The prime minister encourages to build women up as the main driving force for change instead of considering them only as victims
Published : 15 May 2024, 01:33 PM
There is no alternative to a combined social movement to prevent violence against women, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says.
The premier made the remarks at an international conference titled ‘ICPD30 Global Dialogue on Demographic Diversity and Sustainable Development’ at InterContinental Dhaka, a hotel in the capital on Wednesday.
“We will have to build up our women as the main driving force for change instead of only considering them as victims. There is no alternative to a combined social movement to stave off child marriage, dowry and violence against women,” she said.
“In 2014, at the Girl Summit in London, I vowed to declare Bangladesh as a child marriage-free country by 2041. Our efforts in that direction are moving forward. The child marriage rate dropped significantly thanks to the Child Marriage Restraint Act amendment, the formulation of a national action plan, awareness campaigns and various government measures taken for the welfare of women and girls. We [the government] have developed ‘child marriage prevention committees’ at the union level so far.”
The prime minister said more than 8,000 youth clubs have been established for adolescents from various social backgrounds. A target has been set to provide information services to 10 million women through the ‘Tottho Apa’ programme.
Through the launching of the national helpline ‘109’ to prevent the repression of women and children, an effective measure has been taken to tackle sexual harassment and child marriage, Hasina said.
The government also introduced a support desk for women, children, elderly and people with disabilities under the supervision of female officers at every police station, she said.
The premier also highlighted several other programmes taken by the government to ensure health services for youths in Bangladesh, including the distribution of sanitary napkins to 5 million girls from classes six to 12.
Currently, around 42.6 percent of the labour force in Bangladesh is women and the government plans to raise it to 50 percent by 2030, she said.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2023, Bangladesh ranks seventh among 146 countries and is the first in South Asia in the political empowerment of women. The participation of women in the 12th national election was 36.24 percent higher than in previous general elections, Hasina added.