.
Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Mizan said feminist writer Taslima Nasrin was compelled to leave the country for raising voice in favour of women but she did not get support from the women and no woman political leader raised voice to bring her back.
He said, although the country’s half of the population are women, it has been observed that the women’s representation to parliament and their presence at the secretariat, universities and administration is very poor.
Speaking as the keynote speaker, former foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni said women are now trying to get out from the vicious cycle of male chauvinism, and education can play an important role in empowering them in real sense.
“Women are at the helms of our main political parties but ultimately they’re treated as mere women…minus-one or minus-two formulas also emerged from that male chauvinism,” she said.
