BSS, Rangpur :
Speakers at a human chain demanded for recognition of the contribution of rural females and farm-labourers in ensuring food security to establish their dignity and honour for flourishing their social leadership yesterday.
Rangpur area office of ‘Karmojibi Nari’ organised the human chain at Katchari Bazaar in the city with assistance of ‘Manusher Janno’ in observance of the International Rural Women Day-2014 demanding recognition and dignity of the rural women.
Earlier, hundreds of rural female farm-labourers, day-labourers and workers from the entire district participated in the rally before gathering at a discussion at Katchari Bazaar zero point in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.
With president of Rangpur district unit of Karmojibi Nari Masuda Rahman Anu in the chair, its General Secretary Nazma Rahman, Programme Officer Zabid Hossain Swapan, female farm-labourers Kiran Bala, Chanmoni Toppya and Pushapa Rani, addressed.
The speakers said rural female workers and farm-labourers have been contributing maximum in increasing food production, poultry, animal husbandry and cottage industries to ensure food security and alleviate poverty in building middle income nation.
They demanded more budgetary allocations in all sectors including social safety net programmes and health care services for the rural people including distressed women, female workers and farm-labourers for smooth development of the country.
They asked enacting more time-befitting labour laws to protect equal rights of rural female labourers, workers and female farm-labourers along with fixing reasonable wages and per-day working hour for establishing their equal human rights in the society.
Terming the rural working and distressed females as the worst-hit victims of climate change impacts, they demanded for ensuring socioeconomic safety, dignity and security of the rural female workforces in the country.
They called upon the concerned authorities for implementing agriculture reforms to establish rights of farm-labourers including female farm-labourers, who are largely involved in farm activities and food production in rural Bangladesh.
Without recognition of the male and female farm-labourers as workers, their glorious contribution in food production would not be recognised and universal human rights in the society could be established, they said.
They suggested for forming marketing cooperative systems involving the farmers and rural farm-labourers including females to ensure fair price of farm- products, food security, alleviate poverty and overcome price hike of essentials.
