BSS, Rajshahi :
Ensuring economic and political empowerment of women has become an urgent need for substantial and sustainable reduction of violence against women, speakers at a discussion here said yesterday.
They emphasised the need for freeing the society from gender discriminations in the greater interest of establishing a non-discriminatory and equitable society for taking the nation forward successfully.
They were addressing the opening session of a daylong gender workshop styled “Grassroots Women Thinking” held at Nanking Darbar Hall in Rajshahi city.
Association for Community Development (ACD), a rights-based organisation, hosted the workshop. More than 100 persons including women leaders, development activists and academics attended the discourse.
Dr Kazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, chairman of PKSF, and its Managing Director Abdul Karim addressed the session as chief and special guests respectively with Prof Dr Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, pro-vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University and president of ACD, in the chair.
During her welcome address, Salima Sarwar, executive director of ACD, said there are more other scopes of working for living and livelihood condition of the disadvantaged communities and their economic and social empowerment.
Dr Kholiquzzaman said the PKSF has been working for strengthening decision-making capacities of grassroots women through empowering them with the ability of equal partners in development for eliminating all sorts of discrimination and violence against them.
He, however, said collective efforts to end all sorts of disparity and violence against women especially girls is very important for establishing a gender parity based society.
In his remarks, Abdul Karim, former principal secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, said the present government is committed to building confidence, knowledge and capacity of the womenfolk and encouraging networks of mutual support so that they can contribute to the society as a whole.
The women should have equal opportunity to participate in decision-making process, he added.
The inaugural session was followed by three seminars on different women issues like violence against women and human rights, why the women will do politics and women poverty and economic empowerment. Ehsanul Amin Emon, programme manager of ACD, moderated the discussion.
UP women members more active
Despite of disparity, negligence and obstacles, empowerment of female members in reserved seats in Union Parishads has started getting momentum which is good sign of their effective participation to social development process.
The success has been achieved through implementation of diversified promotional activities by both government and non-government organizations concerned in the district.
With this breakthrough, their evaluation has been rising in the Parishad’. Mindset of the male colleagues towards them has started changing to some extent besides overcoming the previous scenario, said Shamima Begum, a member of Huzripara UP in Paba Upazila.
Participation of women members in the reserved seats in the LGIs activities is being ensured to some extent thereby local development is being attained. However, participation of the reserved seated female members has not improved to the cherished level, she added.
Shamima mentioned that amendment to the existing law besides more awareness building can contribute to ensure hundred-percent empowerment that is very important to establish an effective women representation.
Ensuring economic and political empowerment of women has become an urgent need for substantial and sustainable reduction of violence against women, speakers at a discussion here said yesterday.
They emphasised the need for freeing the society from gender discriminations in the greater interest of establishing a non-discriminatory and equitable society for taking the nation forward successfully.
They were addressing the opening session of a daylong gender workshop styled “Grassroots Women Thinking” held at Nanking Darbar Hall in Rajshahi city.
Association for Community Development (ACD), a rights-based organisation, hosted the workshop. More than 100 persons including women leaders, development activists and academics attended the discourse.
Dr Kazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, chairman of PKSF, and its Managing Director Abdul Karim addressed the session as chief and special guests respectively with Prof Dr Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, pro-vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University and president of ACD, in the chair.
During her welcome address, Salima Sarwar, executive director of ACD, said there are more other scopes of working for living and livelihood condition of the disadvantaged communities and their economic and social empowerment.
Dr Kholiquzzaman said the PKSF has been working for strengthening decision-making capacities of grassroots women through empowering them with the ability of equal partners in development for eliminating all sorts of discrimination and violence against them.
He, however, said collective efforts to end all sorts of disparity and violence against women especially girls is very important for establishing a gender parity based society.
In his remarks, Abdul Karim, former principal secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, said the present government is committed to building confidence, knowledge and capacity of the womenfolk and encouraging networks of mutual support so that they can contribute to the society as a whole.
The women should have equal opportunity to participate in decision-making process, he added.
The inaugural session was followed by three seminars on different women issues like violence against women and human rights, why the women will do politics and women poverty and economic empowerment. Ehsanul Amin Emon, programme manager of ACD, moderated the discussion.
UP women members more active
Despite of disparity, negligence and obstacles, empowerment of female members in reserved seats in Union Parishads has started getting momentum which is good sign of their effective participation to social development process.
The success has been achieved through implementation of diversified promotional activities by both government and non-government organizations concerned in the district.
With this breakthrough, their evaluation has been rising in the Parishad’. Mindset of the male colleagues towards them has started changing to some extent besides overcoming the previous scenario, said Shamima Begum, a member of Huzripara UP in Paba Upazila.
Participation of women members in the reserved seats in the LGIs activities is being ensured to some extent thereby local development is being attained. However, participation of the reserved seated female members has not improved to the cherished level, she added.
Shamima mentioned that amendment to the existing law besides more awareness building can contribute to ensure hundred-percent empowerment that is very important to establish an effective women representation.
