Dr Matiur Rahman :
How many women are absolute poor in Bangladesh? How many women are physically or mentally tortured? Has any woman needed legal or mental counselling? Has any woman needed an agricultural card in Bangladesh? What are the impacts of covid-19 on women? What is their level of empowerment? What types of empowerment do women enjoy in a patriarchal society? Do they get their just honour for household work, care, love and affection? Why is real empowerment of women necessary for building up a decent society?
Solutions to all these questions are analyzed very critically and in a justiciable way by eminent Economist Prof. Dr Abul Barkat in his book namely “Boro Prodaye Somaj-Orthoniti-Rastro: Vairuser Mohabiporjoye Thekey Shovon Bangladehser Sondhane (On the Larger Canvas of Society-Economy-State: In Search of a Transition from the Virus-Driven Great Disaster to a Decent Bangladesh).
Statistics show that in the developing world, women comprise half of the entire population and are the poorest of the poor, not merely in wealth but in every other index of development. About 55 per cent of women are directly or indirectly attached to agricultural activities around the world, and Bangladesh also falls in the developing country category.
Around half of the population in Bangladesh is women. Professor Abul Barkat estimates that 80 million women live in 45 million families where 38 million women are absolute poor in 15 million households. Every year around 2.3 million women suffer from mental/physical torture that need legal and health counselling. He also explains women’s contribution to the economy of Bangladesh, estimates time spent by both women and men in all types of daily activities and the economic value of woman’s uncounted activities. He in his book generates recommendations to clarify the woman’s status in the family and society. He also suggested that a “Decent Social System” can build up by empowering women properly.
A “Decent Social System” is based on a democratic state system, which puts loyalty to nature at the front position; all socio-economic and political foundations should be built based on the influence of nature; as Professor Barkat mentioned in his book. He also stated that there are three foundational components of this concept – (i) Social foundational component owns knowledge-rich, free-thinking and creativity promoting; solidarity rich; secular; free from all forms of superstitions; rational humans; human well-fairest science; (ii) Economic foundational component includes people’s ownership on natural resources; social ownership on production; filthy rich less; share and market less system; and (iii) Political foundational component includes democracy, lord less state system, social justice, community administration and people’s responsibility to protect the motherland.
The fundamental objectives of the theory of descent society are: accelerating the process of human enlightenment; creativity promoting the knowledge system; instilling a high sense of solidarity; the process of making human rationality up; making people free from all forms of inequality; free from rent-seekers; creating a state for 100 per cent people’s ownership, and master less civic governance.
Renowned researcher Dr Barkat presents 11 principles to renovate decent Bangladesh from covid-19 impacts. 1. We want development-welfare-progression, but the development would be nature-environment oriented; 2. We need economic growth. We don’t need environmentally harmful, socially unjustified, human resources destructive growth; 3. Growth should be inequality reduced; 4. Growth must be employment-creation oriented; 5. Per capita income or growth of domestic product is not development. It must ensure a healthy life for women-children-old-marginal-poor-deprived-isolated, people; 6. We want to transform the power of youth into natural resources; 7. We want a positive social impact; 8. People own natural resources (land, water body, forest, space resources, coal, gas and mineral) on behalf of nature; 9. We want to uphold human security and equal opportunity for state-society-economy development; 10. Promote inequality reduced home-grown development philosophy; 11. We want to extract the taste of global economic prospects.
People’s economist Professor Barkat opined that the real empowerment of women is necessary to make Bangladesh a decent one. He suggested eliminating all forms of discrimination and inequality against women in Bangladesh. He also emphasized more research on women’s rights and their health status, economic efficiency, social recognition, political participation, and so on.
Moreover, sustainable development goals (SDGs) include reducing inequality and ensuring decent jobs by 2030. So, we need proper strategies, financial support and public participation to achieve this goal. Abul Barkat recommends providing opportunities to women for entire life to have freedom that women should enjoy, taking gender-sensitive programs and projects to build up a decent Bangladesh.
(The writer is a researcher and
development worker).
