Shawkat Ali blasts move to 'enchain' women

A stronger democracy will play an important role against attempts to confine women at home, Acting Speaker Shawkat Ali has said.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 10 April 2013, 04:02 AM
Updated : 10 April 2013, 04:42 AM

“Institutionalisation of democracy will resist recent attempts to curb women’s rights,” he said during a discussion on Wednesday.

Radical group Hifazat-e Islam in its 13-point charter of demands has demanded that women be confined at home and also the removal of what they termed as the ‘anti-Islamic’, National Women’s Development Policy 2011.

The Chittagong-based group also went as far as to demand immediate prohibition of public mixing of men and women, which attracted a lot of flak from political groups, organisations and gender activists.
Shawkat Ali claimed during the programme at the Parliament Members’ Club that a particular faction is planning to “make democracy non-functional and establish dictatorial rule”.
“We must save democracy, despite all its shortcomings.”
Shawkat Ali emphasised on securing the rights of women, men and children.
The programme was for the release of a book titled ‘Bangladesh: Rashtro-Rajniti, Sarkar o Shongbidhan’ by author MP Mohammad Israfil Alam.