Build equality-based world for ensuring rights, dignity of women: PM

"On the International Women's Day today, let us come to make a commitment to build an equality-based world and society together where rights, honor and dignity will be ensured," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the inaugural function of the International Women's Day-2014 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here this morning.

This year's theme of the day is "Equality for women is progress for all".

The Prime Minister said a quarter wants to confine the women to houses by carrying out anti-women propaganda and raising excuse of religion. "But the women could not be confined to houses by raising 'jikir' (excuse) of religion," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said why those carry out the anti-women propaganda forgetting that it was none but a woman, Hazrat Bibi Khadiza, who was first converted to Islam by holding the hands of Great Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

"Why they forget that Bibi Khadiza herself used to run business and Hazrat Bibi Ayesha (RA) herself joined the war," she said.

Mentioning that half of the country's population is women, the Prime Minister said socioeconomic uplift of the country is not possible keeping the women isolated from the development process.

She said Bangladesh is now being acclaimed as a model before the whole world for the women development and empowerment. "It is the credit of those women who established themselves in the seat of honour and dignity by breaking social, political and economical chains," she said.

"It is also the credit of those males who are working together as comrades in favour of the equal rights of the women rising above the patriarchy," she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged the country's womenfolk to be well educated and establish themselves as equally as their male partners are in the society saying they will have to build their own fortune as no one will come forward to help change their fate.

Listing various steps for the development of the womenfolk, Sheikh Hasina said now the country's prime minister, leader of the opposition, speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad and deputy leader of the House-all are women.

"Participation of women in the apex court and at the top level of the administration and field administration, police, armed forces and outside of the world are the reflections of our continued efforts for women empowerment," she said.

The Prime Minister said her previous government has framed the National Women Development Policy-2011 for ensuring women empowerment, equal rights and their scope.

"A national work plan has been undertaken to implement the policy," she said and asserted that any law that is contrary to the Quran and Sunnah will not be enacted. She said the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010 was passed in parliament as per election pledges of the government.

The Prime Minister said the women now discharge three- dimensional duty across the globe. They are conducting
professional, family and domestic and social participatory works smoothly.

"The women of our country have conquered the Everest, like that they took themselves to the peak of the success in the house and outside of the house," she said.

Referring to the one-day series victory over Pakistan, Sheikh Hasina said, "Our female cricketers showed their brilliant performance by whitewashing Pakistan, though our male cricketers did not perform well in the ongoing Asia Cup."

The Prime Minister went on saying her government has increased reserved seats in the parliament for the women from 45 to 50, while one-third of the posts in union, upazila and municipality by introducing a system of direct election.

In this connection, she said it was the Awami League government that introduced recruitment of female officers in the armed forces in 2000, while a female judge was appointed to the apex court for the first time during the 1996- 2001 tenure of her government.

Besides, she said, a female vice-chancellor has been appointed to a public university for the first time in the
history of Bangladesh recently.

Sheikh Hasina also described various steps of her government for the welfare of poor women and said gender sensitive budget report has been formulated in 40 ministries for the 2013-14 fiscal to ensure women partnership in various programmes of the government.